CHURCHES SHUN THE JESUS PEOPLE

ALLIANCE SEVERS FELLOWSHIP LINK

Source : 24/07/1986 Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A National body, representing almost half of Britain's churches, has severed its five year link with Northamptonshire's Jesus Fellowship.

Claims that the controversial Bugbrooke based community had cut itself off from local churches led to the split with the Evangelical Alliance.

And the Rev. Clive Calver, general secretary of the Alliance, an inter-denominational organisation, said it was 'mutually agreed' the Jesus Fellowship known as the Jesus People should resign its membership.

'We have been around for 140 years and jealously regard our membership. One of the conditions is that people don't just use our name, they have to be part of the Alliance and have relationships with other evangelicals locally.'

'In the case of the Jesus Fellowship we were not satisfied they in fact had good relationships with other Evangelical churches, we spoke to them and it was mutually greed that they would resign.'

'They were not having the same relationships at ground level as they were trying to put out nationally,' he said.

The Jesus Fellowship has been a member of the Evangelical Alliance for the past five years.