The Salvation Army is one of the largest providers of social services in the world. It began with a preacher, a tent, and the people no other church would welcome.
A Tent in a Quaker Graveyard
William Booth was an English Methodist preacher who underwent a religious conversion at 15 and became a revivalist. His wife Catherine was an equally influential preacher and early advocate for women's equality in ministry. In 1865, Booth was invited to hold meetings in London's East End, one of the city's most impoverished areas.
He set up a tent in a Quaker graveyard. His services drew thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards. When established churches refused to accept his new converts, Booth continued ministering to them directly. The organization took its famous name in 1878, when Booth crossed out "volunteer army" on a printer's proof and wrote "Salvation Army" instead.
Meeting Needs on Every Front
Catherine Booth matched her husband's drive, preaching publicly at a time when women rarely did so. She championed services for women and children and helped shape the organization's practical approach to ministry: feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and care for the addicted alongside spiritual outreach.
160 Years of Service
Today, The Salvation Army operates in more than 130 countries with over 1.7 million members and officers. In the United States alone, annual revenue exceeds $4 billion, funding disaster relief, homeless shelters, addiction rehabilitation, and anti-trafficking programs. The Booths' belief that no one should be left behind remains the organization's driving force.
Learn more on our Salvation Army page.
