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A soldier is a
Salvationist The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents co ...
who is at least 14 years of age and has, with the approval of
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
Pastoral Care Council in each local Salvation Army
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
(formerly called the Census Board), been enrolled as a
warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...
in the
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
denomination called The Salvation Army – after signing the ''Soldier's Covenant'' (see ''
Salvation Army Articles of War The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers an ...
''). The soldier expresses his or her commitment in every area of life, but more specifically through the ministry and work of a local Salvation Army
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
.


Covenant

Salvationist Soldiers are considered by their peers to be covenanted warriors exercising 'holy passion' to win the world for
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. The covenant, known as the Soldier's Covenant, is a lifelong commitment to God through The Salvation Army that is fleshed out by a full book of
Orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
and
Regulations Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...
called ''Chosen to Be a Soldier'' published by the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army. There is also a complete book, formerly called the ''Handbook of Doctrine'', reprinted as ''Salvation Story'' in 1998, and in 2010 became ''Handbook of Doctrine'' available as a free download that explains the
doctrines Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
to which the soldier subscribes. The text of the covenant, which is quoted below, reflects the Army's determination to remain faithful to its standards and principles. All Soldiers (including officers of all ranks) are urged from time to time to re-read the solemn undertakings to which they have set their hand and to reaffirm before God their dedication to Him and to The Salvation Army, so that their lifestyle and service will be in keeping with the Soldier's Covenant.


Enrollment of Soldiers

Having completed 'recruits classes', been approved by the Pastoral Care Council and having signed their
Articles of War The Articles of War are a set of regulations drawn up to govern the conduct of a country's military and naval forces. The first known usage of the phrase is in Robert Monro's 1637 work ''His expedition with the worthy Scot's regiment called Mac-k ...
, a soldier is publicly enrolled under The Salvation Army flag usually as part of worship of a Salvation Army corps. The soldier makes a public declaration by reading the articles aloud and will often first wear a Salvation Army uniform on this day. An
Officer of The Salvation Army An officer in The Salvation Army is a Salvationist who is an ordained minister of the Christian faith, but who fulfills many other roles not usually filled by clergy of other denominations. They do so having been trained, ordained and commissione ...
, usually the corps officer of the corps into which the soldier is being enrolled, normally conducts this ceremony.


Uniform

Soldiers are encouraged to wear the
uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...
as a sign of covenant community. The uniform is a visible profession of faith in
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
and identifies the wearer with the Christian faith. The uniform also identifies the wearer as being a person who can be called upon to discover more about the Christian faith. The uniform differs according to rank, nationality, and activity engaged in. The Basic Uniform for most territories is Men White Shirt, Navy Blue Jacket, Navy Blue Trousers, Navy Blue Tie, Navy Blue Peaked Cap, Ladies White Blouse Navy Blue Jacket, Navy Blue Skirt, A white or blue gilded brooch, Navy Blue Bowler style hat, In Summer (May - September) Soldiers wear Summer Uniform which involves Ladies opting to wear an open neck blouse. Men wear short sleeves. All Soldiers wear epaulettes which are Navy blue for Soldiers and pale blue for Songsters and Bandsman. Some Female soldiers now opt to wear trousers in lieu of a skirt. In most countries it is expected that Men remove their caps when indoors and Ladies keep their hats on whether indoors or out. However, there has been a decline in recent years of both men and women wearing headdress. It is likely in coming years that the cap and hat will be phased out.


Criticisms

Many Christians (including Salvation Army adherents) accept the tradition of soldiership for various reasons. The most prominent objection is the age at which children may be enrolled, i.e.: 14 years of age, even though this is the age many young people in other denominations are confirmed in their faith and become official members of the church. Such opponents argue that it is immoral or deceptive to ask a child to sign a lifelong covenant at that age, particularly when they are too young to legally engage in some of the activities singled out in the Articles of War (consuming alcohol, smoking, etc.).


Junior Soldiers

The Salvation Army takes seriously the capacity of children to have an authentic Christian experience. A Junior Soldier is a boy or girl who, having
professed A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddin ...
conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
, having signed the junior soldier’s promise, and being between the age of 7 and 13, becomes a Salvationist. In some places Junior Soldiers also wear a form of uniform which differs according to the locality. A Junior Soldier uniform for a boy would be a white collar shirt, navy blue dress pants, black shoes, navy socks, Junior Soldier pins and tie. A Junior Soldier uniform for a girl would be a white collar shirt, navy blue skirt/skort, navy tights, black shoes, Junior Soldier pins. In Australia Junior soldiers have opted to wear a polo shirt reflecting the colours of The salvation Army flag (either blue, yellow or red). This gives the Juniors Soldier a sense of individuality while still belonging to the Junior corps. Often a uniform is not worn, but a Junior Soldier wears a badge (pin) with rings to indicate which level of activity or projects each Junior Soldier has attained (similar to a bar on a military medal). The 'Junior Soldier promise' reads this:
"I know that Jesus is my Saviour from sin. I have asked him to forgive my sins, and I will trust him to keep me good. By his help, I will be his loving and obedient child, and will help others to follow him. I promise to pray, to read my Bible, and to lead a life that is clean in thought, word and deed. I will not use anything that may injure my body or my mind, including harmful drugs, alcohol and tobacco."


Enrollment statistics

According to The Salvation Army Year Book 2008 as of 1 January 2007 there are 360,222 junior
soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
and 1,082,166 senior soldiers in The Salvation Army. Additionally, in the 2010 Year Book numbers have increased - Junior Soldiers total 378,009 and Senior Soldiers total 1,122,326 internationally. In 2017 Junior Soldiers number 411,327, while there are 1,182,100 Soldiers. As at 2010 The Salvation Army was active in 120 countries, and by 28 October 2016 that had increased to 128 countries.


References

{{reflist The Salvation Army ja:救世軍