Midwest Leader Nominated to Become General of The Salvation Army
Jeff Curnow
Cell: 847-571-1868
Jeff_curnow@usc.salvationarmy.org
(Hoffman Estates, Ill.—May 22, 2018) The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London, has announced that five leaders will stand for election to become the 21st General of The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has only one General, who serves as the international leader of the church and social services organization in 128 countries worldwide.
Among the nominees are two Americans: Commissioners Brad Bailey and Kenneth Hodder lead The Salvation Army’s work in the Midwestern and Western U.S., respectively.
About Commissioner Brad Bailey
Commissioner Bailey has led The Salvation Army in its USA Central Territory since July 2, 2017. Bailey was born in Chile while his parents were stationed there as Salvation Army officers. He and Heidi, his wife, were ordained and commissioned in Chicago, in 1982. In their career they have served in several locations in the Midwestern US, in addition to Chile, Spain and the UK. In Bailey’s most recent appointment, he served as second-in-command for the USA Southern Territory, headquartered in Atlanta.
Just prior to the convening of the High Council, Bailey wrote:
“The focus of the High Council must continue to be on who can best lead us in keeping our divine focus on our Mission Statement which declares:
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
Should either Hodder or Bailey be elected, he will be the first General from the U.S. since General Paul Rader (Ret.) who retired from that post in 1999.
About the other nominees
In addition to Bailey and Hodder, the three remaining Commissioners nominated are William Cochrane, and Jane Paone, both British, and Brian Peddle, a Canadian. Cochrane currently serves as the Territorial Commander of the Norway, Iceland and The Færoes Territory, Paone as the Territorial President of Women’s Ministries for the Switzerland, Austria and Hungary Territory and Peddle as The Chief of the Staff, or second-in-command, of the worldwide Salvation Army.
About the High Council
The 108 Salvation Army Officers who make up the High Council are ordained ministers who lead The Salvation Army in 128 countries. The High Council is only summoned to elect a new General upon the current General’s retirement, or inability to perform his or her duties. In this case, the High Council will elect the successor to General André Cox, who retires on August 2, 2018.
Membership of the High Council and some other aspects of its procedures are set out in the Salvation Army Act of 1980, enacted by the British Parliament. Among the eligible members for this High Council, women outnumbered men 59 to 52.
The proceedings will now pause while the candidates and spouses prepare speeches outlining their plans for the future of The Salvation Army, and answers to questions which were formulated for nominees earlier in the High Council proceedings. The members of the High Council will then vote to elect one of the five.
Learn more about the 2018 High Council
Further news about these historic proceedings will be posted as it is available.