[Jem Smith]

At this time of year the Salvation Army are on street corners collecting donations again. A lot of people seem to think that they are a charity, but actually they are a church. This means that while they do stuff to help the poor, they don't have to declare how much of their income they are spending on that the way a charity would, and they are free to discriminate and preach.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all the individuals who work for the Salvation Army are bad people. However, the organisation has some pretty dodgy policies and has been responsible for some fairly messed up things. In particular, the Australian branch covered up child rape on a large scale (link is to a news article about the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse).
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-12/salvation-army-failed-to-protect-children-royal-commission-finds/7835784

This video gives a good explanation, although heads up, it's a bit sweary.



If you want to support a church, that's cool, you do you. I just think people should be aware that that is what they are doing and make an informed choice. Spend your donation dollars however you like, but for myself I'd prefer not to give them to the Salvation Army.

[Netherrealmer]

I know thats where Americans go to if they want to buy cheaper clothes since they sell used goods

[Jem Smith]

I know thats where Americans go to if they want to buy cheaper clothes since they sell used goods

They do run secondhand stores, yes. Not just in America, in Canada, Australia and New Zealand too. What doesn't sell in the stores goes on to be sold in the global secondhand clothing market.

The donations I was talking about were money donations though. They stand on street corners with a bucket.

[Fergal]

Do they have buildings which they attend regularly for prayer services?

[OldGuy]

The Salvation Army is NOT a church. It is a separate charity that is run by a church. The donation centers are places where people can drop off unneeded items. The majority of the workers in each donation center are volunteers, not paid staff. All collections are reviewed, repaired as needed and sold at low cost. All proceeds from these centers are directed to funding the needs of prisoners in jails and prisons.

Yes, they do set up bell ringers at various stores to collect cash donations. These funds are used in a wide variety of charitable services, mostly in places that do not have any other source, even those abandoned by governments. Millions receive benefits from their services every year.

Yes, the Church runs the charity but as a completely separate organized charity, not as a church itself. Yes, there are overhead expenses in administrative costs. Yes, since it is operated as a separate arm of a church, they are exempted from reporting their revenue in the same way non religious groups report their earnings. And yes, there are bad apples in every walk of life. Those involved in scandals do not represent the entire organization.

However, it is irresponsible to make a statement that they are a church. The Salvation Army itself is a completely separate Charity organization. Just so happens my brother retired as the CFO of one of the US Salvation Army offices and I have heard dozens of stories about their specific charitable operations. He never once attended any church services involved with Salvation Army charitable activity. He was not even a member of the church that runs it.

[Jem Smith]

Do they have buildings which they attend regularly for prayer services?

Yes. It's also a legal definition- they are legally classed as a church, which affects things like taxes (churches get exemptions) and disclosure of how funds are spent.

--- 10 Dec 2024, 10:23 ---

The Salvation Army is NOT a church.

You are incorrect.

"The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant Christian church"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army
It's not an accusation, just a fact. That doesn't mean they don't do charitable work. It doesn't mean that everyone who works for them goes to worship services. You could technically work for any church (like as a secretary or an accountant or a janitor or whatever) without being a believer. My mother used to work for them, although she is not a Christian, but her personal beliefs don't change what the organisation is.

Their official mission statement:
"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 the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination"

I didn't say that people shouldn't donate to them. You can do whatever you like.

Even if you set the scandal (and the systematic covering up of child rape is a VERY big scandal, involving not just a few individuals) aside, personally I find some of the actual policies of the organisation, such as their views on homosexuality, objectionable, which is why I prefer to support secular charities.