The supreme aim of all officer training is to develop officers of such ‘Blood and Fire spirit’ that they will be enabled to sustain and advance the purposes of The Salvation Army. All modes of training leading toward officership are designed to encourage the development of Salvation Army officers who:
- Know God – evidenced by holiness of heart, purity of life, prayer, witness, service, sacrifice, nobility of character and quality of living.
- Know themselves – their strengths and how to direct them; their weaknesses and how to overcome them; their potentials and how to develop them.
- Know their mission – understanding the implications of God’s call to officership; understanding the nature and mission of The Salvation Army; understanding their commitment to The Salvation Army and their place within it; sharing the burden of the world’s sin and suffering; desiring above self, comfort, recognition and all else, the glory of God and the salvation of the world. (From Orders & Regulations for Training Salvation Army Officers)
The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory currently offers three models for training Salvation Army officers. While the norm for training of Salvation Army officers continues to be the two year residential program at CFOT, we are also proud to offer alternate training options. Each of these models (illustrated in the diagram below) are facilitated by the College For Officer Training, with the help and support of Salvation Army ministry units and divisions across the territory.
While there are definite differences in method, length and location of training , each model has the same outcome in that it fulfills the Certificate of Salvation Army Officer Training. This is not an academic certificate but has to do with all aspects of officer training – spiritual formation, character development, educational attainments and practical skills. It is a tangible symbol of the fact that, by whatever training route travelled, they have satisfactorily completed officer training and are now ready to be commissioned.
To learn more about these training models, simply click on the blue highlighted titles below:
- Full Time Residential Training: Cadets train on site, in Winnipeg, for two years with occasional variations depending on their prior learning.
- Auxiliary-Captain Training: Training is completed in approximately five years, while assuming the responsibilities for an appointment.
- Field-Based Tailored Training: Cadets with significant prior learning and ministry competance train at a Salvation Army ministry unit rather than at CFOT.
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