Family

The primary social unit in society is the family. It is the foundation on which stability and security for each of its members is built. Regrettably, significant changes in lifestyles and values are affecting the family unit. The numbers of common law unions, homosexual couples and single parents are steadily increasing, and in many families both parents are working outside the home. Recognising the validity of biblical teaching, The Salvation Army asserts that, despite many societal changes, the family in which father and mother share equally in the raising of their children provides the ideal environment in which healthy, holistic development should take place. Here is the basic source of nurture, love, emotional stability, security, fundamental education and socialisation, and spiritual and moral development. The Salvation Army affirms its absolute conviction that the marriage of one man with one woman is a sacred institution ordained by God. The permanence and quality of this relationship provide the basis for the essential stability required by the family. The Salvation Army seeks to strengthen marriage and enrich family life while extending appropriate care of a loving Christian community to all families in need.

Approved by International Headquarters
1996