History of the Christian & Missionary Alliance
When Alliance founder A.B. Simpson left a lucrative pastorate in New York City, he had a call from God to reach the lost masses both in New York and around the world.
The C&MA grew out of the vision of Rev. A.B. Simpson, a Presbyterian pastor from Canada. Simpson believed that Christ was not only his Savior, but also his Sanctifier, and Healer through dramatic spiritual encounters that changed the direction of his life. Formed as a missionary society and not a denomination, early Alliance congregations were known as "branches" and were made up of members from most major denominations.
Prostitutes, longshoremen, and the homeless received the reconciliation message that all people are eligible for Christ's amazing grace. He established the New York Gospel Tabernacle to bring likeminded people together into an organization that could facilitate outreach ministries.
He set up the Missionary Training Institute (MTI) to provide training and resources for men and women God was calling to take the gospel to the world. During that time, Simpson's group sent out the first team of missionaries to the Congo in 1884.
Since then, thousands of people have followed God's call to serve through The Alliance in the United States and abroad. In 1974, The Christian and Missionary (C&MA) officially became a denomination, but it still had at its core a heart for overseas missions. Past Alliance president Dr. L.L. King said of the C&MA that it "was not established as a mission divorced from the normal activity of a church, but a church which had within it the life and function of a mission. The mission came first and the church grew out of a mission."
Today, the C&MA focuses on planting in the United States and overseas. Alliance international workers minister in 70 countries planting churches and training national church leaders, providing relief and development assistance, medical and dental care, and microenterprise projects. More than 2,000 churches in the U.S. minister Christ's love to their communities and cities.