Together in Vision and the New Territorial Vision Statement

Welcome to season 3, episode 2 of the Salvationist podcast. Today we're talking with Captain Jason Dockeray, executive officer to the territorial commander, and project manager for governance, and Sharon Jones-Ryan, who is the change management lead for the Mobilize 2.0 initiative. They're going to share about the new territorial vision statement and the upcoming online events for the entire territory entitled Together in Vision.

Unpacking The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda’s New Territorial Vision Statement
https://salvationist.ca/articles/the-big-picture/

Together in Vision Online Events
https://salvationist.ca/togetherinvision

Mobilize 2.0 Initiative Website
http://mobilize2.ca

Transcript

Brandon Laird  0:00  
Hi, my name is Brandon Laird, and you're listening to the Salvationist podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Salvationist podcast. Today we're going to talk with Captain Jason Dockeray, executive officer to the territorial commander, and project manager for governance, and Sharon Jones-Ryan, who is the change management lead for the Mobilize 2.0 initiative. Welcome, Jason and Sharon.

Captain Jason Dockeray  0:28  
Thanks. Good to be here.

Sharon Jones-Ryan  0:29  
Good to be here.

Brandon Laird  0:30  
So Jason, I've got a question for you. Can you tell us about the Together in Vision event that's happening March 24?

Captain Jason Dockeray  0:36  
Yeah, for sure. Together in Vision. It's really a reboot of our popular Together in Mission series and an opportunity for Salvationist and friends to connect right across the territory through a monthly online conversation, as you said, starting this month on the 24th, and ending in June of this year. It's an opportunity to join a conversation and have your voice heard, and to hear from our territorial leaders and special guests from across the Army world. 

Brandon Laird  1:03  
Follow up question for you there: How does this Together in Vision fit with the Mobilize 2.0 initiative?

Captain Jason Dockeray  1:09  
Yeah, well, listeners would know that we recently as a territory released a new territorial vision statement. And so Together in Vision will be pulling out themes from that vision statement, starting with innovative partners, which is our first week on the 24th. And so throughout that whole series, we're going to be using that as our launching ground for our special guests conversations, breakout room conversations. And that's going to form the basis of what we talk about.

Brandon Laird  1:36  
Great. Well, I'm pretty sure that people are going to want to be able to sign up for that. And you can do that by visiting salvationist.ca/togetherinvision. Jason mentioned the vision statement. Sharon, can you help us understand how that vision statement was created?

Sharon Jones-Ryan  1:51  
Sure. So as Jason said, it was released in November, and really a reflection of voices from across the territory. The impetus started probably over a year ago with the new territorial leaders as they they did a listening tour across the country. And they started just listening to people's dreams, desires, what they understood of The Salvation Army right now and where they really wanted The Salvation Army to be going. So they heard lots of things from people. And they actually did a survey at that point in time, asked people how they describe the territory, what their aspirations were for the territory, as they looked ahead and recognized that we have had for a long time an extremely strong mission statement, really well situated, strong mission statement, and four territorial values that guide our behavior. But there was no articulation of a vision. Where were we going? Where did we want to be in the next number of years? The desire was that we would articulate a territorial vision statement. With the information that had been gathered through the listening tour and the survey, there was a team put together early summer to look at crafting a vision statement. A survey came out across the territory. There were more than 3,000 people that spoke into that. And it was from those voices that this vision statement was created. So here we are with the statement that says "We're an innovative partner mobilized to share hope, wherever there's hardship, building communities that are just and know the love of Jesus."

Brandon Laird  3:30  
For our listeners, some people know about mission statements, and they know about vision statements, can you help us understand the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?

Sharon Jones-Ryan  3:38  
Sure, love to. Our mission statement tells us why we exist, who we are, what our purpose is in the world. Our vision statement tells us where we're going to go, what the direction and the guidance in the decisions we need to make in order to fulfill our mission. It's that destination point, what do we want to be? What do we want to look like when we grow up? You can use that kind of language. But where are we going? So, that's really the differential and then our values actually tell us how we go about it. Those are the behaviors that guide everything that we do.

Brandon Laird  4:16  
Great, that helps bring some clarity for people. Jason, for people who weren't involved with the Together in Mission events that happened in the fall, there were 12 online events. What happens when people get together online?

Captain Jason Dockeray  4:32  
Yeah, for sure. Great. Great question, Brandon. In fact, those that were involved in Together in Mission will see a lot of similarities to that series, but we've also beefed it up a little bit. So, happy to share a little bit about what that what that evening is going to look like. So we're going to start with a musical prelude from a musical group from across the territory. So the music and gospel arts department is helping us with that and the first week is is going to be Salvation Worship and we are so excited about that. adding that to the experience, you want to sign in a few minutes before seven to get that musical prelude. And then we're going to have a welcome from our amazing hosts, Major Les Burrows and Captain Indira Albert, and they are dynamic, they're gonna be fun. If you've had an opportunity to sit under their ministry or their leadership in various ways, they're just really engaging. So they're going to welcome us they're going to talk to us, set up the evening for us, then we're going to have a presentation from a guest speaker. And our first guest speaker is actually General Brian Peddle. We're so excited that he's taking time to address the group, to speak to us about what it means to be an innovative partner. Then we're going to go into breakout groups, and those are going to look a little different than Together in Mission did. They're going to actually have a guest facilitator and presenter in there, who's going to unpack some of the key themes that are general shares about, you know, what it looks like on the frontlines? What does it actually look like to live these things out in a practical, tangible way. And then we're going to conclude the evening with a sending from our territorial leaders. And so we're just so excited that, in this experience, this opportunity, the territorial leaders will be there each and every week signing in with us sharing with us, and this is really an extension of their office and what they do.

