Major Angela Smith

During our appointment in Toledo, Ohio, we were invited to the adoption ceremony of some of our corps kids. The whole corps had been praying for these five siblings to find their “forever family.” A family had adopted all five siblings to keep them together. On the day of the ceremony, we went to the courthouse to witness the adoption process, then took pictures with the judge and the family. It was a very special, emotional moment. Days like that show how there is nothing that can prepare you for the experiences of officership. No two days and no two seasons in ministry are ever the same. You jump in, allow God to lead your path, and hold on. You handle it by letting yourself be a willing vessel for God. He will help you continue to grow, change you, and make you a better pastor.

Pastors are human, and we will all continue to make mistakes our whole life. Sometimes, we don’t know what the ministry needs until someone comes up to us and tells us. There have been times people have asked me why I didn’t come to visit them in the hospital or when they were in need. But it was because they did not communicate what was going on in their lives with us. Pastors don’t automatically know what one’s needs are, especially when Salvation Army pastors first arrive [to a new appointment]. Let your pastor know what’s going on in your life, what you need, and we will do the best we can. Communication is key in any relationship, and that includes the relationship between pastor and congregation.

Major Michael Smith

Early in our officership, I always made sure to count how many people went up to the altar on Sundays. But I was told to not focus so much on that, because it would become discouraging. There are times when no one goes up. But over my time as a pastor, I started to look more towards the attitudes of people in the corps — how they walk, live their lives, and the language they use. Some come to us talking like sailors off a ship, but then, we see changes. They know what they should and shouldn’t be doing and saying. Their new attitudes become their norm. They start to ask more questions about the Bible and the Lord. That’s what I look to when seeing how our corps is growing now.

The Bible says that some plant the seeds, while others water them, but it is God that makes it grow. Sometimes, we are fortunate to see that growth. In Toledo, the gentlemen of the Adult Rehabilitation Center came to the Toledo Corps for church and Bible study. One of these men, Jacob, had arrived ready to give up on life. This was a last-ditch effort to get clean. We watched him grow in the Lord. When he graduated the program, we drove him to his hometown to be with his family. Today, he’s married, has children, and is active in his own church. We stay in touch through social media, and in one post, he wrote how grateful he was for his time in Toledo, and for “Mike and Angie,” because he didn’t know where he’d be without us. I always remind him that it’s only by the grace of God that he’s where he is now. All the glory is His.