Interview: Captain Peter Brookshaw
Original Publication - JAC #95, February - March 2015
Captain Peter Brookshaw is a magnetic Australia Southern
officer. Among
other things… “how do you not only mobilize the army, but
mobilize it, so that in fact you witness global
transformation?”
JAC: Who are you?
PB: This is where I tell you about my upbringing. Let me keep
it short for you. I grew up in the western suburbs of
Melbourne, Australia (born 1982) and had an Anglican church
background in my Sunday school years. Funnily enough an
Anglican priest used to punch me in the arm and say, 'You're
going to be a minister one day!'
I was privileged to be top of my class when finishing school
and then went on and completed a Bachelor of Business. I
married the amazing Jo Brookshaw in December 2004, and we
became officers in The Salvation Army with the Witnesses for
Christ session (2007-2008). Since then we've spent four years
up in the northern parts of Australia (Palmerston Corps), and
now are leading an awesome church (Craigieburn Corps) in the
northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. We have
three little gorgeous children; Shekinah (6), Elijah (3),
Hosanna (15 months).
JAC: Tell us about your salvation and sanctification.
PB: When I was 18, I met a girl. I liked the girl. The girl
knew Jesus. I followed the girl. I met Jesus. I followed
Jesus. The girl and the boy became a couple. The boy and girl
grew up and got married. That's the short version of the
story. Something amazing happened within me during the course
of the year 2000. Every second week I was bawling my eyes out
at the mercy seat. Jesus had come into my life and a new
journey had begun. It was now all for God.
The next couple of years, I continued to desire to know God
better. Every night I laid down in bed and lifted my hands to
the sky. Every night, I did this. I remember an internal holy
discontent inside of me, that what I was reading about in the
book of Acts, was not happening in my life. Literally, every
night, I lifted my hands and prayed to receive the same Holy
Ghost power that ignited a dynamic ministry amongst the first
apostles. Well, one night, the Holy Spirit fell upon me and my
hands tingled and I knew God was very close. The baptism of
the Holy Spirit went from some antiquated 20th century phrase,
to a real, powerful, life-changing experience.
I still pray regularly that the Holy Spirit would come upon
me, and do two things: Sanctify my life and empower me for
ministry. I want the kind of character that is a good
representation of who Jesus is. I want the kind of power that
is a good representation of what Jesus can do.
JAC: What is your mission/calling?
PB: It was April 25th, 2013, and as I was driving along the
road in the Corps 12-seater bus when I felt words from
left-field hit me. The words were: "I want you to mobilize an
army to transform the world." Wow! What a word from God!
I have thought about this lots in recent days. What does it
mean to mobilize? I know, by definition, to mobilize is to get
people ready for war, but how do you do that? How do mobilize
the 'army'? Lastly, how do you not only mobilize the army, but
mobilize it, so that in fact you witness global
transformation?
Personally, this is my life's calling. I haven't got many of
the answers. I'm learning some along the way.
JAC: How does the Army support your war fighting?
PB: The Salvation Army have blessed me beyond what I can begin
to appropriately express. In a sense, I have all the practical
aspects of life taken care of, and I can focus on what
matters. I continue to be blessed with opportunities to engage
in leadership development and theological study that the Army
invest financially in, so as to personally equip me as a
follower of Jesus in a 21st century context.
JAC: How do you influence people?
PB: Big question. I am excited in my own journey of ministry,
to have had opportunity of late, to be consistently and
intentionally encouraging 'the next generation'. That is
beginning to evolve for me, as God is taking me to a place of
being able to coach and support others in ministry. I have a
lot to learn, but that which I have learnt, I want to pass on
to others.
The last couple of years I have began to realise God gave me a
sense of humour, and that can be an amazing weapon in the
toolkit, for building relationships, engaging people in
preaching and breaking awkward moments (like that time my
mother-in-law...... nevermind).
I have been blogging since 2006, and I'd hope to think some
are being encouraged by that! (www.petebrookshaw.com).
JAC: Who influences you?
PB: I have had amazing mentors over the years; corps officers,
divisional staff and other denominational leaders who always
seem to speak a word in season. I have a couple of mentors at
the moment; one who is speaking into my life on a personal
level and how that plays out in ministry, and also a coach who
is helping me to ask the right questions about our Corps'
mission and strategic direction. See, I need people who remind
me of God's perspective about me. That's not being egocentric,
that's saying, that in the midst of the challenges of
ministry, family life, administrative expectations, pastoral
concerns, financial pressures and the like, I personally need
people who affirm the call of God upon my own life and who
speak encouragement into the ministry journey.
I'm trying to read lots of books. I'm a slow reader. I am
attempting to read a few different books this year (along with
the Boundless material for getting through the NT), from each
of the following topics:
- Missiology
- Salvation Army
- Theological/Biblical
- Leadership
Let me suggest one book from each of these topics that are
worth grappling with.
