Being a Salvationist

Our vision and mission

Embracing our God-given identity.

The Salvation Army is not simply a local evangelical church. Neither are we only a homelessness charity or a social service agency or a chain of charity shops or groups of musicians or a leader in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery.

All this work makes a vital contribution to the building of God’s Kingdom and the good of society. Our diverse identity is a strength, but only if there is consistency in our vision and mission.

Our vision

Fullness of life for all with Jesus

A vision statement says what we hope to see in our world. It is optimistic, it is hopeful, it is aspirational. It captures our vision of what life can be and what we strive for.

This is ‘Our Vision’ for every part of The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is inspired by the words of Jesus who said: ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10, NIV).

We believe everyone can enjoy fullness of life with Jesus. Does this mean life with Jesus is all smiles and roses and happiness? No. Because a ‘full’ life includes the personal growth that comes with times of challenge and trial and heartache and sorrow. But we believe that doing life with Jesus is better than trying to do it without him; and we believe this so strongly that we want everyone to know what fullness of life with Jesus feels like.

Our mission

While ‘Our Vision’ tells us what we want to achieve in the world, we need to know how we are going to realise this. ‘Our Mission’ focuses on five key priorities; they are not arranged hierarchically and overlap and mutually support each other.

Each of the five priorities of ‘Our Mission’ are rich in meaning and help us explain to 21st century society why the Christian message and the work of The Salvation Army is relevant and desperately needed in our communities and nations.

At the heart of The Salvation Army’s mission is a passion to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

This is not an optional extra. The Salvation Army only does what it does because our inspiration and vision come from peoples’ ongoing relationship with Jesus. We know the difference our relationship with God makes in our lives and we don’t want anyone to miss out.

The Salvation Army responds to people without discrimination.

God calls us to be with the people we serve. In ‘being with’ people – as against ‘doing for’ people – we find solutions and make progress because we are all made in the image of God. We are called to share love in a, too often, loveless world. Jesus himself called us to love God and love others

The future of The Salvation Army depends on nurturing Christians who, filled by the Holy Spirit, can share the good news of Jesus.

Like an athlete, Christian disciples need to stay ‘spiritually fit’ by practising disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, participating in corporate worship, tithing and helping others. The Salvation Army believes being a disciple of Jesus and seeking holy living is the way to experience ‘fullness of life’.

God longs for justice for all people, therefore, The Salvation Army will speak out against injustice.

We fight not simply the effects of injustice but also the systems and structures that create and enable injustice. Seeking reconciliation is also an essential part of Salvation Army life. Justice and reconciliation are vital activities to achieving ‘Our Vision’ of ‘fullness of life for all with Jesus’.

Click on a tag for relevant content and resources about each mission priority.

Our intention

Love God, Love Others

Apart from ‘Our Vision’ and ‘Our Mission’, The Salvation Army across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man also holds to a statement that frames everything we do.

It is our passionate intention to love God and love others, as based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 22 to ‘love the Lord your God’ and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.

‘Love God, Love Others’ underpins, inspires and motivates everything we do, in every part of The Salvation Army. We must not simply love God and ignore others. Neither should we love others and ignore God. The Salvation Army’s well-spring, our driving force, is summarised in ‘Love God, Love Others’.

The Salvation Army red shield and 'Love God, Love Others'

Our God-Given Identity

A leaflet to unpack our vision, mission and intention.

download

Identity resources

Downloadable PDFs:

Our God-Given Identity (leaflet)
Exploring The Salvation Army's God-Given Identity: The Findings of the Identity Task Force (document)

Red shield logos and other branding materials, can be found on the territorial image library.

Please note that only people with Salvation Army email addresses can view the image library.

Contact imagelibrary@salvationarmy.org.uk if you need copies of logos and branding materials.

International mission statement

Our Vision, Our Mission and Our Intention all contribute to building God’s Kingdom as part of the global work of The Salvation Army. We also have an international Mission Statement that applies to our work across more than 130 countries:

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.