Brandon Laird  6:24  
So for people who haven't been a part of Together in Mission and who are interested in to becoming a part of Together in Vision, how do they register? Who are the people that you're looking forward to, to show up on those events?

Captain Jason Dockeray  6:37  
Yeah, for sure. So we want to see anybody who is at all interested in what God is saying to them in vision and moving forward. And you know, what is the direction of The Salvation Army. We want you if you're interested, be it a Salvationist, an officer or soldier, a friend of the Salvation Army, if you are somebody who used to be involved in the Salvation Army. And you're like, I'm not sure about The Salvation Army anymore, this is the time to see what God is doing, a fresh new look in The Salvation Army, we want to see you, you're going to want to sign up at salvationist.ca/togetherinvision, you're going to get the Zoom link and a whole bunch more information. And that's where all the collateral stuff really sits for Together in Vision.

Brandon Laird  7:23  
That's great. So for our listeners of the podcast, Sharon, and Jason, this is a question I have for both of you guys. What should people be expecting to happen as the vision statement is rolled out and we continue to learn about it? What can people expect to see coming down the road?

Captain Jason Dockeray  7:39  
You know what, I think people can be excited, because I believe God is doing something new across our territory, across Canada and Bermuda. And I believe, through initiatives like Mobilize 2.0, like Together in Vision, I believe God is birthing new ideas and new vision in people within The Salvation Army and in drawing people into the organization. And so I think God is going to be doing some amazing things. What exactly that is, I think we're waiting and praying and excited to see, but I think just new innovation, it's right in the heart of our vision statement, but God is doing something new. And so we're excited as he breathes new life into The Salvation Army here in Canada and Bermuda.

Brandon Laird  8:25  
Thanks, Jason. Sharon, how about with your Mobilize 2.0 initiative team. What do you guys see coming down the road?

Sharon Jones-Ryan  8:33  
There's actually a group right now called our vision engagement working group who are hard at work. They're comprised of a number of people from different areas in the territory. And they're working really hard at how we can engage across the territory with the vision statement so that people can see themselves in it, they can understand how that can be played out, and wrestle with how that's played out in their own lives and in their ministry units, their departments, their divisions. And so, anticipate over the next number of months that there will be a vision engagement campaign, there will be a couple actual events that will be happening or gatherings that will be happening associated with that. And that's just all going to start to roll out. We're in the final stages of putting legs to what that's going to look like. So expect to hear more about what that's going to look like over the next while but that takes us into early 2022 with that campaign. So it's ongoing and recognizing we're a big territory, and with lots of people and lots of complexities. So just wanting to make sure that everybody's got the opportunity to engage and understand how this vision works for them with them and through them.

Brandon Laird  9:57  
I think that helps people understand some of the things that can be happening in the next 12 months, it sounds like. So I have one last question for you guys. And thanks for making time for the Salvationist podcast today. How will this transform The Salvation Army going forward? It's an easy one, you know, just take a crack at it.

Captain Jason Dockeray  10:20  
Super easy Brandon, super easy transformation. I mean, if it's anything, it's easy, right? I think you know, when I think about The Salvation Army, and I think about maybe like corps cadet days and hearing about the history of The Salvation Army, and all that know, all that great stuff in our roots in our past, I think we were at our best when we were innovative and when we were creative, when we are nimble. And we can move. And I think this season in COVID has taught us that The Salvation Army can be nimble, we were doing things that we never dreamed we could do. And we moved massive strides very quickly. And when I think about Mobilize 2.0, I think about Together in Vision, I believe God is birthing again, like these these new innovative ideas. And I think if we can catch that spirit of our, you know, our Salvationist roots, and move forward in innovation and nimbly create, I think that that is a massive transformation. And I think The Salvation Army needs to and will look very differently as we move through this Mobilize 2.0 initiative as we move through Together in Vision.

Sharon Jones-Ryan  11:25  
Amen. And I think of the transformation for me and the things I've heard around the vision statement, and where we can be going with this is the excitement that everyone can own a part of this and everyone is united with the same place we're heading to, that we are going to be innovative partners, that this is going to be just, we're going to be understood as an organization and as a people as a movement, that we're innovative partners, that what we do is we're mobilized to share hope, anywhere that there's hardship, and that all of this is going to culminate in these communities that are just, and know the love of Jesus, that this is what this is what we want our destination to be. And that we can bring thousands and thousands and thousands of people and, and hundreds of ministries across the territory, all to that same place is just for me, that's transformative. And that is so exciting. 

Brandon Laird  12:35  
Well, thanks Jason and Sharon for sharing your excitement for this time in The Salvation Army's history. The Salvation Army of the future will look back at this time as a pivotal point where we are helping write the next chapter of this organization. And thanks for listening to the Salvationist podcast. Make sure you check out salvationist.ca/togetherinvision to sign up for these monthly gatherings around the vision statement and visit mobilize2.ca for information about the Mobilize 2.0 initiative.

For new episodes, be sure to visit salvationist.ca/podcast. For more Army news visit salvationist.ca and if you would like to get the news delivered directly to your email inbox, sign up for our weekly newsletter at salvationist.ca/newsletter.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai