Our object in [the pages of this magazine] will be to supply our friends
and all who are interested in the growth of the Kingdom of God,
with a concise summary of our victories, our wants
and our persecutions, in fact, to give a bird’s-eye view
of the progress of the war in All the World.
(A description from the first edition of All the World, 1884)
It is with a sense of joy and historical significance that I write for the international Salvation Army’s new, fully digital All the World. This iconic magazine, in print form, helped to fan the life and mission of the movement for 138 years, commencing in 1884 until January 2022 when it was paused for review.
Two fundamental principles drove the print version, both derived from the biblical verse, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:14, NKJV). The first was the imperative to ‘Go.’ William Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army, penned the lead article in the first edition and exhorted the readers to view it as their obligation to spread the good news of Jesus Christ wherever they had opportunity.
The second principle was adapted to form the magazine’s title: into ‘all the world’. Booth wanted to document the work of those who went and communicate their impact to all those interested in the life and mission of The Salvation Army. As we re-launch this magazine electronically for a much wider and diverse audience, it is these foundational sentiments of the first edition that we keep before us.
The inaugural edition was published 141 years ago, only 19 years after the inception of The Salvation Army. The world, and The Salvation Army’s place in it, were very different then. In subsequent years the world has changed almost beyond recognition but the elemental principles of The Salvation Army have not. We continue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need without discrimination wherever we are found.
Unlike the early days of the movement, we now operate in 134 countries. Millions are touched every year by those working in our medical facilities, schools, and residential care homes for young people and vulnerable adults. Multiple thousands of people are helped by our food banks, homeless shelters and addiction treatment units around the world. We continue to provide clean drinking water in remote villages, literacy programmes to those with limited access to education and livelihood opportunities to alleviate poverty.
In short, over these many decades of ministry around the world we have remained focused on our mission to communicate, in word and action, the love and compassion of Jesus. We have sought out the most vulnerable, offering the most practical service wherever we are found. It has been the mission of this magazine to document the lives of those both supporting and receiving the practical ministries of The Salvation Army.
It has been more than three years since the last edition of All the World. Why the pause? Because we needed to re-think how and in what format to continue telling the stories in this very different world. We are immersed in a digital communications era. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived. Additionally, The Salvation Army now operates 14,500 faith communities (churches) around the world through which we worship and nurture the spiritual lives of community members, conduct mission that responds to local community needs, and work alongside other churches to ensure best results from our collective mission.
Considering all of these factors, we have renewed our desire to publish a magazine that will offer ‘a concise summary of our victories, our wants and our persecutions, in fact, to give a bird’s-eye view of the progress’ we are making to meet human need around the world through Christian love and compassion.
We have asked ourselves, does the world need more access to news and information? Our conclusion is that the world needs access to information that can be trusted and delivers quality stories of hope and change as a result of our Christian faith, witness and worship. Those interested in the life and ministry of The Salvation Army will once again be able to experience our internationalism, response to global crises, support for marginalised communities, compassionate care for those in need, the nurture of our spiritual life and ourcontribution to the global witness of the Body of Christ. Our prayer is that you will sense the spirit of our faith and service, and perhaps sense the urge to ‘go’ and make a difference wherever you have the opportunity.
