Commissioner André Cox Elected 20th General

Commissioner André Cox, a Swiss-British Salvation Army officer, has been elected as the 20th General. The High Council, 117 senior leaders of The Salvation Army from around the world who gathered outside London for the sacred task of choosing the next international leader, elected the new General.

The General accepted his new responsibility in a spirit of humility, saying that, irrespective of the rank he held, he had not moved away from his original calling to officership-to be God’s servant and to proclaim the gospel. General Cox shares his ministry with his wife, Commissioner Silvia Cox, who is the world president of women’s ministries. Together General and Commissioner Cox will lead the 1.5 million-strong worldwide church of The Salvation Army.

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, to an English father and Swiss mother, André Cox spent his childhood years in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom before moving to Switzerland, where he met his wife and from where they entered training. They were commissioned in 1979.

The 59-year-old General has vast international ministry experience. In the early years of officership, he held appointments in Switzerland and Zimbabwe. More recently he served as the territorial commander in the Southern Africa Territory, the Finland and Estonia Territory, and the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland. In February 2013 he was appointed as Chief of the Staff, second in command of the international Salvation Army.

On being announced as the 20th General, the new international leader told more than 10,000 people from around the world watching via live webcast that he was thankful to God but aware of the “awesome task that has been placed upon our shoulders.” He continued, “I pray that The Salvation Army will be known for being a force for good in the world. I pray that The Salvation Army will be a force for positive change and transformation in the communities in which we serve. And I pray that we Salvationists, no matter what our rank, will live up to the spiritual values we proclaim, that we will live them out in our lives. And in that way I know that God will bless and will lead us.”


High Council 2013 Final Day:

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