The Salvation Army  Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

 

 Criteria for Membership

 

Junior Soldiers of The Salvation Army

 

Children who join The Salvation Army as junior soldiers make the following promise:

'Having asked God for forgiveness, I will be his loving and obedient child. Because Jesus is my Savior from sin, I will trust him to keep me good, and will try to help others to follow him. I promise to pray, to read my Bible and, by his help, to lead a life that is clean in thought, word and deed. I will not smoke, take harmful drugs or drink alcoholic drinks.

Adherents of The Salvation Army

 

'Adherency' is a form of membership of The Salvation Army which varies from country to country. It never requires the full acceptance of Salvation Army regulations that 'soldiership' (full membership) requires, but in many countries the adherent signs a Certificate of Recognition.

One widely used certificate declares: 'This certificate confirms that ____ is an Adherent Member of The Salvation Army. An adherent member of The Salvation Army is a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks to follow and be like him; participates in the worship, fellowship, service and support of a local Salvation Army congregation; and identifies with the Army's Mission Statement.

An adherent member is a person 14 years of age or over, who meets the definition of adherency given above, and who is not an active member of any other religious body. The Salvation Army affirms all who sign the certificate recognizes this as a positive step in a personal journey and pledges ongoing encouragement and pastoral guidance as this journey of faith unfolds.

 

Soldiers of The Salvation Army

 

(Promises made when becoming a soldier in The Salvation Army; formerly called 'Articles of War'.)

Having accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, and desiring to fulfill my membership of His Church on earth as a soldier of The Salvation Army, I now by God's grace enter into a sacred covenant.

I believe and will live by the truths of the word of God expressed in The Salvation Army's eleven articles of faith:

 

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God: and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator. Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost-undivided in essence and coequal in power and glory.

We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocence, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness; and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has, by His suffering and death, made atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are all necessary to salvation.

We believe that we are justified by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.

Therefore

I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible.

I will make the values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world the standard for my life.

I will uphold Christian integrity in every area of my life, allowing nothing in thought, word or deed that is unworthy, unclean, untrue, profane, dishonest or immoral.

I will maintain Christian ideals in all my relationships with others: my family and neighbors, my colleagues and fellow Salvationists, those to whom and for whom I am responsible, and the wider community.

I will uphold the sanctity of marriage and of family life.

I will be a faithful steward of my time and gifts, my money and possessions, my body, my mind and my spirit, knowing that I am accountable to God.

I will abstain from alcoholic drink, tobacco, the non-medical use of addictive drugs, gambling, pornography, the occult, and all else that could enslave the body or spirit.

I will be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salvation Army, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, endeavoring to win others to Him, and in His name caring for the needy and the disadvantaged.

I will be actively involved, as I am able, in the life, work, worship and witness of the corps, giving as large a proportion of my income as possible to support its ministries and the worldwide work of the Army.

I will be true to the principles and practices of The Salvation Army, loyal to its leaders, and I will show the spirit of Salvationism whether in times of popularity or persecution.

I now call upon all present to witness that I enter into this covenant and sign these articles of war of my own free will, convinced that the love of Christ, who died and now lives to save me, requires from me this devotion of my life to His service for the salvation of the whole world; and therefore do here declare my full determination, by God's help, to be a true soldier of The Salvation Army

To become a Senior Soldier of The Salvation Army at Wilkes-Barre, a person must:

 

Express and live a life that demonstrates faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

Remain tobacco,alcohol and drug free

Not live in a marital relationship with anyone other than a spouse.

Make a Commitment to The Salvation Army as a member of the church, fully supporting our ministries with time, talents and treasures.

Present a letter from the church of most recent membership stating that membership is being transferred