William and Catherine Booth found the Christian Mission in East London
- When
- 1865–1878
- Where
- London's East End; London
- Episodes
- 2
William and Catherine Booth founded the East London Christian Mission in 1865. The mission focused on converting marginalized Londoners, with Catherine gaining financial support from wealthier audiences. The organization later renamed itself The Salvation Army in 1878, adopting a quasi-military structure.
Episodes
- Founding of the East London Christian Mission
William and Catherine Booth established the East London Christian Mission in 1865, focusing on converting the poor and marginalized in London's East End.
- Renaming to The Salvation Army
The organization was renamed The Salvation Army in 1878 following an incident involving the word 'volunteer' during a dictation.
Background and detail
Background. William Booth, an English Methodist preacher, moved to London in 1849. By 1865, he and his wife Catherine opened 'The Christian Revival Society' in the East End. This society held evening meetings to share repentance with the poor and marginalized, laying the groundwork for the Christian Mission.
Mission Work. The Christian Mission's growth was difficult, with Booth suffering physical injuries from stone-throwing. The mission targeted alcoholics, prostitutes, and other 'undesirables' unwelcome in polite society. Booth's approach emphasized practical aid, summarized as 'soup, soap, and salvation,' while Catherine spoke to wealthier people to secure financial support.
Renaming. The name 'The Salvation Army' developed from an incident in May 1878. During a dictation, William Booth said 'We are a volunteer army,' but his son Bramwell insisted he was a regular. The word 'volunteer' was replaced with 'salvation,' leading to the new name and quasi-military structure.
People involved
- William Booth · Founder and first General
- Catherine Booth · Co-founder and 'Mother of The Salvation Army'
Sources
- Salvation Army Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26
- William Booth Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-01
- Catherine Booth Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.