Frequently asked questions
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Is the Salvation Army a religion or a mix of denominations?
The shortest answer to this question is NO. The Salvation Army is not a religion or a mix of denominations. The Salvation Army stands alongside other churches, such as Anglicans and Baptists, as an independent denomination within the Christian Church.
In the 1860s, William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, began to reach out to the poverty-stricken crowds of London. He preached that there was a God who could change their lives and show them a new way. He fed them, prayed with them, and thousands of lives were changed. The Methodist pastor Booth tried to attract people of faith to local Methodist congregations, but the wider church at the time had lost its vision of the underclass and did not accept them. Although this was not the original goal, in less than 20 years, William Booth founded a new denomination of the Christian Church, the Salvation Army. Today, the Army serves people in need in 130+ countries around the world. A good word to describe a church denomination is “community”. The Salvation Army, like other churches, is a community of people coming together in a local area. They worship God together, growing in faith, in the fullness and integrity of their lives. Their faith showing itself in service to people with all kinds of material, physical and spiritual needs.
Why do Salvation Army members wear uniforms?
The Salvation Army began as a movement called “Christian Mission.” Its founders, William and Catherine Booth, and co-founders, George Scott Railton and Bramwell Booth, were encouraged to call this new mission an army. Volunteers and ministers were called soldiers. Military themes were common at the time. By 1878 the whole movement had adapted all military terminology and dress.
The uniform used to unite the new members, who came from different parts of society. They were also used to unite them in purpose and commitment. Knowing that their mission was to engage in spiritual warfare, the uniform became a symbol, a visual reminder that they had accepted Christ’s call. Underneath the uniform was a heart devoted to God and a willingness to use his hands to reach out to humanity.
The Salvation Army uniform is one of the most recognisable icons in the world. This uniform shows itself behind the pulpit, on the street corner, in hospitals or care homes.
The uniform is like the clerical dress of a Salvation Army officer (ordained minister) and is also worn by soldiers (local parishioners). It is a symbol that proclaims your faith to all and makes you available for service.
Is the Salvation Army a church or a charity?
It is a church with a wide social work. The Salvation Army sees itself as a body with two arms, the spiritual and the social – with one arm we reach out to God and with the other we reach out into the world.
And this “two in one” is nothing new. Since the Salvation Army began in London in the late 19th century, our founders, William and Catherine Beattie, have stressed that this is how we are to exist – as a church we are to live out our Christianity. It is very important that our Christianity is expressed in works of charity. If it were just a charity, we could not care for the whole person – body, mind and spirit.
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