NCD Discipleship Resources
General William Booth
William Booth (10 April 1829 – 20 August 1912) was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General (1878–1912). The Christian movement, with a quasi-military structure and government - but with no physical weaponry - founded in 1865, has spread from London, England, to many parts of the world and is known for being one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid. William was born in Sneinton, Nottingham, England, the only son of four surviving children born to Samuel Booth and Mary Moss.[1] His father was wealthy by the standards of the time, but during Booth's childhood, as a result of his father's bad investments, the family descended into poverty and William's father became an alcoholic.
In 1842, Samuel Booth, who by then was bankrupt, could no longer afford his son's school fees, and 13-year-old William Booth was apprenticed to a pawnbroker. Samuel Booth died later that same year.
Which NCD Quality Characteristics were/are most emphasised by this hero?:
Passionate Spirituality
Effective Structures
Need-oriented Evangelism
How did/does this greater emphasis manifest itself?:
William Booth redefined Need-oriented Evangelism by looking directly at how the Gospel could be spoken into each person's specific point of need - the very area in which they are not experiencing Jesus' "Life in all its fullness" (John 10:10).
"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!"
Which NCD Quality Characteristics were/are perhaps not so strongly emphasised by this hero or in their ministry legacy?:
Holistic Small Groups
How did/does this lower emphasis manifest itself?:
While very helpful in establishing a culture of obedience and commitment, the quasi-military nature of The Salvation Army is not conducive to allowing the "Soldiers" to have problems and provide them with help in dealing with them. These concerns are at the heart of Holistic Small Groups. Often the church is evaluated in terms of its likeness to either a courtroom (sin needs to be judged) or a hospital (sin is a sickness). It would seem the Salvation Army has always lacked a little of what is found in the military hospital.
Your thoughts?:
The above reflections are a combination of historical facts and more subjective theories about the development of part of the Christian church under the leadership of William Booth. It is an ongoing discussion intended to help us identify that which should be held onto and that from which we should learn and grow beyond in our efforts to more fully and more obediently follow Jesus. As we seek to learn these lessons together, please join the discussion below and offer your comments. In accordance with the consensus of the following discussions, the main article above will be progressively reshaped by a team of key NCD practitioners with a strong commitment to both The Salvation Army and NCD.
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