In the U.S., the Salvation Army is divided into four geographic territories. The Southern Territory's membership includes adherents, soldiers and officers. Adherents are those that consider the Salvation Army their place of faith while soldiers are the Army's volunteers who go out into the community to provide help. A Salvation Army officer is a soldier that has completed schooling as a cadet and is now either a fully-ordained minister in the organization or a commissioned officer. The Evangeline Booth College in Atlanta offers officer training programs for the Southern Territory.
The Salvation Army's Evangeline Booth College School for Officer Training serves the 15 southern states and the District of Columbia. It is one of four such schools in the U.S. The other three are in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The college's purpose is to "equip blood and fire salvationists" with the skills necessary to become Salvation Army officers. To complete this mission, the college offers a 22-month program that combines academic training with practical training. Its curriculum includes such courses as Bible study, psychology, social work, accounting, communications and physical education.
To be accepted at the Evangeline Booth College, candidates must be 18 to 45 years of age. They must have at least one year of college, work experience or military training after graduating from high school. While in high school, the candidate should gain particular grounding in English, the humanities and business courses. In addition, candidates must be Christians who believe that they have had a calling to serve. They have to be soldiers (i.e. volunteers) with the Salvation Army and be endorsed for officership.
The School for Continuing Education is located on the campus of the Evangeline Booth College. This school offers officers additional training to keep them abreast of current trends and changing methodologies in the Salvation Army. It has a five year program for newly commissioned officers, offering a full range of courses that include Bible-teaching, leadership and fund-raising. The school also hosts periodic seminars for local officers. Ecumenical colleges such as the Asbury Theological Seminary offer courses that are linked to the School for Continuing Education.