The Salvation Army has announced that Commissioner Betty Matear will become the first Salvationist to hold the office of Moderator of the Free Churches Group when she is inducted to the position at a public ceremony at The Salvation Army's William Booth College on Wednesday 25 April.

The Free Churches Moderator is one of four presidents of Churches Together in England. The others are the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and a fourth nominated by other churches in England including Orthodox, Black Majority, Lutheran and Quakers. The fourth president is currently Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian, primate of the Armenian Church of Great Britain.

The presidents meet regularly to pray and discuss matters concerning the Church in England. They also take the lead in representing Christians at state events such as the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

In June 2002 the four presidents signed a Personal Covenant in the presence of the Queen at Windsor Castle. Commissioner Matear will also sign this covenant when she takes over as a president of Churches Together in England.

In December 2006 the presidents led a high-profile peace pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Since the 1880s there have been bodies established to enable 'Free Churches' to have a common voice and a public presence. In 1940 the Free Church Federal Council was created, bringing together a number of predecessor bodies. The Moderator of the Free Churches represents 21 denominations, some of whom are also members of Churches Together in England.

Issues currently causing concern to the Free Churches Council include legislative changes in the Charities Act and Equalities Act as well as the debate over the employment status of ministers of religion.

Commissioner Matear currently heads the women's ministries team in The Salvation Army across the UK and Ireland. When asked about her personal agenda, Commissioner Matear said: 'I wish to emphasise that which unites rather than that which divides Christians. I want to focus on the strengths of particular denominations and how we can enrich each other. For example, while I firmly believe in the particular ministry of The Salvation Army, I also believe in the particular ministry of other denominations. Every Christian needs to be confident in who they are and willing to tell society about their confidence in God.

'It is a huge privilege working with these other leaders. I feel very humble, particularly in the light of the rich heritage of the British Free Churches. I hope that we can build on this heritage in the next four years. In these days one major evil is human trafficking and I believe the churches must speak and act to combat this.'

Everyone is welcome to attend the induction on Wednesday 25 April at William Booth College in Denmark Hill. It will be conducted by Rev David Coffey, President of the World Baptist Alliance, who has been the Free Churches Moderator since 2003. Starting at 6:30pm, the service will include music from The Salvation Army's International Staff Songsters and Cadets' band.

[Source: The Salvation Army]