About The Salvation Army

An International Christian Organization
Collage of Salvation Army volunteers, employees, and clients

The Salvation Army Organization

The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization that began its work in Canada in 1882 and has grown to become one of the largest non-governmental direct providers of social services in the country. The Salvation Army gives hope and support to vulnerable people today and every day in 400 communities across Canada and more than 130 countries around the world.

The Salvation Army offers practical assistance for children and families, often tending to the basic necessities of life, provides shelter for homeless people and rehabilitation for people who have lost control of their lives to an addiction.

When you give to The Salvation Army, you are investing in the future of marginalized and overlooked people in your community.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

The Salvation Army is an international Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible; its ministry is motivated by love for God and the needs of humanity.
Mission Statement
The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.
Vision Statement
We are an innovative partner, mobilized to share hope wherever there is hardship, building communities that are just and know the love of Jesus.
Doctrines

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience, they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall, all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by His suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe that repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

We believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, in the general judgement at the end of the world, in the eternal happiness of the righteous, and in the endless punishment of the wicked.
For further information, go to the Salvationist website.
Core Values
The Salvation Army is an international Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible; its ministry is motivated by love for God and the needs of humanity.
Hope
We give hope through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dignity
We respect and value each other, recognizing everyone’s worth.

Service
We reach out to support others without discrimination.
Stewardship
We responsibly manage the resources entrusted to us.

Our History

The Salvation Army began its work in London, England, in 1865 as The Christian Mission when William Booth, a minister, abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit and took his message of hope to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute.

By 1867 the organization had developed into a ministry offering basic schooling, reading rooms, penny banks, soup kitchens and relief aid to the destitute. In 1878, the organization changed its name to The Salvation Army.

Our Leadership Today

The mission that began in 1865 continues today through the vision and direction of the Territorial Commander, the insight of the National Advisory Board, and the stewardship of The Governing Council. Discover the leaders who guide The salvation Army's mission.