Jonathan Woodhouse (minister)

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]

The Reverend

Jonathan Woodhouse

CB QHC
Woodhouse in 2013
Born (1955-03-29) 29 March 1955
Cardiff, Wales
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1990 to 2014
RankMajor-General
Service number534661
Commands heldRoyal Army Chaplains' Department
Battles/warsCold War
Iraq War

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 at Selsdon Baptist Church in 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. "Former LST student gets top job in the Army". LATEST NEWS. London School of Theology. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. 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. "Army chaplains 'need to show their steel under pressure'". The Times. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  5. "WOODHOUSE, Rev. Jonathan". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. "No. 52138". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 1990. p. 9160.
  7. "No. 54027". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 May 1995. p. 6606.
  8. "No. 54397". The London Gazette. 13 May 1996. p. 6688.
  9. "No. 56742". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 2002. p. 13364.
  10. Gledhill, Ruth (8 March 2006). "Princes get ethics lesson: no torture and no revenge". The Times. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  11. "No. 57906". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 February 2006. p. 2495.
  12. "United Board". Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  13. "No. 57970". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 May 2006. p. 5983.
  14. "No. 58690". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 May 2008. p. 6866.
  15. "No. 59866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 2011. p. 14713.
  16. "About Us". unitedboard.org.uk. United Navy, Army and Air Force Board. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  17. "No. 58786". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 2008. p. 11862.
  18. "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b3.
  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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