Missiology
- 'The Forgotten Ways' - Alan Hirsch. A book that speaks of
organic multiplication of discipleship, and of creating
movements (not institutions). It places Jesus squarely at the
centre.
Salvation Army
- I read recently, 'Inside a High Council' by General John
Larsson (Rtd). Interesting. Towards the end of the book he
gives snippets of the nominated Commissioners (who
subsequently became Generals) and what they communicated to
the High Council about their vision for The Salvation Army.
Inspiring stuff indeed!
Theological/Biblical
- Call me crazy, but I have read quite a few snippets from the
Word Biblical Commentary on the gospel writers, primarily
Donald Hagner on Matthew's Gospel.
Leadership
- 'Good to Great' stands out for me. Jim Collins and his team
offer some great insights into leading great organisations. It
speaks of creating clarity around what you are seeking to
achieve and to work towards that with tenacity and focus. In
the early days John C. Maxwell built a foundation for me on
which to build from.
JAC: What are your dreams for the next several years?
PB: I want to lead a Corps that significantly impacts the
surrounding community, where we witness the transformative
power of the gospel at work in the lives of many people.
Personally, I see the character and competence of more
seasoned Salvation Army Officers, and I have an internal
passion to reflect the kind of life they live. I hope in the
next few years and beyond, I can learn from such officers,
through their example, their preaching, their compassion,
their servanthood, their missional-living, their humility and
their leadership capacity. I want to grow to a point where I
am investing continually into the lives of those of the next
generation.
JAC: What are the keys to successful warfare on your front and
the larger salvation war?
PB: We have to learn to pray. Let me be controversial for a
little bit. I'm sick and tired of sitting around in prayer
meetings, with little passion, little faith and next to no
expectation that God is going to hear our prayers. Go home if
you don't want to really pray. Let's understand that we are
speaking with the God of the universe, that loves us so much,
that if we ask for a loaf of bread, God is not going to give
us a washing machine. We will be more effective as a Salvation
Army, when we stop playing prayer games, and get serious about
Jesus and how he wants to use us in changing the world. To
pray and to not expect an answer, is to fail to grasp the
nature of who God is.
We’re working hard locally, to have local churches praying
with each other and supporting each other in ministry. We’re
trying to keep the main thing, the main thing, and stopping
talks about how many rolls of toilet paper keep the toilets
well stocked, in leadership meetings. We’re constantly
inviting people to participate in the life of our Corps,
through volunteerism, and ultimately to a relationship with
Jesus. We have a long way to go, but the seeds are being sown!
JAC: How do you cultivate your relationship with God?
PB: However I can! I find myself taking short moments in the
day, to pray. I spend longer times of prayer at night, and
lately it has been standing out in the backyard, looking out
to the stars and praying for spiritual breakthrough in my
local community. I seek to hear from God. Sometimes, all I
hear is my tummy rumbling, but other times I hear a scripture
reference in my spirit, and it will be pertinent to my current
situation. One day, I am convinced Jesus is going to stand
next to me face-to-face and give me a word of encouragement.
I've been reading through the Scriptures and seeking to hear
God speak through his word. At the moment, I'm thinking a lot
about entering the rest of God (Hebrew 4), and what they means
on a day-to-day basis in ministry.
JAC: What are some of the dangers we have to face in the
coming years? (And how?)
PB: We always face the danger of becoming just another social
welfare organisation that has thrown its religious ideologies
out with the bath water. We must stay focused on Jesus. Apart
from him, we can do nothing.
We face the challenge of staying true to the fundamentals of
Salvationism, while adapting our methodologies to impact a
rapidly changing 21st century context. We can be at the
forefront of innovation in our community.
We face the dangers of spending our days fundraising in order
to keep our buildings and centres open, in order that we have
a place in which we can fundraise to keep our buildings open.
The Salvation Army will (and has for many years), had to
grapple with finding the funds to fund what it does. I believe
this pressure will continue to mount and we will need to rely
on 'faith' a little more in the process, while being good
stewards of what we have.
We have theological issues related to our day, that The
Salvation Army will need to collectively wrestle through.
Lastly, we have the danger of retreating when opposition
comes. We must be innovative and creative. We must be
evangelical in approach. We must be filled with the Holy
Spirit. We cannot retreat when societal pressure is heaped
upon us, or when the media rip us to shreds, or we lose a
governmental grant. Let's be risk-takers. Let's stay full of
faith and continue to grow and move forward.
JAC: What final exhortations have you for this audience?
PB: I believe with all my heart that the best days are still
ahead for The Salvation Army. So, stay focused on what
matters. Old Salvation Army Corps buildings have historical
value but won't necessarily transform the world today. Your
fancy, contemporary band with your synthesiser is a means to
an end. If something better comes along, move with it. Brass
bands that have lost their missional-edge, should be banned.
We need to get back to what matters. In the book of Mark, the
gospel writer wants his listeners to hear what Jesus was on
about. He came into Galilee saying, 'The Kingdom of God has
come near. Repent and believe the good news.' Let's make the
values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world,
the standard for our lives.
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