Troubleshooter - Evangeline Booth

1865–1950

She got her name from three other women who appear in this book. Her mother, Catherine Booth, liked the character of Eva in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Then, when Eva Booth was nearly forty, the American activist Frances Willard suggested she go by the more religious sounding “Evangeline.”

As the daughter of the founders of the Salvation Army, Eva got into the ministry early as a singer and actress at her parents’ meetings. At age fifteen, she wore the uniform and began preaching. Few understood the mission as well as Eva did. Her parents learned that they could trust her with leadership. As troubles broke out—persecution from communities or dissatisfaction in the ranks—William would often say, “Send Eva!”

Perhaps her most significant troubleshooting experience came in 1896 when Eva was sent to New York to rein in a breakaway group led by her brother Ballington. Locked out of the Salvation Army building, she climbed a fire escape to get in. Then, jeered by the rebel group, she literally wrapped herself in an American flag and said, “Hiss that, if you dare.” Then, in the stunned silence, she began to play her concertina and sing. Order was restored.

In 1904, Eva was named the Salvation Army’s commander for the United States, a post she held for thirty years. During that time, she became a US citizen and took the name Evangeline. Among her creative projects was the sending of Salvation Army personnel to support the soldiers on the front lines of World War I. She was named general of the entire Salvation Army in 1934.

With her pedigree, it’s no surprise that Evangeline Booth would get such leadership opportunities, but she also made the most of them. Courageous and creative, she was an inspiring leader, a much-needed bridge connecting future generations with her parents’ original vision.

Each one of us is a mixture of what we’ve been given and what we do with it. What sort of birth and upbringing have you had? You may have received certain opportunities or challenges from your parents, but that’s only part of your story. What are you and God going to do next?

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Proverbs 22:6