NSW: Members will not marry outsiders: Salvos

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2000
NSW: Members will not marry outsiders: Salvos

By Denise McNamara

SYDNEY, Aug 31 AAP - The Australian branch of the Salvation Army is considering relaxing
some of its strict rules and allowing officers to marry junior members.

But a spokesman for the deeply religious charitable organisation Colonel Ivan Lang
said Salvos would still not be allowed to marry outside the organisation.

"It's not a case that an officer can walk down the street and just pick somebody they
want to marry," Colonel Lang said.

"Our members are all called soldiers who generally go on to become officers and higher,
along the same lines as the army."

"Under the proposed change, officers may be allowed to marry non-officers, but they
must still be soldiers and have applied to become an officer," Colonel Lang said.

He said 18 months ago the General of the worldwide Salvation Army Headquarters set
up a commission to look at officership, focusing on training, promotion and the "ongoing
empowerment of officers".

He said one of the recommendations to come out of that was to allow officers to marry
non-officers.

"If a new lieutenant happened to meet a young lady who was only a soldier, he'd have
to wait until she applied to become an officer and finished the two-year training required,"

Colonel Lang said.

While the Australian Salvos would welcome more flexibility, Colonel Lang said the changes
must not weaken the body.

"One of our strengths is that while other churches are having fierce debate over whether
to ordain women, the Salvation Army has been doing it for 130 years as both husband and
wife teams are ordained ministers.

"We're not looking to weaken that position," he said.

He said a report in the British newspaper The Times that claimed Salvation Army members
would be able to marry outside the organisation was incorrect.

The Salvation Army was founded 135 years ago by William Booth, who wanted to offer
practical help to the poor and at the same time introduce them to his Wesleyan faith.

AAP dmc/ah/arb/de

KEYWORD: SALVOS

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.