Salvation Army Mission and Vision Statement Analysis

Salvation Army mission statement is “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” The statement exemplifies the religious inclination of the organization. However, it also indicates that the Salvation Army is out to help people irrespective of who, or where they are. Based on this analysis, the statement can be broken down into the following components:

1. Improving lives. Salvation Army recognizes that the body is an important component to make a wholesome human being. As a result, it does not simply concentrate its efforts on spiritual matters. Instead, the organization has earned itself a chance to go down as a revered institute in the global historical annals due to its undisputable work in healthcare. For instance, ever since it was established, the Salvation Army has always run hospitals and clinics in vulnerable areas globally. The focus on providing people with free and accessible medical services remains as one of its primary callings to date.
2. Improving communities. The humanitarianism of the Salvation Army is unrivaled. The extent of sacrifice this organization has gone to help those at risk is simply unbelievable. The priority is to give people in need an opportunity to live and thrive just like any others, and the organization does this by directing the bulk of its resources to international emergency services. For instance, the Salvation Army was the primary response unit in 2010 when Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake, Nepal in 2011, and in the Philippines during the Cyclone Haiyan. In all these incidences, the organization stuck with the people during the emergencies, and through their early stages when creating resilience among the communities.   
3. Linking gospel with care. In this component, the Salvation Army reveals the source of its boundless goodness – the teachings of Jesus Christ. It shows that the connection between the two is inseparable. Therefore, the strategies and operations adopted by this organization have some element of spirituality in them. They are motivated by the religious desire and teaching that people should mind the welfare of others.

Introduction

When it comes to matters of faith and religion, the Salvation Army is a unique organization that has brought itself to the global limelight with its progressiveness and works beyond the expectations of many. Little known to the modern generations, the Salvation Army, however, has an unquestionable history of being one of the most dependable faith-based non-profit organization. In fact, its mission and vision statements reveal how committed this organization is in impacting on the lives of people it comes in contact with.

The organization stands firm with its purpose of serving people and putting a smile on their faces wherever they are. Since a vision statement determines the future that an organization works to achieve, it would be accurate to interpret that the Salvation Army recognizes this concept with its vision statement that focusses on molding an organization people can turn to in times of their need.

On the other hand, a vision statement highlights the operations that would drive an entity towards its vision. In the case of the Salvation Army, the organization is clear about its primary duties, and these comprise evangelization and humanitarian assistance. Salvation Army has particularly withstood numerous dynamics for more than a century due to its ability to adapt to changing times.

In addition, its core values have also been instrumental in the resilience depicted by the organization since 1865. They guide the interactions and practices of different stakeholders in the running of the organizational matters. Most importantly, they work together with the mission and vision of this body to maintain its focus.

Vision Statement

Salvation Army vision statement is “to deepen our spiritual life, unite in prayer, identify and develop leaders, increase self-support and self-denial, emphasize our integrated ministry, reach and involve youth and children, stand for and serve the marginalized, encourage innovation in mission, communicate Christ unashamedly, reaffi­rm our belief in transformation, evangelize and disciple effectively, and provide quality teaching resources.” In a nutshell, the vision statement describes the Salvation Army as a dependable organization determined to create a world where every person feels is their ‘home.’ The statement comprises of the outlined components:

1. Promote oneness. In the first component, the Salvation Army shows that it is an organization bent on bringing people together spiritually and socially. For instance, it has established over 2, 000 schools worldwide built on spiritual principles to entrench its philosophy of togetherness. Educational institutions also promote social interaction and development agendas. Moreover, the Salvation Army has different programs and spiritual groups such as the global women’s ministries that reach out to those in need.
2. Encourage helping others. If there is something the Salvation Army is best known for, it is its readiness to help others. The organization spreads this message by doing everything within its power and mandate to provide aid. In this way, it challenges other international players and individuals to act in different capacities especially when responding to all forms of emergencies.
3. Global evangelization. In this component, the Salvation Army proves that it has outgrown its local London borders. It is now has a global face with most of its programs running overseas where it continues its duty of spreading the gospel through words and deeds. Today, the organization is present in over 130 nations globally, stumping its worldwide presence.

Core Values

Salvation Army core values comprise “respect, integrity, compassion, relevance, co-operation, and celebration.” As a faith-based organization, cultivating a culture that goes in tandem with the gospel teaching is imperative for the Salvation Army. This explains the importance of these values to the society.

The history of the Salvation Army clearly shows that the organization would not have come this far without a solid foundation, and this base is built on principles of working together, respecting each other and being compassionate. Moreover, it also encompasses doing things right considering its comprehensive involvement in sensitive emergency response situations. Therefore, with these core values, the Salvation Army has grown into an international outfit.

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