The beginnings as "Christian Mission"
In the difficult environment of East London, the former Methodist pastor William Booth and his wife, Catherine Mumford began to set up a Christian ministry in the 1860s.
William Booth and his wife Catherine Mumford were both born in Great Britain in 1829. William accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of his life at the age of 15. Catherine did this just two years later.
Catherine Mumford and William Booth met each other in 1852. They married in 1855 and subsequently had eight children.
In 1858, William Booth was ordained a Methodist pastor and then led a parish church. At the same time, he began to speak more and more as an evangelist. His heart beat for this work and he had a natural talent for it.
In 1861, William Booth left his ministry as a Methodist pastor to devote himself entirely to evangelism. The great spiritual and social hardship, especially in the East London slums, touched him deeply.
Catherine stood by her husband's side in all activities and supported him actively from the beginnings. At first, like all men of this time, William Booth opposed women having the same right to preach the gospel as men. Due to the example of his wife, who knew how to fight for her rights and who also presented various essays on this subject, he recognised his error. Catherine preached in the same way and was even able to replace her husband when he was unable to attend.
In 1865 William and Catherine Booth-Mumford founded the "Christian Revival Association". The couple initially worked mainly in East London and therefore changed the name to "East London Christian Mission". When more and more outposts were founded, the name was generalized to "Christian Mission". In 1877, there were already 26 such outposts in the near and far London area.
William Booth
The "Christian Mission" as the predecessor organization to The Salvation Army had many features that are still distinctive to The Salvation Army today. Already there was a headquarter with a waving flag. William Booth, who later became general of The Salvation Army, held the rank of superintendent general. As early as 1868 they began to publish their own newsletter, called "The East London Evangelist", which would first become the "Christian Mission Magazine" and later the "War Cry" for The Salvation Army.