Editing Jesus Army (section)

==Beliefs==
[[File:Jesus-army-baptism.jpg|thumb|right|Open-air [[believer's baptism]] by the Jesus Army]]
The Jesus Fellowship upheld the [[ecumenical creeds|historic creeds]] of the Christian faith. The creeds are a set of common beliefs shared with many other Christian churches, and consist of the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Athanasian Creed]] and the [[Nicene Creed]]. It believed in baptism in water and the Holy Spirit, in the Bible as the Word of God, and in acceptance of charismatic gifts.<ref>Kay in ''Encyclopedia of New Religions'', p.90</ref><ref>Jesus Fellowship: ''We Believe'' (Multiply Publications, 2000)</ref> The Jesus Fellowship defined their Christian beliefs in the following statement:

{{blockquote|The Jesus Fellowship Church, which is also known as the Jesus Army and includes the New Creation Christian Community, upholds the historic Christian faith, being reformed, evangelical and charismatic. It practises believer's baptism and the New Testament reality of Christ's Church; believing in Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; in the full divinity, atoning death and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the Bible as God's word, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit.

This Church desires to witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over and in His Church; and, by holy character, righteous society and evangelical testimony to declare that Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only Saviour, is the way, the truth and the life, and through Him alone can we find and enter the kingdom of God.

This church proclaims free grace, justification by faith in Christ and the sealing and sanctifying baptism in the Holy Spirit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jesus.org.uk/about-jesus-fellowship-church/what-we-believe/|title=What we believe|website=Jesus Fellowship Church|accessdate=17 May 2019|archive-date=17 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517222331/https://jesus.org.uk/about-jesus-fellowship-church/what-we-believe/|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

===Theology and economics===
Underwriting much of the Jesus Fellowship's beliefs and practices was a theology of the new creation. Regeneration brought the individual into a spiritual family that incorporated and transcended the biological family.<ref name="New">Newell in ''Charismatic Christianity'', p.128</ref> Critics claimed that this had the potential to break up the natural family, but the Jesus Fellowship maintained that many relationships with parents were strengthened and that the Fellowship encouraged (and the community paid for) community members to visit relatives, including visits overseas if family members were abroad.<ref name="New"/> In line with this basic theology, all members were deemed as equal in an economic sense. There was little by way of private property for those who lived in community. Jesus Fellowship community members aimed to "eschew worldly belongings and seek what is perceived as a simple and more ethical form of economic life".<ref name="Hunt in Pneuma, p. 37">Hunt in ''Pneuma'', p. 37</ref> [[Prosperity theology]] espoused by many ministries originating in the United States was singled out for particular scorn. Wealth was not regarded as a blessing, particularly for the individual. An official Jesus Fellowship publication stated that "the love of money brings selfishness in human hearts". As far as the Fellowship was concerned, "wealth for Jesus" meant to benefit of the whole church and the deprived individuals it served.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jesus.org.uk/vault/library_hottopics21.shtml|title=Hot Topics 21|access-date=11 October 2008|website=jesus.org.uk|archive-date=6 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006191523/http://www.jesus.org.uk/vault/library_hottopics21.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The wealth deposited in the common purse included members' incomes and salaries. Approximately half of this wealth was used for the needs of the community itself and to fund evangelising endeavour. The other half was re-invested in the fellowship's businesses or in paying off bank loans for new business ventures. In many respects the economic structure of the Jesus Fellowship might be said to have been "socialist" in orientation and is most readily seen in the property-less community and the philosophy of "each according to their need".<ref name="Hunt in Pneuma, p. 37"/> One writer described the Jesus Fellowship as "careful with both members and money".<ref name="Bar">Barrett, p.229</ref> New community members were required to be over 21 and had to live in a community for a probationary period for two years before being allowed to commit themselves to full community membership. Although New Creation Christian Community members donated all their money to the Community Trust fund, if they later decided to leave the community, their capital was paid back, sometimes with interest. New Creation Christian Community kept its running expenses and its capital completely separate, and has its accounts audited by an international firm of accountants.<ref name="Bar"/>