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local mission delivery model
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The Local Mission Delivery Model is a restructuring of how local mission expressions engage with each other. Representatives from Salvo expressions in a common geographical area meet every four to six weeks for networking, planning, resource sharing, strategic thinking and communication around the work of The Salvation Army in that particular region. model in action
Picture for instance, the north-east region of Victoria. Every six weeks or so, people travel from different regions (Shepparton, Craigieburn, Wodonga, Broadford) and meet and discuss the vision and mission of The Salvation Army. Time is spent considering what “working together” looks like in that particular context. Are there resources we could share? Is there a strategic project we could work on together? Jo Barrett, General Manager of SalvoCare Northern, says that in the North East Victoria Area Leadership Team, communication between homelessness, drug and alcohol, and financial hardships programs and corps personnel has strengthened. She says she is confident that this can prepare everyone to work collaboratively, identifying local needs, seeking solutions and presenting as one Salvation Army to
the local community. Not only then does the Area Leadership Team make The Salvation Army more effective in the community, it also, as Jo points out, “strengthens the internal network of The Salvation Army, statewide and nationally”. Heading much further north, the Local Mission Delivery Model has been implemented in North Queensland. Bronwyn Vinen is the Area Manager for Salvos Stores, Townsville, and she says that the Area Leadership Team in North Queensland “is a great opportunity for all expressions to build relationships and grow in our faith journeys and is a wonderful opportunity for networking”. After speaking with the coordinating chaplain for Melbourne Airport, Captain Martyn Scrimshaw, I had a sense that the new Area Leadership Team meetings were both challenging and helpful. They were challenging in the sense that the uniqueness of the airport environment meant that ministry is not confined to being local. People come and go, travelling both domestically and internationally, needing referrals to all types of places, like St Kilda Crisis Centre and Melbourne 614. The Area Leadership Teams have been helpful in regards to “getting all expressions of the Salvos together in 15