"The Alliance" began as a missionary society in 1887; its two intentions being to instruct and motivate people to live Christ-centered lives and to be involved in worldwide missionary activity. There are now over 400 Alliance churches in Canada and over 1100 Alliance missionaries overseas. (About 300 of them are Canadians!) The emphasis of "the Alliance" has always been the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. The Fourfold Gospel, a phrase coined by Albert B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, describes Christ as "Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King", which is to say that Jesus Christ is sufficient to meet our needs regarding our relationship to God, our freedom from sin, our physical health and the future of this world. Being an alliance, the C. & M. A. is comprised of Christians from many backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. This diversity, combined with our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and the authority of His inerrant Word, gives vitality and strength to our work of proclaiming "the whole Christ to the whole world."