Jonathan Woodhouse (minister)

The Reverend
Jonathan Woodhouse
CB QHC
Born (1955-03-29) 29 March 1955
Died Cardiff, Wales
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1990 to 2014
Rank Major-General
Service number 534661
Commands held Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Battles/wars Cold War
Iraq War

Jonathan Woodhouse, CB, QHC (born 29 March 1955) is a British Baptist minister and retired senior British Army officer. He was Chaplain General and head of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department from 2011 to 2014.[1][2] He is the first Baptist and the second member of the Free Churches to become Chaplain General.[3][4]

Early life and education

Woodhouse was born on 29 March 1955 in Cardiff, Wales.[5] He was educated at Whitchurch Grammar School, a state grammar school in Whitchurch, Cardiff.[5] He studied at the London School of Theology a theological college in Northwood, London, graduating Bachelor of Arts (BA).[1][6]

Ordained ministry

Woodhouse was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1980.[5] He served as a minister in Eastbourne, East Sussex and Croydon, London.[1]

Military career

On 8 May 1990, Woodhouse was commissioned into the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, British Army, as a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class (equivalent in rank to captain but lacking executive authority).[6] He transferred from a short service commission to a regular commission on 8 May 1995.[7] On 8 May 1996, he was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 3rd Class (equivalent in rank to major).[8] He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 2nd Class (equivalent in rank to lieutenant colonel) on 30 October 2002.[9] In March 2003, he was posted to Iraq as part of the invasion force at the beginning of the Iraq War.[10] In July 2005, he was appointed the senior chaplain at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[10]

On 1 January 2006, he was appointed Denominational Representative Chaplain of the United Board.[11] The United Board is a special grouping of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the United Reformed Church and the Congregational Federation for the purpose of providing military chaplains.[12] He was promoted to Chaplain to the Forces 1st Class (equivalent in rank to colonel) on 2 May 2006.[13] On 2 May 2008 he was appointed Deputy Chaplain General and the granted the rank of brigadier.[14] On 29 July 2011, he was appointed Chaplain General to Her Majesty’s Land Forces and promoted to the rank of major general.[15]

Woodhouse has seen active service, working on the frontline in Iraq during the 2003 to 2011 war.[4] He has also completed overseas postings to Germany.[1]

Later career

In 2015, Woodhouse served as Convenor of the United Navy, Army and Air Force Board:[5] it "is responsible for [recommending] ordained ministers from Baptist, URC, Congregational, Elim and Assemblies of God denominations to serve in the chaplaincies of the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force".[16] Since 2015, he has been a chaplain at Moorlands College, a non-denominational evangelical theological college in Hampshire.[5]

Honours and decorations

On 1 August 2008, Woodhouse was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).[17] He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2014 Birthday Honours.[18][19]

He is a recipient of the Iraq Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[4][20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Former LST student gets top job in the Army". LATEST NEWS. London School of Theology. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  2. "Call me Padre' - meet the Army's head chaplain". Ministry of Defence. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  3. Woods, Mark. "Kingdom builders". The Baptist Times. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Army chaplains 'need to show their steel under pressure'". The Times. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "WOODHOUSE, Rev. Jonathan". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52138. p. 9160. 15 May 1990. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54027. p. 6606. 5 May 1995. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 54397. p. 6688. 13 May 1996. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  9. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56742. p. 13364. 5 November 2002. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  10. 1 2 Gledhill, Ruth (8 March 2006). "Princes get ethics lesson: no torture and no revenge". The Times. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  11. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57906. p. 2495. 21 February 2006. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  12. "United Board". Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  13. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57970. p. 5983. 2 May 2006. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  14. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58690. p. 6866. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  15. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59866. p. 14713. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  16. "Abour Us". unitedboard.org.uk. United Navy, Army and Air Force Board. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  17. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58786. p. 11862. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 03 March 2014.
  18. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60895. p. b3. 14 June 2014.
  19. "Queen's birthday honours list 2014: Military". The Guardian. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  20. "Service of Remembrance to Commemorate the 70th anniversary of El Alamein". Press & Communications. Westminster Abbey. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
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