Uniform

I found this on Blood and Fire (see right column) (and photo from thewarcollege.com) and thought it was a great excerpt of why the Salvation Army have our unique uniform wearing approach to salvation, being an obvious presence and how it opens up so many doors and opportunities.

Why a uniform?

Although uniform wearing is not compulsory for Salvation Army Soldiers, most soldiers still chose to be identified by the clothes that they wear to church. Elijah Cadman an early pioneer of the Salvation Army was the first Salvationist to don a uniform. He did it because he wanted the devil to know that he meant to "fight to the death".

The uniform has changed over the years to reflect modern trends and undoubtedly will change in the future. However, many Salvationists could not envisage carrying out their distinct mission without one. The uniform has made Salvationists vulnerable to approach from the needy. When worn by a soldier with an on-fire testimony it becomes a passport to countless opportunities for service.

Salvationists continue to ensure that their uniforms to link them with the unsaved and do not serve as a barrier between us and those we long to serve. Military soldiers have different uniforms for different types of combat. Salvationists too need to know when to keep uniforms on and when to take them off.

One thing that was mentioned at ACC was human trafficking along with sex trafficking and talking about going into brothels and places connected with them, and our uniform was a great 'door opener' where if we had no uniform it would be a totally awkward situation if we wanted to go in to make a network and get our 'foot in the door' if you understand what I mean!

Sure uniform takes many different forms these days, but still whether it's a shirt with a red shield on it or a high neck uniform, it still is the symbol of SALVATION and a great reminder we're ultimately after leading a person into a relationship with Jesus!!

Join the war, become a soldier!