User:John Campbell/Jesus Army

The multi-coloured camouflage pattern jacket (right) is often worn as a Jesus Army "uniform" on the street

The Jesus Army is the outreach ministry of the Jesus Fellowship Church, an evangelical Christian movement based in the United Kingdom.

History

Originally based on a village Baptist chapel in Bugbrooke near Northampton. Its founder was the chapel pastor Noel Stanton who in 1968 experienced a profound and intense spiritual episode or 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit', see also Pentecost.

The church was affected by the Charismatic Movement in the late 1960s and early 70s and influenced by the Jesus People movement in the USA.

Jesus Army double-decker coach used in evangelism in Barnsley, South Yorkshire

The Jesus Army is known for its street outreach and is particularly involved with many in need, including homeless young people, those engaged in drug or alcohol abuse, and prisoners and ex-prisoners. Like many other churches, it engages in frequent evangelistic activities in public places, often out-of-doors, seeking to spread the Christian gospel through relationship building and friendships which demonstrate the love of Jesus and a moving of the Holy Spirit. Around 600 Jesus Army members live in 60 intentional communities collectively known as "New Creation Christian Community". Within each "house family", members pool their income in a common purse arrangement (See Acts 2:44-47) according to their interpretation of Biblical references to the early church. An additional 1,800 members live outside these communities and operate much like members of any other church.

Beliefs

The Jesus Army upholds the historic creeds of the Christian faith. The creeds are a set of common beliefs shared with almost every other Christian church and are known as: the Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed and the Nicene Creed.

The Jesus Fellowship's / Jesus Army's beliefs are documented in their pdf e-book "We Believe" [1].