Making ‘Call to Arms’ Work in Your Context – Sample Course Plans

Every corps is different, as are the people in each group of recruits. Call to Arms has been written to be flexible and work in different contexts. However this requires some planning on the part of the Recruiting Sergeant. In this document you will find some sample course plans that show how you could structure the sessions depending on your context. If you were doing more than one module a block, you would probably pick out a couple of the “Reflect” questions and one or two “Practice” activities that were more relevant for your recruits. It is not expected that recruits would necessarily complete all the “Reflect” questions or all the “Practice” activities. Pick out what works best for your group. The “Go Deeper” resources are designed for recruits who want to investigate further on their own, so that would be up to the recruit if they pursued that in their own time.

Seven Weeks

This course plan will work well in corps where the recruits are able to commit to weekly evening classes for seven weeks. It will give them time to digest the content well, and time to reflect between sessions on what they have learnt. This would be ideal for newer converts or younger recruits who may not have come across some of these doctrines before.

Session / Modules / Worksheet
Week 1 / Introduction to the Salvation Army
  • Show part of Boundless Salvationor One Army DVD introducing TSA
  • Group discussion about why people are doing the soldiership preparation training
  • Talk about soldiership in TSA, and the significance of the soldier’s covenant

Doctrine 1: The authority of scripture
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • View video testimony
  • Group discussion about ways of incorporating scripture into daily life.
/ Reflect: 3 in class; 2, 5 at home.
Practice:1
Go Deeper:
Week 2 / Doctrine 2: One God
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • View video testimony
/ Reflect:2, 3 at home.
Practice:N/A
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 3: God is Three persons
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • View video testimony
/ Reflect:1, 4 at home.
Practice:1
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 2 and 3 Practical: Prayer and worship
  • Doctrine 2 – Giving credit where credit is due, body language, not just on Sundays
  • Doctrine 3 – What’s in a name, Our life in the Trinity

Week 3 / Doctrine 4: The two natures of Christ
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Incarnational mission
  • Embodied spirituality
  • Justice andcreation care
/ Reflect:1 in class.
Practice:2
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 4 Practical: Mission
Excursion: Provide opportunity for the recruits to be involved in a mission/service opportunity as a practical outworking of doctrine 4.
Week 4 / Doctrine 5: The fall
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Seeing the image of God in people
  • Dealing with temptation
/ Reflect:4-5 (at home).
Practice:2
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 6: The atonement
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Go for souls
/ Reflect:1, 6 (in class).
Practice: N/A
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 6 Practical: Evangelism
Per the instructions in the doctrine 4 homework activity 3, as a group organise a community event in your local area where you will openly preach the gospel.
Week 5 / Doctrine 7: Repentance, faith and regeneration
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Keeping our conscience in working order
  • Responding to the work of the Spirit
/ Reflect:2, 5.
Practice:1
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 8: Justified by grace through faith
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Faith and trust in Christ
  • Pride blocks us from receiving grace
/ Reflect:2-3.
Practice:1
Go Deeper:
Week 6 / Doctrine 9: Continued obedient faith
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Keeping in tune with God
  • Handling pain, persecution or disappointment
  • Watch video testimony
  • Obedience to God’s unpopular views
/ Reflect:1, 3, 5 (at home).
Practice:1
Go Deeper:
Doctrine 10: Holiness
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Watch video testimony
  • Put off sin, put on holiness
  • Group discussion on lifestyle commitments 5-7, what behaviours does a soldier commit to “put off” and what behaviours do they commit to “put on”?
  • Keep growing in holiness
/ Reflect:Recruits to pick a few relevant qns to reflect on at home.
Practice: N/A
Go Deeper:
Week 7 / Doctrine 11: The afterlife
  • Overview of the doctrine
  • Group discussion about if this is different from what recruits currently believe about the afterlife
  • Watch video testimony
  • Keeping hope alive
  • Making heaven on earth
/ Reflect:1-3 (in class).
Practice: N/A
Go Deeper:
Conclusion
  • Q&A with the recruits, both to assess their understanding of the material, and to see if there are areas where they need further information.
  • Discussion of next steps for those who want to continue on to become soldiers.

1 | Page