The Salvation Army had its inception in Dallas in 1889 with the coming of Adam E. Janelli, an Italian immigrant born in 1851 in Palma, Italy.

After attending The Salvation Army Training School in London and Paris, he came to Texas in 1887 and to Dallas in 1889.

Janelli began his work preaching on the streets of Dallas and received for his labors a bombardment of rocks and over-ripe fruit by the same people he had hoped to reach with the gospel

His home stood on the site later occupied by the Times Herald building, and a large sign adorned the front of the house with the scripture: "Prepare to Meet Thy God."

In 1891, Janelli requested National Headquarters to send officers, and one was sent to Austin. One year later, a Lt. Hook was appointed to Dallas as the first Corps Officer.

The first permanent meeting place was in a tent at the corner of Commerce and Kendall Street. After that, various rented meeting halls were used until the purchase of land and the erection of a frame building at the corner of Federal and N. Ervay Streets, current home to First Baptist Dallas.

A new building was erected on the same site in 1929, rebuilt in 1970 and remained the Temple Corps until 1985 when the move was made to Mockingbird Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard. In 1993, additions of a fellowship hall and Sunday school classrooms were made to the facility and the building remains in this configuration today.

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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.

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The Salvation Army is similar to many mainstream churches today. Our doctrine statements can be found here.

In short, we believe that the Word of God, the Bible, is perfect and without error and is the basis for how Christians should live. We believe that there is only one God, that He alone should be worshipped and that He expresses Himself to humanity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that all humans are sinful, by nature. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, came to this earth and exists as both divine and human. Through His death and resurrection, humans can put their faith in Him and are granted access to eternal life with God and new life here on hearth. Those who choose not to put their faith in Him are destined for eternal punishment. To maintain this new life, we must maintain our faith in Jesus Christ and be obedient to His leading in our life.

Changing social and economic conditions require the Army to take a critical look at, and sometimes review, parts of its structure, patterns of worship and methods of service. However, these Christian beliefs which form our doctrine are relevant to all generations and point to the unchanging answer to people’s basic need of a right relationship with God.