The Fellowship Corps has sometimes been described as a new expression of ministry when first encountered. However, the history of the Fellowship Corps reaches back to 1910 when Commissioner James Hay initiated the Outback Club.
This club was formed to provide an ongoing connection to The Salvation Army for Salvationists no longer attending a corps because they had relocated. Originally it operated out of the then National Headquarters. Advertisements were regularly placed in The War Cry to encourage Soldiers “in need of spiritual help, comfort or guidance to please contact the Commissioner's office”.
This service was later replaced in 1964 by the ‘Fellowship Corps’ that was introduced by Commissioner Bram Cook in the Australia Eastern Territory. In 1981 the name was again changed, this time to ‘The Extended Corps Fellowship’, and it continued to operate from the Eastern Territory.
In April 1992, the Fellowship Corps commenced in the Australia Southern Territory with less than ten people on the roll. Today, there are more than 200 registered members scattered across Australia and beyond.