Who we are
The Salvation Army is an international Christian church and registered charity and is one of the largest providers of social welfare in the world. Programmes include accommodation for homeless men, women, children and families; drug rehabilitation centres; schools; hospitals and clinics; HIV/Aids projects, micro-credit schemes, training centres and day-care facilities. Support is also offered through nearly 15,000 local church and community centres.
As Christians, Salvationists are committed to caring for people, transforming lives and reforming society – all through the love of God shown in Jesus. The word 'Salvation' sums up our purpose as a Christian church - a church that has been mobilised like an army to save people. We really are a Salvation Army! With our 'big picture' focus, we serve many different needs with our 'heart to God and hand to humanity'. Some also say that the Salvos have a "sleeves rolled up" ministry and mission.
On Friday 30th November 2018, General Brian Peddle announced that the two territories of Australia (The Salvation Army, Australian Eastern Territory and The Salvation Army, Australia Southern Territory) were again one territory, to be known as the Australian Territory.
The Salvation Army Australia is a national Christian movement, united by faith and giving hope where it's needed most. Across the
It's crucial that our faith is expressed in charitable work. From the commencement of The Salvation Army in London in the late 19th century, our founders, William and Catherine Booth, emphasised that we are to function as a body with two arms, the spiritual and the social—with one hand we reach out to God and with the other we reach out to the world. If we were to be 'just' a church and failed to be charitable, then we would have no right to preach or speak about justice, compassion, or anything that affects the well-being of others. But if, on the other hand, we were just a charity, we would fail to respond to the whole person—the body, mind
Today, you’ll find Salvos across Australia dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus through caring for people, creating faith pathways, building healthy communities and working for justice. Regardless of where we are or what we're doing, one thing always remains true: we're about giving hope.
https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/about-us/
Our church
Our church, or corps (pronounced "core", from the military term) as we know it, is a very important part of who we are and how we worship God. There are some aspects of our Christian worship that you may not know about.
For example, the mercy seat (or sometimes referred to as the ‘penitent form') is found in every Salvation Army meeting hall. It's a bench at the front where people can kneel. The mercy seat has two main uses. When a person decides to become a Christian they often make a public commitment by kneeling at the mercy seat during worship.
However it is important to realise that the act at the mercy seat is a public statement that God has changed something in the believer's soul; it does not itself make any change in the believer. People who are already Christians also kneel at the mercy seat, either as a public demonstration that they are re-dedicating themselves to God, or in order to pray in a special way about a particular decision or problem affecting their lives.
People can also kneel at the mercy seat as a simple act of worship. The mercy seat is a very old idea, found first in the Old Testament, where it was the holy place where God's presence was believed to be and where he communicated with his people.
Salvationists do not believe that the mercy seat is a piece of furniture with special spiritual properties; whenever and wherever a person meets in spirit with God, that is a 'mercy seat'.