Transitioning

I knew this was part of the gig when I signed up for it back in 1980: transitions.

The nomadic life of a Salvation Army is a mixed bag of emotions and experiences.  I reflect on the eve of my departure from ending another appointment to taking on a new one.  But this time its a little different as we are moving out of our home territory (Western Territory USA) to National Headquarters, which is located in the Southern Territory but is a bit like "Switzerland of the The Salvation Army."  And my job changes from dealing with daily decisions that effect program, people, funding and a wide range of other responsibilities to handling logistics of the national advisory board, conferences and other said duties.

We were informed of this move the first week on January 2018.  Still not sure why we were given the news of moving into these support positions six months in advance but we have been living with the knowledge of this move for half a year.  Which has given me a bit different perspective about the process.

Frequently asked questions were:

1.  Are you all packed?

When that was asked in February to me I just sort of stared at the person.  I didn't plan to live out of my suitcase for six months.  But yes, the stuff is gone and our replacements (Majors Norton) are already living in our former quarters.

2.  Are you excited? 

Yes and no.  No because we actually loved what we were doing and had just hit our stride in understanding our roles at Divisional Leaders.  Plus this is home.  I was raised in the bay area and my family is still here although my mother passed away in February.  I have always wanted to work in San Francisco and now I had the chance for a second time to do that.

Yes because I have always wanted to live in Alexandria.  I have visited National Headquarters several times over the course of my officership for various commissions, task forces and conferences.  I was there in the fall and the spring, never the dead of winter or the heat of summer.  I loved the area, the history, the climate, the attractions.  And now I get the opportunity to do something that is completely different with a different sense of pressure and stress.  We will get to travel the nation, see the Salvation Army in a different light, meet all sorts of new people and renew friendships of those we have met in the past.

3.  Are you taking your dog?

Yes.  How can we leave our Maggie behind?

4.  What will you be doing?

My wife will become the National Treasurer and the Secretary for Business Adminstration.  I become the assistant National Chief Secretary.  Our duties will be many fold primarily administrative in nature.  We will travel but not as much as we do now.  I will be handling logistical matters for the National Advisory Board, Commissioners Conference and assist with any national conferences when needed.  There are other little things that will be added.  Its best to describe my role as a utility player that comes off the  bench.

5.  Where will you be living?

In Alexandria about a mile away from George Washington's home at Mount Vernon.  Its truly a lovely place.

We move from positions of decision makers for the Salvation Army in Central California to influence makers for the nation.  We will be part of an incredible team of gifted employees and officers who are working hard at the coordination of so many different and varied projects and pursuits its hard to describe.

Today we live our last full day in California and will become citizens of "Lover Land" Virginia on Monday.  This new appointment will give me more time to write and reflect so this blog will actually become more active.  I want to write a few thoughts about what I learned, both good and bad by being a divisional commander but I am going to save that for another post.  I have a manuscript on Sabbath in the works and am working on some devotions based on the book of Titus.  My train set will come out and be set up (much to my wife's disliking!) and more time to delve into my WOT game!

Thank you to our friends, family, colleagues and aquaintances for your love, support and prayers as we begin a brand new transition.  Its never easy to let go of duties we have loved but God is in the midst so He gets us through.  See you on the other side of the country.

T

Eulogy for Mom

Note:  I lost my mother on February 24, 2018.  My wife and I were on our way to the hospital when she passed.  She was surrounded by my sisters and brother at the time of her death.  She went peacefully.  Mom was a Salvation Army solider of the Suisun Kroc Center.  Her memorial service was well attended and it went just as she would have loved.   I miss her terribly.

Eulogy for Mom

Props:  a wooden spoon; address book; book; a tv remote

On behalf of my siblings and my father I want to thank all of you for coming here today to pay tribute to our mother and beloved wife of our dad, Rollys Mae Foley.   We are indebted to the support and care from the Suisun Kroc Center family, in particular to Majors Hartt and to Captains Jonathan & Vickie Harvey.

