Lyndon Vernon Wayne Buckingham is a

Salvation Army officer 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 ...

and

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 ...

minister from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, currently serving as the

General of The Salvation Army General is the title of the international leader and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers (who are therefore known ...

since 3 August 2023. He is the first person from New Zealand to hold the office.

Family and early life

Buckingham was born in

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New ...

to Salvation Army officers Hillmon and Lorraine ( Smith) Buckingham, who were stationed at Woodville Corps (church) at the time. Hillmon and Lorraine Buckingham were later appointed to the rank of Commissioner and held Territorial Leadership posts. According to interviews, Buckingham had his first personal experience of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

and received his call to Officership aged 17 at a Salvation Army Youth Councils in August 1979. Buckingham married Bronwyn Robertson in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and ...

, before they moved to Trentham, Upper Hutt to attend William Booth Memorial Training College (now Booth College of Mission), the Salvation Army's officer training college. They have two children, who are both officers in the Salvation Army, serving in the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. Lyndon and Bronwyn Buckingham have resided in London since they took up appointments at the Salvation Army's International Headquarters (IHQ) in 2018.

Career

Lyndon Buckingham was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer along with his wife in 1990 in

. Along with his wife, Buckingham has been appointed to corps (local church centres), divisional (regional oversight), and other territorial headquarters postings in New Zealand and Canada, and held Territorial leadership roles in Singapore and the United Kingdom. Buckingham was appointed Chief of the Staff of the Salvation Army in 2018, serving under General

Brian Peddle General Brian Peddle (born 8 August 1957) is the CEO and 21st General of The Salvation Army since 3 August 2018. He was formerly the 26th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army from 1 November 2015 until 3 August 2018 under General André Cox. ...

. In 2023, Buckingham summoned the

High Council of The Salvation Army The High Council of The Salvation Army elects a new General in the event of a vacancy or prior to the retirement of the existing office holder. It can also remove a General who can no longer fulfill their duties. It is made up of the Chief of th ...

to meet at Sunbury Court in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to elect a successor to General Peddle, who had announced his retirement, under the requirements of the Salvation Army Act 1980. After a week of formalities and deliberations, the members of the High Council elected Buckingham to the position of General-Elect.

Appointments

New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory * Corps Officer (pastor), Queenstown Corps (1990) * Field Training Officer, William Booth Memorial Training College, Upper Hutt, Wellington (1992) * Corps Officer (pastor), Wellington City Corps (1998) * Territorial Youth and Candidates Secretary (2004) * Divisional Commander, Southern Division (2007) * Territorial Secretary for Programme (2010) Canada and Bermuda Territory * Corps Officer (pastor), South Windsor Citadel Corps (1994) Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar Territory * Chief Secretary (2013) * Territorial Commander (June 2013) United Kingdom and Ireland Territory * Territorial Commander (2018) International Headquarters *

Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army The Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army is a Commissioner appointed by the General of The Salvation Army as the second in command internationally. The Chief of the Staff is stationed at International Headquarters in London. The office of C ...

(August 2018) *

(2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Lyndon 1962 births Living people Salvation Army officers New Zealand Salvationists People from Dannevirke