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.

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States.  Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadcast array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.  About 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

The Salvation Army’s services reach virtually into every zip code in America through the involvement of over 3.5 million volunteers, including 60,000 local community advisory organization members.

 

COMMISSIONER KENNETH G. HODDER, NATIONAL COMMANDER

Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder serves as the National Commander for The Salvation Army in the United States. A sixth-generation Salvationist, Commissioner Hodder is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B. magna cum laude, 1980) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1983).

In 1986, after several years in the practice of corporate and real estate law, Commissioner Hodder and his wife, Commissioner Jolene K. Hodder, responded to God’s call to service as Salvation Army officers. Commissioned in 1988, they served in corps appointments in Glendale and Torrance, as instructors at the School for Officers Training, and later as staff officers at USA Western Territorial Headquarters. They also served in divisional leadership roles in both Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Commissioner Hodder was appointed in March 2006 to serve as Chief Secretary in the Kenya Territory, where he had primary operational responsibility for the creation of two Salvation Army territories. Three years later, the Hodders were appointed to International Headquarters in London, where Commissioner Kenneth Hodder served in dual roles as International Secretary for Personnel and as Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the General. They were subsequently appointed in 2013 to lead the Kenya West Territory, from which they returned in January of 2017 to lead the USA Western Territory.

Commissioner Hodder was appointed by the General to take up his current role as National Commander on July 1, 2020.