I have literally officiated over 200 plus funerals in my life time as a Salvation Army officer and I have to confess this probably will be the hardest of all. What does one say when they lose a parent in particular a mother?  Parents are a covering of sorts.  You think they will be there forever.  But in truth that isn’t the case.

Our parents were hero’s to all five of us.  We do want to acknowledge our father, Gerry Foley, who is the biggest hero of all.  We have watched him over the years care for our mother in a variety of ways.  He has set the bar very high for what it means to stick thru thick and thin.   These two were love struck lovers.  It was sort of gross when we were kids but we grew to appreciate the sincere love and devotion they had to each other.  Some of our father’s finest days were in the past several months when he was doing all he could to make sure mom was comfortable and cared for.

Dad always told me that Foleys never quit.  He never gave up when mom’s health turned dark and difficult.  We all love you dad and thank you for all the love you showed mom over the years as a faithful spouse.

Mom was different things to all of us.  She got to deal with breaking in to the role of being a parent with my older brother, Mike.   It took her a while but she caught on.  By the time Liz came into the scene mom knew what she was doing.  She was almost always home for us and provided us with safe space growing up.  One of her bravest moments was when She took us all on a jet plane in the 60s to Japan by herself. 

She made sure we were clothed, or at least the patches on my pants were sewn or ironed on.  She served as room mom; always went to anything we were involved with in school whether it was football, endured my acting in plays and was a devoted band mom when Kate was the drum major of the Scarlet Brigade at FHS.

 She traveled all over this beautiful country, riding shotgun with my dad in their truck and 5^th wheel in tow.  She held numerous jobs over the years; working for the phone company; working at Montgomery Wards; working for many years at the book store at Solano College; volunteering for the red cross and later, becoming the advisory board chair for The Salvation Army in Fairfield.  Her and dad became very active in their involvement with The Salvation Army and eventually became a soldier.  Her and dad made a profession in faith in Christ and were very involved in the early days of the Kroc Center here.

Spoon – mom always made sure we were fed.  Growing up with 7 mouths to feed there was always enough with none left over.  You knew it was Friday when Tuna Casserole was served.  She knew how to make gravy like it was no one’s business.

Address book – mom was our yellow pages.  She always knew where any one was in our extended family. She knew anniversary’s, birthdays and never missed sending a card to us kids, grandchild and great grand kids.  

Book – mom was a book worm.  I attribute my love for books from her addiction. She made sure we all had a library card. She would make two to three trips a week to the public library and literally borrow a bag of books.  She would zip through them in a couple of days.  This went on for decades until her eyesight became so poor she could no longer read.  Dad tried to get her into the digital book age with a Sony book reader but she would have no on that.  The feel and smell of books was more her style.

Remote – what can we say – mom owned the remote!   No sports would be seen on the big tv.  My dad taught me how to appreciate watching football on a 9 inch black and white tv screen for years.  Cindy would convince her on Thanksgiving Day to turn on the Cowboys game so we could all watch The Salvation Army red kettle kick off. 

 I can remember the tv came on when Merv Griffin did and didn’t go off until the 11 pm weather report was given.  Often I would see her asleep and would ask, mom, why don’t you go to bed?  She said she always needed to see the weather report.  I attribute her interest in weather as a leading cause of my interest in it.

She was our biggest cheerleader.   She would always brag about what each of my siblings was up to doing and what they were accomplishing to me.  And then she would brag about me to my siblings.  Then we never thought she was talking about us but only about them.

Mom was in a lot of pain in recent years and we could see the slow steady progress of the end of life coming.  Her memory began to slip so and so did confusion do want to thank my sisters and brother for doing all they could to assist dad in comfort and care for her.

She was able to hang on this past Saturday until Lyn arrived from flying in that day to be able to say good bye to her.  With my sisters and brother by her side she quietly passed from this life into the next.

Her laugh and her voice has been silenced now because of deaths awful grip, but we have a ton of wonderful memories that will stick with us in the days going forward that will remind us that we were each loved and we were special to her in our unique ways. 

