Welcome to CFOT

Message from the Training Principal - Major (Dr.) Terry Masango

Welcome to the USA Western Territory’s College for Officer Training! The Officers and Staff are excited to have you here and join me in warmly welcoming you as you embark
on the next segment of your journey in preparing to become Salvation Army Officers. You are now on holy ground. This location has been dedicated to God for His glory, a place where you can draw closer to Him, be equipped, empowered, and transformed to fulfill the call He has placed on your life.

Your time at the College for Officer Training will be both full and rewarding, offering numerous opportunities for personal growth, study, and ministry. Our classroom coursework isdesigned to prepare you for practical Salvation Army ministry, ensuring your success in your future role as an Officer. It is essential to be present, seize and embrace these opportunities to make the most of your training. Have a positive attitude. Be proactive in receiving, learning, integrating, and practicing the skills to your fullest potential for personal equipping.

Our officers and staff are here to assist you. For this season, we are fellow sojourners, committed to teaching, encouraging, and mentoring you. Your coursework will encompass theology, the Bible, platform ministry, pastoral care, development, business, and much more. A significant portion of your training will focus on spiritual formation. Our priority is that you know God more deeply, understand your identity in Him, and discern His will for your life in extending His kingdom. The journey will not be easy; however, transformation will happen, and it will yield greater things—you may even be pleasantly surprised by the journey.

You have been called by God and accepted for training, and so we begin. May the Lord continue to bless and guide you, and may His presence be revealed to you as you prepare for the life of ministry that God has designed for you.

Message from the CFOT Board of Governance Chair - Dr. David Nystrom

On behalf of the Board of Governance, I welcome you to the College for Officer Training.

Jesus observed “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).  Jesus here points to the fact that education has an instrumental or technical component:  training in skills of application and of analysis.  But for Jesus education is also about what we might call moral formation.  In the same passage in Luke, Jesus noted that people do not pick figs from a thornbush.  In so doing he suggested that education ought to be cognizant of this process of moral development and transformation.

Here at CFOT you will be challenged to learn and master the skills necessary to serve within the compass of the ministries of the Salvation Army.  You will also be afforded the opportunity to engage in the process of being shaped in character and formed in matters of the heart.  Over the course of your time at CFOT you will be challenged to grow in your understanding, in your knowledge, and in character.  Know that the faculty, the staff and the Board members support you and are praying for you.  The rich tradition of The Salvation Army and its resources are your partners also.  

May God shine his face upon you on this phase of your journey.  Soon you will be walking across the graduation platform as newly commissioned officers of the Salvation Army.  We are proud of you and excited for you. 

May God be your companion as you prepare yourselves for service in The Salvation Army.
 

Reviewed/Updated: July 2025