FAQs | Children & Family

You are here

FAQs

Who can become a Junior Soldier?

 

To be enrolled as a Junior Soldier you need to want to be a follower of Jesus, agree with the Junior Soldier promise and work at keeping that promise. However, it is targeted at children around 7-13 years old. Just because this is where the material is aimed at does not mean that children outside of those ages cannot or should not be encouraged to be involved.

 

Who can attend and participate in a Junior Soldier lesson? (Do they have to be an enrolled JS?)

 

  • Anyone can participate in the lesson even if they are not an enrolled Junior Soldier. However it is the intention that everyone who attends is an enrolled Junior Soldier.
  • In regards to Junior Soldier Passports, anyone can be involved but they will not be awarded the badge and certificate unless they are an enrolled Junior Soldier

 

Who do I send the completed passport to?

 

When your Junior Soldier has finished their passport of any level, the passport needs to be signed by the Junior Soldier leader and then forwarded to the children’s secretary within your division. Once DHQ receives the finished passport, they are processed, signed off and a letter, certificate and award badge are sent back to the corps.

 

Who can help with Junior Soldiers?

 

Those who want to help and support the Junior Soldier programme need to be fully checked and trained within the appropriate safety management framework. Please see keepingchildrensafe.sarmy.net.nz for more information. Any person who wishes to be a Junior Soldiers leader needs to be a Soldier; however if they are not a Soldier they are still able to be a helper.

 

What

What if I have a small group of children?

 

  • The lessons include a range of activities for groups of different sizes and have activities and suggestions that will be suitable for those even with a small group of children.
  • You can use most of the material (sometimes with a little tweaking) with even one child.
  • You have the freedom to be creative and flexible with what is provided so that it fits your group or the environment you have available.

 

What passport is the best for a specific child? What passport level does a child need to start on?

 

  • The passports have been created to not be age specific; they are focused more on the child’s experience of spiritual disciplines and where they are on their faith journey with Jesus.
  • For most children, the best place for a child to begin is at the start, however, this is at your discretion. Spending time with the passports and learning and practicing spiritual disciplines helps a child to grow these disciplines as part of the natural rhythm of their everyday life, rather than just doing the exercises to be able to tick a box.
  • If you need further help with making this decision, it would be great for you to chat with your divisional children’s representative, or refer to the passport notes on the website.

 

What happens if an older child starts Junior Soldiers? What passport do they start with?

 

  • As mentioned in the above question, the passports are not age specific.
  • It is important to spend time with the child, looking at the sections in the first passport and asking some questions that will help you to get a feel for where they are on their spiritual journey.
  • If you need further help with making this decision, please chat with your divisional children’s representative, or refer to the passport notes on the website.

 

What happens if I run out of time? (Do I need to do everything included in the lesson?)

 

  • The lessons are full of lots of great options for you to choose from. You do not need to do all that is provided in each lesson. Choose an activity that will suit your group from the suggestions in each of the sections, consider the time you have available, the environment you are working in etc.
  • If your time is limited, make sure that you at least do the ‘Main Thing’ section—the crux of the lesson; this will include the key theme that you want the children to explore.

 

What does a young person need to do before they get enrolled?

 

  • They should have worked through the preparation material so that they understand what a Junior Soldier is, what it means to be a follower of Jesus, what it means to be a part of The Salvation Army and what is included in the Junior Soldier promise.
  • They should have made a decision to follow Jesus and commit to the Junior Soldier promise.
  • They should have made a decision to be a part of a Salvation Army faith community.

 

What do I do when I have finished all twelve units of lessons?

 

  • The Junior Soldier lessons are all provided on the website, divided into 12 units. If you have been through and finished all the twelve units, go back and start again! Young people will benefit from repeating the lessons at a different stage in their intellectual, emotional and spiritual development.
  • As you go through the material, keep a list of what you have done. Go back and do the lessons (or parts of lessons) you have missed to make sure the children get a rounded coverage of all key topics.

 

WHEN

When can we hold Junior Soldier lessons?

 

  • Whenever suits your corps or group. This might be a weekday afternoon or evening, a Sunday morning or afternoon, as a part of the Kids Church programme or even as part of a current Kids Club programme.
  • The material is a resource for you to be able to use within your programmes however this might work best for you, with the ultimate goal in mind being the discipleship of children not merely the awarding of badges.

 

WHERE

Where do I get all the resources needed for the lessons?

 

  • There are a variety of resources that are suggested in the ‘What will you need’ section of the lesson. You may want to check this list in your planning so that if there is something specific that you might need or have to order, you will have time to do that.
  • Again, with planning ahead, it might be that other programmes in the corps (home league, craft group, men’s ministries etc.) can help source/make resources you will need for lessons. They may be happy to be called on to help.

 

Where do the children go for discipleship after they’ve completed Junior Soldiers?

 

  • Tribe is the natural progression for Junior Soldiers as they transition into secondary school.
  • Transition the Junior Soldier into the youth activities you provide at your corps.

 

Where do I get passports from?

 

  • When you have a child ready to be enrolled as a Junior Soldier, you will need to fill in the Junior Soldier order form available here.
  • Once a child has finished their passport, regardless of their level, the passport needs to be sent into their divisional children’s secretary at their DHQ for processing. They will receive a certificate of completion, award badge and letter of congratulation.

 

Where do I get help if I need it?

 

This website provides plenty of information but if you would like some more support or have questions that are not answered there, please contact your Divisional Children’s Secretary.

 

Where do I get the Junior Soldier lessons from?

 

All the lessons are provided as downloadable PDFs on this website. There are 12 units of 10 lessons each.

 

Where do I need to send my crest award?

 

  • When you have a Junior Soldier who has finished their crest passport, the process is the same as all the other passports. Send the completed passport to your Divisional Children’s Secretary and they will process it.
  • The crest passport is sent to THQ for signing by the Territorial Commander, so if you are needing it for a particular date it is important to send it in early so there is plenty of time to get it back to you.