I would like to conclude our time with a song that has meant a lot to me over the years in dealing with death and those we love leaving us for awhile.  Lets keep mom in our hearts…for awhile…until we see her again.

Shadows are fallin' and I'm runnin' out of breath
Keep me in your heart for a while
If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for a while

When you get up in the mornin' and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for a while
There's a train leavin' nightly called "When All is Said and Done"
Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while

Sometimes when you're doin' simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for a while

Hold me in your thoughts
Take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes
Keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you

Engine driver's headed north up to Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for a while
These wheels keep turnin' but they're runnin' out of steam
Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while

Warren Zevon – Keep me in your heart

“Enjoy every sandwich.”

Dignity

Cindy and I recently attended a civic event in which the word dignity seemed to float right in front of my eyes. Dignity defined simply means this idea of being worthy of honor or respect.

Many times the thought is that honor and respect has to come immediately into being just because one is in a certain position, has a certain title or dwells in a certain social stratosphere in the world.

Someone once told me it takes a life time to earn respect but only takes a nano second to lose it.  

My title or position really mean nothing in the bigger picture of eternity if I am not willing to show respect, care and dignity for all of God's creatures that I encounter each day.  From the person literally laying in the gutter outside of my office, to the person who flaunts a coarse means of lifestyle and mocks my faith, to the individual who is too busy to notice life while living it.

All creatures great and small have their origin from the Creator whether they acknowledge it or not.  My job is not to play judge and jury but to handle each person I meet with care and prayer.  There is value in showing dignity towards others.  The pay back is that you get that same sense of respect in return.

Last Words

On May 31, 2015, after nine years of ministry at the College for Officers Training, our ministry on "In Sunday's" comes to an end.  It is our last private worship service with both sessions of Cadets.  The following week is finals, farewell banquets, packing and then moves quickly into commissioning week events with the covenant service, commencement, ordination and commissioning leading up to the final appointment service. In other words:  busy.  And no longer private.

What follows are my final written words to both sessions of cadets in the Sunday bulletin.  Over the years I have always written something in the Sunday program when we were Corps Officers.  I used to call it "Parson to Person."  While training principal, I would write on occasion but often I tried to find writings from William Booth, or Samuel Logan Brengle or some other Salvationist author as some words to ponder while one read the bulletin. 

Here are my "last words":

One would think after nine years all the words of advice that has ever been asked for, inquired about, freely given or forcefully exhorted, would have been said.  I was searching for some last wise words that would rivet you to your seat and pierce your heart through.  But I can’t come up with anything but a question for you:

Are you ready to feed your flock?

To the Heralds:  are you ready to feed your flock?  Week in.  Week out.  Month in.  Month out. Year in. Year out.

This involves writing the “weekly essay”.  It means a day full of interruptions.  A never ending to do list.  It means loving the unlovable.  Showing an incredible amount of godly patience.  It means going at times where you do not want to go; doing what you may not see yourself doing; long hours and little praise and ever littler rewards.

To the Messengers:  are you ready to learn from the flock God is about to give you for the summer?  In your eight weeks or so will you stay focused on the main thing? Your intern work will pay dividends for the kingdom and for the development of your own so.

So after nine years of ministry here at CFOT, its quickly winding down for my wife and myself.  We are semi packed, briefs being written, steps through the last events and pretty soon, the drive north to the Bay Area will occur.  But until then we will continue to do our best to remind you all to do something so simple:  Feed.  Tend. Love your flock. 

The rest will all fall into place.

Major Tim Foley

May 31, 2015, Crestmont

Is there a doctor on board?

February 19, 2015

Is there a doctor on board?

As I sit and write while traveling on a plane back to Los Angeles, I am overcome with raw emotion.  Surrounded by strangers, the tears are silently streaming down my face.  If any one notices there will be no shame in this.

