Territorial Commander

Commissioner Miriam Gluyas was appointed Territorial Commander for The Salvation Army Australia and Chair of the Board as of 1 February 2023.

Miriam was born in Ballarat (Victoria, Australia) into a family whose Salvation Army roots go back to her great-great-grandmother planting a Salvation Army church in Scotland. She describes her childhood and teenage years as full of love and acceptance; and is grateful to the many role models who helped her become hopeful, loving and resilient.

In January 1983, despite wanting to become a pro-golfer, Miriam obeyed the call of God and was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in Sydney. In the 40 years since then, she has served in a variety of appointments across Australia and internationally, including pastoral church ministry, church planting, Training Officer at the Officer Training College, Divisional Youth Secretary, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army NSW and ACT Division, and Chief Secretary of the Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Territory.

Her roles in Papua New Guinea and a multicultural area of western Sydney as corps officer have given her a heart and a passion for people of all nations to be transformed by the love of God.

Miriam’s leadership approach values the importance of seeking individual and collective wisdom — she is committed to being an accessible leader — and she describes herself as a visionary strategist.

Miriam’s friends and colleagues describe her as having a lively sense of humour, unending energy, being well-organised, passionate, inspiring, a woman of integrity, an encourager, authentic, loyal, faithful, gracious and courageous.

In her spare time Miriam loves spending time with her dad, sister, two brothers, 17 nieces and nephews and their kids, friends, playing sport, and attending the footy to support her favourite AFL team, the Geelong Cats.

Jesus-centred, Spirit-led, hope revealed

From the beginning of her appointment as Territorial Commander, Miriam understood the challenges facing the church and charity sector in the 2020s. She saw that the difference between the Salvos flourishing and stagnating would be personal and corporate renewal of the group’s spiritual heart.

Miriam explains the rallying cry in terms of the following:

• Jesus remaining central to all we are and do. He is front and centre. He must be pre-eminent and who we are flows from that.
• Being Spirit-led. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on Him. We are led by Him, we hear from Him, and we do what He asks us to do. We also live like Him, producing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-, NIV).
• Hope revealed. If ever the world needed hope, it is now. We are to be hope givers and hope bringers. He is our hope. Expecting God’s grace and mercy to be at work, despite our imperfection as individuals and as a movement, so His hope is revealed (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).