Commissioner in The Salvation Army

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The rank of Commissioner in The Salvation Army is the second highest rank attainable by Officers in the organisation, and the highest 'appointed' rank, as the rank of General is by election. It has been an active rank since 1880, and is one of the original ranks created by General William Booth, the first appointed Commissioner being George Scott Railton.

Purpose

Commissioners are given the rank for a number of reasons, being given command of a Territory being the most common.^[1] Other reasons may include appointments to International Headquarters Secretarial positions or other top roles^[2] and less commonly other high-responsibility positions throughout the world.

All active Commissioners are called upon to take part in The Salvation Army High Council^[3] in which a new General is elected upon the pending retirement or removal of the previous General. Notably, the only time a General has been forcibly removed from office was at the first High Council in 1929 when Bramwell Booth was deposed.^[4]

In 1984, spouses of Commissioners, who previously were not promoted to that rank when their partners were, were given the rank in their own right, effectively increasing the amount of Commissioners by two-thirds.

Notable Commissioners

• Theodore Kitching
• George Scott Railton
• Frederick Booth-Tucker
• Charles Jeffries
• Elijah Cadman
• Israel Gaither

References

1. ^ Information of TSA Territorial Structure
2. ^ Information on TSA ranks
3. ^ How a High Council Works
4. ^ Larrson, John. "1929: A Crisis that Shaped The Salvation Army's Future". London, United Kingdom: Salvation Books (published 2009). p. 376. ISBN 978-0-85412-794-8. http://www.johnlarsson.com/jl.nsf/HighCouncil1929.xsp.