This ride home comes after a three and a half year journey down a path of personal academic pursuit.  I was an average student in high school who decided during the gap year to go down the path of professional theatre instead of going to college.   When I finally did cross the threshold of a college campus it was so as a young man in spiritual transition.  What business did I have in pursuing a doctorate degree?

Fast forward to the present,  I look back to the past and hardly can believe the opportunities that God has afforded me.  The privilege of being trained and serving as a Salvation Army officer for over three decades; being married one of the most brilliant, strong, smart and beautiful people I have ever met; obtaining a Masters Degree from Fuller Seminary; being a part of the pioneering work of the Kroc Center ministry for the nation and teaching and being in leadership role at the training college for the past 9 years, I am a grateful man.

I wanted to take a moment to capture the essence of this day.  I worked for the past three years on a doctorate degree.  The focus was on spiritual formation for ministry leaders.  Really, it was a focus on my own soul.  The Lord has spoken deeply and has cut me deeper still in this course of study.  Through member of my cohort, the instructors, and my mentors, I sit here today a different man.

Am I perfect?  Nope.  Have I obtained anything?  Yes, and I promise its much more that just a piece of paper and a new title of Dr. Foley.  I am more attuned to the working of God in my life and around me more than ever.  What happened today was a culmination of a very long pilgrimage.

As I defended my work, “The Salvationist and the Sabbath.” I was put to the test as to where I stood on a variety of theological points, personal musings of what the problem of the thesis was and the cause there in. 

I had what I call a few what I call “Walter Mitty” moments where a question was asked and my mind went blank.  Dry mouth, sputtering words, rambling thoughts, all just seemed to stream out.  But I was told I was coherent.

I was asked what I learned about myself in the entire process of this journey the past three years.  I quickly answered that I feel I have learned to be attuned to God and the cadences of my own soul.  The reader and mentor smiled.

I was asked to leave for a bit while notes and comments could be exchanged.  I walked the long hallway of this historic place, in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.  I went to the cashier to pay my outstanding debt, browsed the tiny bookstore and made my way back upstairs, just standing at the end of the hall way waiting

No one ever passes this, I was told, without modifications to the dissertation.  It is not a given, so come prepared and show engagement with your work, I was told.  What seemed like two eternities but was really only 15 minutes, I was summoned to the office to be told the results.

The two thumbs up sign from my mentor was the best gesture I ever have seen.  I was told there would be some things that needed to be added here and there. Tinker with this, tinker with that.  But.

You passed, Tim.  Poster child of the Dmin program I was told.  This is how they like it done.  Hugs, handshakes and smiles abound.

I was overcome with emotion when Dr. Currie prayed for me.    The tears flowed freely.  Was it not only a sense of relief and a realization of a job well done, it was more out of a sense of humility of once again the opportunity that God has given to me.

So exactly what does a Doctor of Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders do now?  He plays with his trains.  He rests.  He prays for discernment and direction for next steps. He makes himself to lean into God with others.  He keeps reading.  Writing.  Listening.  Learning.

I have only barely scratched the service here with this topic.  I do plan to put my defense into a short book.  I was told I have already written the outline in what I shared in this meeting today.  I want to be intentional in engaging in sabbath: ceasing, resting, celebrating and embracing.  Not on some legalistic or guilt based trip but more in a way to help myself, and others to learn to live lightly, and freely again.

With special thanks to my wife Cindy, my children, Laura (and Adam Fyn!) Alex and Victoria; to my colleagues at CFOT, the Cadets and staff, to the instructors and  members of my cohort  who spoke into my soul at Enders Island and the campus at South Hamilton, and to Dr. Dave Currie and Dr. Stephen Macchia, I am eternally grateful for your prayers and support.

I will be submitting for publishing bits and pieces of this here on my blog, hopefully in Word and Deed, the Officer Magazine and in book form within a year.  I plan to unpack those four words the sabbath centers on.

So if the question is asked, I can honestly answer: “Yes ma’am. There is a doctor on board this flight. “ Yes indeed. (ironically, they did ask for a 'medical doctor' to ring the bell on one leg of my flight home.  Don't worry...I didn't push the button in that situation!)

