salvationarmy.org

The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian movement and charitable organization founded in 1865 by William Booth, a Methodist preacher, and his wife Catherine. Beginning as a mission in the East End of London, it was known as The Christian Mission until 1878, when Booth amended a printer's proof that read "The Christian Mission is a volunteer army" and adopted the name Salvation Army. The organization operates in 134 countries and is rooted in evangelical Christianity, with a message based on the Bible and a stated mission to preach the gospel and meet human needs without discrimination.

Its work is delivered through four main channels: churches and worship ministry; social service centres serving the homeless, hungry and destitute, which reach millions of people each year; hospitals; and schools. The organization is run by trained, commissioned officers who serve as administrators, social workers, counsellors and musicians, supported by hundreds of thousands of soldiers and volunteers worldwide. Within its first decade as The Christian Mission, it had more than 1,000 volunteers and evangelists.

Industry classifications span nonprofit and charitable services, religion and evangelical ministry, social services, healthcare and education. The culture is volunteer-driven and oriented toward grassroots outreach to the poor and destinute, with a non-traditional approach to ministry that broke from established church methods at the time of its founding.