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What does a
Kroc officer look like? 
By Dan Childs
Southern Spirit staff
The Kroc center is a new feature on The Salvation Army's
landscape and one that carries the potential to expand and broaden the
Army's ministry and thus its impact on the lives of the people it reaches.
But what type of officer will lead and direct this unique ministry? What skills
will be called for, and what will the demands be on the officers leading these
installations?
The core qualities that make an effective
officer will certainly need to be present in the Kroc officer - strong
Christian character, commitment to Salvation Army principles, evangelistic
desire and good relational and managerial skills will be critical, as they are
in all appointments.
"The difference in a Kroc center
and a regular corps or institution is the anticipated scale of operations and
depth of responsibilities," said Jack Getz, Kroc center development
consultant. "It might be helpful to describe a Kroc center as an
‘aircraft carrier. Most corps appointments are like battleships - both
are critical and vital to mission accomplishment but different in size, level
of responsibility and function."
Getz added that the
skill set required of a Kroc officer will not be significantly different than
that of any field officer. The Kroc officer must be mission-oriented and
people-minded, personable, highly-motivated and well-organized. The Kroc
officer should be a person of vision with the ability to implement that vision.
He or she must be able to provide quality leadership and direction to a wide
variety of professional employees and be effective in building good
relationships with the community. Fund raising and management of funds are
important skills.
"Those who have specific training or
experience in recreation or fitness programming, business and personnel,
community development or education would be well-suited to Kroc
leadership," Getz said. "Obviously, educational achievement can be a
plus, but it is certainly not the only standard by which one might be
considered for Kroc leadership."
Kroc appointments will
probably call for a longer commitment - some have suggested a minimum of five
to seven years.
Kroc centers located within area commands
will be part of the command and answer to the area commander, although the area
commander will not double as the Kroc officer. Where there is no area command,
the Kroc officer will be responsible for Salvation Army operations in that
area.
Exceptional lay professional staff will be a critical
ingredient in Kroc center operations, Getz said. Staff will be called on to
provide direct oversight to the recreation, education, family service and arts
programs, and the Kroc officer will oversee and be responsible for the corps,
overall center administration and mission accomplishment of the center.
In commands with other programs administered by an area commander,
the Kroc officers may be asked or assigned to support city, divisional and
territorial functions, although their primary responsibility is for the
operation of the Kroc center only.
The territory is in the
process of creating a Kroc center executive training program, Getz said. The
training will be required of Kroc officers and lay administrators prior to the
opening of the center.
_____________________________________________________________________ Those people
Soldiers of Waynesville, N.C., Corps turn snub from
neighbors into a mark of distinction
Roger Whitaker and the soldiers of the Waynesville,
N.C., Corps have turned a snub into a badge of pride.
By
Major Frank Duracher
Southern Spirit staff
Roger Whitaker proudly admits to being "born and raised in
The Salvation Army." He has volunteered for just about anything the Army
could ask him to do in his Waynesville, N.C., Corps.
When
heavy rains left parts of western North Carolina flooded earlier this year,
resulting in scores of homes lost, Whitaker and other volunteers worked one of
the Army's canteens. They served hundreds of meals to their neighbors for
nearly five weeks.
Whitaker served in disaster relief
efforts following both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He even spent two weeks
with a team that worked at The Salvation Army's Joytown Children's Home
in Kenya.
That's why Whitaker was a bit taken back when
he volunteered to serve a local youth program in Waynesville, but was rebuffed
by one member on the search committee for being "One of those Salvation
Army people."
Word got back to the Waynesville corps
family, and at first the comment caused a good deal of anxiety.
"At first, many of our folks were offended," said
Captain James Sills, Waynesville corps officer. "But the more we thought
of it, the more we saw it as a compliment that we are known for promoting
Salvation Army ministries."
The corps council decided
to embrace the label, making the situation positive instead of negative. Bumper
stickers, t-shirts and flyers were produced and soon the catchphrase
"Those People" was visible all over town.
"I'm always having people come to me asking about who
‘those people' are," Whitaker said. "It's proving to be
a great way to share the Army's story and what we are doing here in
Waynesville."
Sills arranged for ad space in the local
newspaper, promoting a series of Sunday sermons on the theme. "We're
proud to be ‘those people' who love, care, help, give, serve, bless
and worship at The Salvation Army," he said.
The same
could be said of Jesus, Sills added. Jesus came for "those people" -
the sick, shut-in, imprisoned, hungry, poor, addicted and, worst of all, those
enslaved to their sins.
For more information, log on to http://www.those-people.org/.
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lt; /span> 
The Shocco Springs site has lodging and meeting space
in one location, promoting fellowship for all on the same grounds. The Shocco
Springs rate for lodging includes a three-night stay and eight meals at a cost
of $150 per adult. Children will be charged only on a per-meal quota and are
not charged lodging if they're under 17 and two adults are in their room.
Ages 9+ $5/meal. Ages 8- $2.50/meal. Delegates must book their own
accommodations through Shocco Springs at 256-761-1100 or www.shocco.org.