 On the left, Dr. David Currie, director of GCTS Dmin progam and reader of dissertation; on the right, Dr. Stephen Macchai, director of the GCTS Pierce Center, President of LTI (Leadership Transformations) and my mentor through this project.  I am grateful to God for these two brilliant and godly men.  February 19, 2015 at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts. 

The Sabbath & the Salvationist - research methodology plan

The following is the plan that I have submitted to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary regarding the plan for my research methodology.  As you can see its pretty simple and straightforward.  I will await feedback, corrections and eventual approval before I will be embarking on the formal survey.

Please note my survey will not be internationally focused.  I will be primarily focusing on how sabbath plays out in the lives of officers in the Western Territory per say.  I will however be posting the link to the survey monkey on the Facebook group page:  The Sabbath & the Salvationist.  I will entertain comments and responses from those outside the Western Territory and will treat it in a separate index.

I am hoping to launch the survey August 1 and will run it for 30 days.

Its fair to say as I progress on this project that I am receiving lots of comments, questions and suggestions from both officer, solider, employee and just friends who are curious.  A nerve has been indeed touched.  I appreciate your prayers for me as I attempt to balance a full time ministry position as Training Principal, a busy travel and speaking schedule and attempting to finding my own sabbath and furlough time.   I welcome any and all comments on this subject matter.

I am not here to debate any legalist approach to this subject.  I am simply out to define the problem and help to implement a plan that may assist others to keep sabbath rest a priority.  If this all will be come a habit in my life then I feel I will have completed what I feel that God has set out for me to explore here.

Research Methodology Models

by

Tim Foley 

  June 24, 2014

Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders 

Mentor: Dr. Stephen Macchia

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

 Format

My thesis project will attempt to explore an existing problem within my denomination regarding the Sabbath.  While “doing the most good” is a terrific mantra to capture the essence of 21^st century ministry within The Salvation Army, there are many officers in its ranks, in particular in the western region of the United States, that seem to not take time for regular sabbath keeping.  I hope to discover through my research what are some of the current trends, traits, statistics, causes and possible cures through my efforts.

The particular areas in my research methodology that I want to use would be related to the collection, deciphering, tabulating and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data would be that of a personal survey.  The means and manner in which this will be conducted is through a survey monkey online format. I plan to purchase a premium version of surveymonkey.com to use in my research.

 As presented in the material in module 2, I will be using basic descriptive statistical methods to analyze the questionnaire type information that is collected through these personal surveys.  I will use various illustrations such pie chart or linear bar graphs to highlight some of the findings.  I will also be drawing out information from the various sub groups that are identified in my research as will be explained further in this paper.  The survey it self will have some simple yes or no type questions.  There will be questions that will allow for written responses and the sharing of opinions and ideas from the person surveyed. 

I have toyed with the idea of doing individual case studies and have considered that for the sake of brevity I would solicit one volunteer from each of the sub groups for further interviews.  This may prove challenging due to time and distance constraints.  I will make sure proper waivers and permissions are secured from these individuals before I publish the results. 

I also have developed a Facebook group page dedicated to this project where I will post a link to the survey.  This will allow me to collect data from various other parts of the world in which the Salvation Army officers work and are interested in sharing their opinions.  I will treat the data collected from here as appendixes information.  I have had a lot of inquiries from all over the world in regards to this subject so I thought this might be the best way to allow people to share and keep the entire survey under control.

