Are you new to The Salvation Army and finding the terminology a bit confusing…? You aren’t alone!

Many of the terms in The Salvation Army have come about because of the militaristic nature of our organisation. Our founders, William and Catherine Booth envisioned an Army directed by God which would fight for the Salvation of Souls.

Here are some of the common ones you may hear or things you may see on a Sunday… hopefully it will now feel less confusing! If you do have a question, please feel free to ask anyone from our Church. They will be more than happy to help answer it.

Our People

Corps Officers (CO’s): The minister/minsters in charge of a Corps (Church). Our current Corps Officers are Captains David and Elizabeth McCaw-Aldworth. Corps can be jointly led by a Husband and Wife who are both officers, an individual officer or leadership may be shared between officers.

Corps Sergeant Major (CSM): A lay leader who helps the Corps Officer with the running of the Corps. Our CSM is David Lloyd-Jones. You’ll often find David manning the sound desk at the back of the hall during Sunday meetings.

Young People’s Sergeant Major (YPSM): A lay leader who runs with the children’s programme within the Corps. At present we have no YPSM but Matthew Stonham heads up the team within Children’s Ministries

Bandmaster (BM): The musical leader of our band. Morriston Citadel Band is led by Acting Bandmaster Chris Lear

Songster Leader (SL): The musical leader of our adult choir. Morriston Citadel Songsters are led by Songster Leader Chris Lear.

Young People’s Singing Company Leader (YPSCL): The musical leader of our Junior Singing Group who are currently led by Catherine McCaw-Aldworth

The General: The worldwide leader of The Salvation Army. Our current General is General André Cox and he is the 20th General of The Salvation Army. The original “General” of the Salvation Army was William Booth, right back at the very beginning over 150 years ago.

Junior Soldier: A junior member of The Salvation Army who has made their commitment public. You’ll usually see Junior Soldiers wearing a less formal uniform, a bit like a school uniform because they have chosen to, consisting of a sweatshirt and a polo shirt. Not all children are Junior Soldiers as the decision is down to them.

Senior Soldier: An adult member of The Salvation Army. The majority of “Senior Soldiers” wear the globally recognised Salvation Army uniform, but it’s not compulsory.

Adherent: Adherent members do not wear the uniform but have made a public commitment that The Salvation Army is their church of choice and they are sympathetic with the aims and beliefs. Many undertake responsibilities to help the Army go about its work.

Salvationist: An officer, soldier or adherent member of the Salvation Army. You do not have to be a salvationist to attend, Salvation Army meetings (services) are open to all. You’re guaranteed a warm welcome at Morriston Salvation Army.

Our Symbols

Red Shield: The globally recognised branding/logo of The Salvation Army.

Salvation Army Crest: This is the symbol/emblem of The Salvation Army. Take a look at this video, it will explain exactly what our crest means.

The Flag: Designed to symbolise the essential beliefs of the movement, and today the design is largely unchanged, no matter in which parts of the world the Army operates. The flag consists of a blue border surrounding a red background, in the centre of which is a yellow star. The Army’s motto ‘Blood and Fire’ is also inscribed on the flag, as is usually the name of the local centre each flag belongs to.

The blue represents holiness – the holiness of God and the holy lives Christians are called to live.

The red is a reminder to Salvationists of Jesus’ blood shed when he was crucified, making it possible for us to live lives free from sin because he died.

The yellow star symbolises the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The motto reinforces this symbolism – the blood which was shed by Jesus for our sins and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Epaulettes: People with a sharp eye will notice that Army uniforms, while having a basic style, carry a variety of trimmings such as epaulettes and badges. These denote to fellow Salvationists whether that person is an officer or soldier, the corps they belong to and whether they carry a position of responsibility within that corps. Uniforms also vary slightly around the world in keeping with the traditions of a particular culture.

‘S’ on uniforms: The letter ‘S’ appears on the lapels of uniforms.  It stands for ‘Salvation’ and carries the meaning ‘Saved to Serve’. Usually the patch behind these is black or blue with officers having red and high ranking offers having a trim colour around the patch as well.

Other Terminology

Holiness Meeting: Sunday morning worship service.

Salvation Meeting: Traditional name for a Sunday evening worship service.

Open Air: A meeting held outdoors to tell others about Jesus.

Mercy Seat: Our altar and place of prayer. It’s situated at the front of the hall and usually takes the form of a long piece of wood, a bit like bench. Anyone can come and pray here, usually a member of our Church will come and pray with you if you would like. It’s always open to everyone but sometimes there will be a specific invitation during a meeting, perfect if you feel the need to visit the Mercy Seat and have a chat with God.

Testimony: Telling others what God is doing in your life.

Saved: The term used when a person has accepted Jesus as his/her saviour from sin.

Articles of War or The Soldiers Covenant: The document that a new “Senior Soldier” signs when they are publicly sworn in as a member of The Salvation Army. It’s a promise to uphold the beliefs and adhere to the principles of The Salvation Army. Check out what it says here.

Offering/collection: An opportunity (voluntary) to give to the work of the Salvation Army locally. Sometimes there will be collections for Salvation Army’s national Annual Appeal or for the Army’s work in another country.

Corps: A Salvation Army church similar in concept to that of other churches’ ‘parishes’, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and serve the community.