Christian Leadership Alliance acting president and CEO Mark L. Vincent recently interviewed Salvation Army National Commander William A. Roberts.
What have you found to be keys to leading The Salvation Army well?
I can share some of the things I’ve discovered personally. The first is that whatever else I may do, whatever skills I might acquire or refine, whatever things I might learn technically or professionally, at the very top of the list I have to intentionally keep myself spiritually fit. And that would be true whether in my present position or any position within The Salvation Army.
Another critical area for leading well is knowing the people who serve with me. You come to know people by being with them. I’ve always made it a priority to be with and know the people with whom I’m privileged to serve. That, of course, takes more than just sitting in one’s office. One has to not just be with people spiritually or emotionally, but also physically.
I think I also need to be aware of what’s happening both inside and outside the organization.
I have often said to Salvation Army officers that if you don’t like people, maybe The Salvation Army isn’t where you should be. That is an underpinning to everything that we do. We are a people serving organization. We certainly need to have an inclination towards people, whether it’s the people The Salvation Army historically serves, those who are economically disadvantaged, or towards those with whom we serve.
How do you plan strategically for the wide scope of ministry of The Salvation Army?
Even though The Salvation Army is hierarchical and military in terminology and organization, it’s also decentralized. While there are some major parameters which do not change, like our statement of faith and our international mission statement, The Salvation Army in local jurisdictions is pretty much free to plan and program the way that’s most needed in those areas.
While you might see the same kinds of things happen worldwide, you’ll see it done differently in different parts of the world. There are some things which bind us together. But we have as many differences in The Salvation Army as we do similarities in terms of authority and responsibility for what happens.
And while the international headquarters in London or national headquarters or a regional territorial headquarters may offer broad outlines of expectations, it is the local Salvation Army which decides how those can best be realized.
Is that where your advisory boards come in?
Yes. The Salvation Army has advisory boards in every community where it has a physical presence, at least in this country. It’s a great blessing. These advisory boards (not governing boards) are composed of individuals from the community who advise The Salvation Army on whether or not we are meeting the community’s expectations and needs. They remind us whether or not we are following our own stated mission.
We’ve had advisory boards in this country for well over 100 years. One of the blessings to the Army is that these lay persons, citizens of a community, choose to align themselves with The Salvation Army and tell us what we need to hear about how well we are doing, what we should be doing. But that population is aging, and we are making a concerted effort now to attract younger people to those positions of advisory capacity and responsibility.
What is the key to staying on mission?
If our mission is no longer viable, then we need to change it. But if it is our mission, then all we do must align with it. So when opportunities or new initiatives arise and we think it might be good for The Salvation Army – maybe there’s money available or a need – we must first ask, Does it fit with our mission? Can we do it with integrity and be faithful to our mission?
Do you have any suggestions on ways Christian nonprofits can continually improve?
I think there needs to be a greater emphasis on collaboration. That helps us all. For a long time we have each seen ourselves as separate islands or as competitors. We have protected our own turf. And The Salvation Army has done that, as have many organizations.
As we collaborate, we gain strength, knowledge, and resources, and we end up serving the community better, meeting the needs of people in Jesus’ name. We can do that without losing organizational integrity or compromising standards. As we serve together in the Lord’s name, the kingdom of God is encouraged and the community we serve is helped.
Commissioner Roberts was installed as National Commander on November 1, 2010. He and his wife Commissioner Nancy Roberts were first commissioned as officers in 1971, and have broad perspective of the Army’s work around the world. Since 2001, they have served with The Salvation Army in South America, at International Headquarters in London, and in Kenya.
The son of Salvation Army officers, Roberts holds a B.S. in business administration from Wayne State University and a M.A. in religious studies from the University of Detroit. He also studied at the University of Minnesota, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and North Park Seminary.