Processes

In my dissertation I will explore the problem that faces the individual officer in regards to Sabbath knowledge and the lack of application to one's personal life. I plan to explore the challenge of a Christian institution that respects the corporation ideals of Sabbath but the individuals have a difficult time making it a living reality in their lives.   I plan to conduct research in the form of personal surveys and case studies that will need to be developed. Here is a brief outline of my plan:

1. The plan will focus on selecting and conducting a survey of both active and retired officers assigned specifically to the Western Territory region in regards to personal Sabbath keeping.  (This is the geographic area that I am currently assigned to.)   
2. Data will be collected from field officers in Corps ministry (church), administrative headquarters (denominational district leadership and resource positions), ARC and Social Services officers (drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and officers assigned to social service ministries) and education officers (CFOT – College for Officer Training). 
3. The scope of the plan is to limit the number of this group to get an over all sampling to over 650 active officers assigned to the Western Territory of The Salvation Army, USA. 
4. The data to be collected represents a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, years of ministry experience and educational backgrounds. 
5. Data will be collected primarily using the digital tools of survey monkey and responses from the Facebook group page: The Sabbath and the Salvationist.  
6. The data will be analyzed using basic quantitative and qualitative means of explanation.  Pie charts, bar graphs and narrative descriptions will be used in the finding of the statistical information.

There will be no doubt some additional thoughts that will come to my research methodology as I consider more opportunities in the development of this plan.  I reserve the right here to allow for additional or considerations for modifications here but certainly this will be keep in reason due to time constraints.  I do not plan to bite off more than I can chew.

Sample Questions

The following is a listing of the questions I will be using.  I plan to keep this line of questioning very succinic and short, attempting not to ask more than 12 to 15 questions.

Please note: I have not at the time of this writing formatted all the types of questions that I would use in the survey.  I would like to consider formatting some yes & no format questions; multiple choice and allowing open-ended short answer type responses. The following is a simple example of the types of things I might ask:

1. How would you define Sabbath?
2. Do you practice Sabbath in your life?
3. If so how is it practiced in your life?
4. What are some of the challenges or hindrances that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
5. What have been some of the benefits in your life of taking a regular Sabbath?
6. Do you use all your furlough (vacation) time each year?  If not, why not?
7. In your ministry setting what are some of the challenges that you face that may prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
8. What do you think what is the value of Sabbath keeping?
9. In what ways has Sabbath keeping played into your longevity in ministry? (This would be asked for officers service 15 years up plus retired officers.)
10. What are some of the ways you have practiced Sabbath over the years?
11. What does the practice of regular Sabbath look like for you?
12. If you do not practice Sabbath on a regular basis do you feel you are violating a commandment of God?  If so, why?  If no, why not?

Note: again this is by no means a complete or final list of questions but will act as a basic guideline as I work on fine-tuning this before the questions are sent out in the survey.

Summation

As far as I have been able at this point to discover no one in the history of my denomination has every fully researched and written on the topic of sabbath keeping.  I feel that the work I am engaged in will be truly beneficial to many officers.  After I have been able to identify the problem my plan is to give some very practical and succinct answers going forward as to how Sabbath keeping can become a regular part of one’s life.  My attempt here is to create a dialogue within the confines of my denomination primarily in the Western Territory.  But already this is proving to be a nerve that I have touched in which this work will have some broader ramifications throughout the world wide of the officer force of The Salvation Army.

Draft - Thesis Project Proposal - The Salvationist & the Sabbath - GCTS Dmin - Tim Foley - May 2014

Spiritual Formation for Ministry Leaders

Post Residency Project Proposal

Submitted by

Tim Foley

May 28, 2014

Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

Mentor: Dr. Stephen A. Macchia

Reader: Dr. David Currie 

Approved Thesis:

My thesis is entitled "The Salvationist and The Sabbath".  I will be exploring the issue of the Sabbath as it relates to the life and ministry of a Salvation Army officer.

Challenges:

 As I have progressed over the years in my own spiritual journey, I have struggled with the concept of experiencing personal Sabbath.  Quite frankly, I am lousy at it.  I certainly bare most of the blame here with my lack of attention to this discipline.  I was immediately drawn to this topic as I began an earnest study of spiritual formation.  The topic deeply resonates with me.  In discussions that I have had with fellow Salvation Army officer colleagues about this topic I have had a variety of responses of both good and bad experiences with Sabbath taking.  Many officers I have met with have expressed a great interest in learning how to become better at Sabbath keeping.  Hopefully this project will aid others in adapting and incorporating Sabbath into their own personal lives.

