There are parts of Europe, the far-east and particularly certain non-Christian cultures that we would like to get a foot hold in. I think the key thing is to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If the opening of the door is of God, the resources will follow.
We also have to be careful. If God opens a door of opportunity to us and we refuse to take it because our judgment is in error, then He will close it to us and maybe open it to others. So I want to be very sensitive to God in these matters.
When you take up your new position in April, what new projects or plans have you got in your mind for The Salvation Army internationally?
In 2007 we will celebrate the centenary of Salvation Army evangelical work amongst woman. I actually want to reaffirm authentic ministry by the women and evangelical outreach to women and children and families. That will be a global emphasis of 2007.
The Salvation Army is noted for the freedom and the quality it gives to women in Christian leadership. My wife is a fully ordained and commissioned Salvation Army officer in her own right. I want to place strong emphasis on winning children to Jesus Christ.
I was saved when I was a child. My own sense of spiritual vocation for full-time ministry, I can trace back to when I was 12 years of age. I didn't fully understand it then. As I grew older, I pursued my education and other professional opportunities came my way and going into full-time ministry lost its attraction. But God has not changed His mind about that. He pursued me with love, whispering into my heart as a young lawyer, saying, "Shaw, you're living a good life, I know that you love me with all your heart but you're not to be seduced by the legal profession."
I was actually teaching in a university at that time in a law faculty. So in my mid-twenties I had to face up to the same vocation which I was aware of as a 12-year-old. Of course by then I had married Helen. It became clear that we were equally convinced.
She was teaching in school, and we were both very fulfilled. But you have to say yes to God, or settle to be quietly dissatisfied for the rest of your life, and we were not going to settle for that, so we offered ourselves to The Salvation Army for full-time service.
The Army was our spiritual home, we came from Salvation Army families. As I look back at that now,
I've been elected to the officer of General. I marvel and wonder at God's planning and the way He guides you throughout the years. So when privileged tasks like this one are placed before you, you can see how He has been preparing you. It's a humbling and deeply moving experience.
Are there any hopes that you have for this organisation personally?
I want The Salvation Army to be everything God raised it up to be. That is to win men, women, as well as boys and girls to Christ and meet human needs, in varied forms, without discrimination and no strings attached. The Army never said we will help if you believe, we simply say we will help you. If interest is expressed in why we are helping, we'll talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. We will give our word of witness to faith.
Sometimes in some parts of the world, we get really sophisticated. We get fascinated by information technology and we get fascinated by our own reputations. We get caught up in systems and processes and methods and structures...these are all very interesting. But at the end of the day, they're not that important. It's obedience to God that matters. And I want an obedient Salvation Army.
I want to be the kind of world leader of The Salvation Army that will help Salvationists in every corner of the globe to capture a new vision, of a needy world where although sin is always rampant, the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ is even more powerful.
To see people coming to the cross and yielding to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what thrills us, and that is why we were raised up.
