Who We Are

The Salvation Army, an international Christian church and registered charity is one of the largest providers of social welfare in the world. Programs include accommodation for homeless men, women, children and families; drug rehabilitation centres; schools, hospitals and clinics; HIV/AIDS projects; anti-human trafficking advocacy; 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.

Mission Statement

The Salvation Army has an international mission statement that sets the identity and direction for every command and centre that the Army operates.

The international mission statement of The Salvation Army is as follows:

"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."

It has been said The Salvation Army offers caring support for every problem “from the cradle to the grave.” Our services are as wide-ranging and diverse as the areas of need in the community, like an umbrella over Australia’s social problems.

Because we have such tremendous scope in our service provision, each program is able to link with other services in the network, thus enhancing our capacity to help those in need.

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'.

To learn more about church life in The Salvation Army of Hurstville and beyond, check out the pages on this website.  For more information on The Salvation Army in Australia, please select here or contact us for more information.