I have now devoted over three decades of my life in ministry for one of the worlds favourite, yet least known charities:  The Salvation Army.  I work within an organization that is committed to 'doing the most good' which none can argue the validity of that. But in a sense the work inside the organization can become very machine like. If an individual officer (minister) is not careful it can simply do in ones body, mind and spirit.  The organization cannot be blamed, as there is plenty of opportunities afforded to an officer to rest and to physically and mentally recoup.  The problem lays solely at the feet of the individual in what they do with those said opportunities.

I am more aware now than ever that the organization, though at times does its best to create boundaries, taking Sabbath rest is not within the vocabulary of the culture of The Salvation Army. To experience this commandment it must come from within the discipline of heart of the individual officer. 

I will be attempting to do a very critical exploration of the biblical texts regarding Sabbath, explore various authors who have covered this topic at length and look at some pragmatic steps of how Sabbath can become a living reality for Salvation Army.  My hope is that the term Sabbath will become commonplace and I am passionate to see how that it can work within the confines the officers of this organization.

Methods:

I begin this study with my own personal spiritual formation statement in mind:

Spiritual formation is a deepening of our/my faith, rooted in the strength of God’s word, developed in the depth of prayer and reflection, cultivated and acted upon holistically, as we/I become more like Christ each moment of our/my journey of life and love.

Chapter One

In the first chapter I will explore the problem that faces the individual officer in regards to Sabbath knowledge and the lack of application to one's personal life. I plan to explore the challenge of a Christian institution that respects the corporation ideals of Sabbath but the individuals have a difficult time making it a living reality in their lives. I will lay out what constitutes a theology of Sabbath in the first portion of this chapter. In the latter portion of the first chapter will deal specifically with the problem I plan to explore.  I plan to conduct research in the form of personal surveys and case studies that will need to be developed. Here is a brief outline of my plan:

1. The plan will focus on selecting and conducting a survey of both active and retired officers assigned specifically to the Western Territory region in regards to personal Sabbath keeping.  (This is the geographic area that I am currently assigned to.)    
2. Data will be collected from field officers in Corps ministry (church), administrative headquarters (denominational district leadership and resource positions), ARC (drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers) education (training colleges) and retired officers. 
3. The scope of the plan is to limit the number of this group to get an over all sampling to over 650 active and 100 retired officers living in the Western Territory of The Salvation Army, USA. 
4. The data to be collected represents a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, years of ministry experience and educational backgrounds. 
5. Data will be collected primarily using the digital tools survey monkey. The plan also will call for the use personal interview format either over the phone, Skype or face to face. No more than 25 participants will be selected for this portion of the survey.
6. Next steps include working with the GCTS research specialist as well as a local specialist in research methodology to make sure that the questions are geared in such a way that able to garner the right information that will be needed for the overall thesis conclusions. 

There will be no doubt some additional thoughts that will come to my research methodology as I consider more opportunities in the development of this plan.  I reserve the right here to allow for additional or considerations for modifications here.

Sample Questions

To conclude the first chapter will give a listing of questions that I will be using.  I plan to keep this line of questioning very succinic and short, attempting not to ask more than 12 to 15 questions.

Please note: I have not at the time of this writing formatted all the types of questions that I would use in the survey.  I would like to consider formatting some yes & no format questions; multiple choice and allowing open-ended short answer type responses. The following is a simple example of the types of things I might ask:

1. How would you define Sabbath?
2. Do you practice Sabbath in your life?
3. If so how is it practiced in your life?
4. What are some of the challenges that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
5. What have been some of the benefits in your life of taking a regular Sabbath?
6. Do you use all your furlough time each year?  If not, why not?
7. In your ministry setting what are some of the challenges that you face that prevent you from taking a regular Sabbath?
8. What do you think what is the value of Sabbath keeping?
9. In what ways has Sabbath keeping played into your longevity in ministry? (This would be asked for officers service 15 years up plus retired officers.)
10. What are some of the ways you have practiced Sabbath over the years?
11. What does the practice of regular Sabbath look like for you?
12. If you do not practice Sabbath on a regular basis do you feel you are violating a commandment of God?  If so, why?  If no, why not?

Note: again this is by no means a complete or final list of questions but will act as a basic guideline as I work on fine-tuning this before the questions are sent out in the survey.

Additional Methodology

Some of my face to face interviews would be with selected Salvation Army officers that would fit a certain demographic based on age, ethnicity, years of service, environment of ministry (Urban, rural, suburban, etc.) budget, programs offered to the community, etc. I am proposing that this particular research would be limited to a maximum of 20 individual interviews.  I would integrate some of these feedback into my project as quotes and comments from said individuals.

Spiritual Formation

The second chapter has been completed which is the basis of my own spiritual formation, with the word, prayer and reflection as the primary foundational focus.  I will expand this chapter with an explanation of the concept of Sabbath as laid out in the biblical text.  I will also add an brief appendix explaining Salvation Army terminology. 

Literature Review

The third chapter I will engage in literature review that focuses on spiritual formation matters in particular the subject of Sabbath.  The following is just a short sample of books and no way a complete list.  Most of these books listed here have already been used in my first chapter Sabbath theology. I plan on reviewing and exploring the author’s concepts regarding Sabbath keeping.  I am particularly interested in giving comment to the writings of Mark Buchanan, Marva Dawn, Tilden Edwards and Abraham Heschel. I will be adding more books to this list to provide a very comprehensive bibliography as I work further into this project.

Sample Literature Review

The following is a very brief bibliography of books that I have used in writing a Sabbath theology presented in the first chapter of this project.

Buchanan, Mark. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. Nashville, Tenn.: W Pub. Group, 2006.

Cowan, Horace G. The Sabbath in Scripture and History. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1948.

Cox, Harvey Gallagher. Turning East: The Promise and Peril of the New Orientalism. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977.

Dawn, Marva J. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1989.

———. The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2006.

Edwards, Tilden. Sabbath Time: Understanding and Practice for Contemporary Christians. New York: Seabury Press, 1982.

Heschel, Abraham Joshua. The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.

Muller, Wayne. Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives. Bantam trade pbk. ed. New York: Bantam Books, 2000.

Postema, Don. Catch Your Breath: God's Invitation to Sabbath Rest. Grand Rapids, Mich.: CRC Publications, 1997.

Ringwald, Christopher D. A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Find Faith, Freedom, and Joy on the Sabbath. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Schaper, Donna. Sabbath Keeping. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1999.

Research Methodology Review

My fourth chapter will deal the overall project problem and expand on my hypothesis. I will analyse and discuss the data that I have been able to obtain with research methodologies that I will have used.  I plan to have statistical data divided into various categories that have yet to be determined.  This will be forged more as I work on my fine-tuning research questions.

So What?

In chapter five I plan to explore the 'so what' of what I have learned as the result of my research and study.  The summation will conclude with some pragmatic steps that a Salvation Army officer can take to make Sabbath a regular part of their own spiritual journey.

My over all goal of this thesis is not to point out the 'errors' that lie within the lives of the officers that word very diligently within this fine ministry organization.   I would like to take an honest look at how personal Sabbath keeping must once again rise to the top in the thinking of a Salvationist.  I hope to provide helpful suggestions on how to do Sabbath that I will glean from other sources and from my own experiences. 

In closing I would like to point out that this thesis is written for me:  I pray that I can become more of a person of Sabbath that in turn will infuse me for spiritual vitality and physical strength for the work God has called me to do.  My hope is that my work here will enable those who read this to be mindful of the need to stop, rest, regroup, reflect and be recharged for the work God has called us to do.

copyright 2014   Tim Foley  
Rancho Palos Verdes
lttlmac publishing

Revised May 2014