About
Crowded House Church exist entirely for the purposes and glory of God. We believe that Jesus is indeed building His church and so everything we do centres on Him and has Him as the foundation. We planted Crowded House Church in August 2021 and the Lord has continued to add to this household people who He has saved by His immeasurable grace and filled with His Spirit to live according to His ways and for His glory. Our desire is to be a faithful New Testament church and so we live for His commendation which means we are unapologetic in standing on His eternal truth and proclaiming His Lordship over everything.
Of course, Crowded House Church is made up of sinners saved by grace and the power of the gospel continues to radically transform our lives and the lives of many people we have the privilege of serving. It is a place of hope, eternal hope. A place of love, redeeming love. A place truth, bondage breaking truth. A place of power, Holy Spirit power. It is a place where people will encounter Jesus every time – that is our deep prayer.
Paul gathered with the saints in someone’s home – let us gather as saints in each other’s homes.
Paul’s passion for teaching the word is met by their desire to hear the word taught, so Paul continues throughout the night – let us be equally eager for God’s truth.
Our humanity is displayed in Eutychus’s slumber, but God’s power is displayed in his resurrection – let us remember that we are human and weak, but God is strong and able.
They all enjoy a meal together the next morning, and when Paul departs, everyone is deeply encouraged in the Lord – let us live our lives to encourage one another in the Lord.
Leaders
Elders
We are an elder-led church. Currently, Kevin Aldridge is our lead elder. We believe in the biblical model of plurality of leadership and our elders carry the responsibility of shepherding God’s people. This means that they are responsible for the doctrine, direction, discipline, and discipleship of Crowded House Church.
Deacons
The other office we see biblically, that exist within the local church, is that of deacons. Deacons serve to support the elders in their function, and they are critical in the unity, momentum, and health of the church. Our deacons are saints who are of good repute, and full of the Spirit and wisdom who the elders have appointed to serve the church.
Saints
We believe in the priesthood of all believers, and we are to minister to the Lord and to others empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the saints who are to do the work of the ministry as the various gifts in the body equip them to do so. We have a high engagement in participation in Crowded House Church for this reason – every saint must play their part if the body is to function as it ought to.
Accountability and support
We did not plant Crowded House Church in isolation and nor do we continue in this way. We are part of a wonderful global partnership of churches known as Four12
We see in scripture that there were no denominations or networks of churches. What was in place were relationships where local churches worked together in partnership with a apostles to help build healthy churches and plant new ones. We believe that this is God’s timeless blueprint for His Church, and, in line with this, we are part of an apostolic partnership of churches called Four12 Global.
Four12 derives its name from Ephesians 4:12 that tells us that “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV). The Ephesians 4:11 (five-fold) gifts and local churches work together to Equip, Restore and Advance the church that Jesus Himself is building. Four12 is a global partnership of churches that seek to live out authentic biblical Christianity.
To find out more, or to partner with Four12, you can visit their website. You can also download the Four12 App to access free resources or follow them on their social media channels for regular updates: Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
Why the name “Crowded House Church”?
The home (house) is the place where family reside and where people can truly see our lives. We desire to live open lives inviting people into our lives and into our homes! We have a saying at Crowded House Church, “invite people into your life before you invite them to church”. The gospel must come alive in our homes for it to truly impact our world.
The early church started in public places of worship but also grew rapidly through the church gathering in people’s homes. It’s often recorded that these homes got quite crowded as God added to the church and people eagerly gathered around God’s word.
In Acts 20:7-9, we see Paul stop off in Troas on his way to Jerusalem. Paul gathers with the saints for Sunday worship (the first recorded Sunday worship in Acts), they break bread (take communion), and he preaches the word until midnight (let none of us complain about long sermons again).
With a touch of humour, it’s recorded that Eutychus falls out of the 3rd-story window to his death. Presumably, the room was so full that he took up the only space available. Paul goes down, raises him from the dead, and then continues to preach until daybreak.
What we believe
We believe in one living and true God existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – co-existent, eternal, co-equal in all their attributes, being perfect in holiness, love, righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, justice, and mercy.
God the Father
We believe God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, pre-eminent and sovereign in all things, from which all of life flows and having life in Himself.
God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is eternally God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, who existed with the Father in pre-incarnate glory.
We believe in His true humanity born of a virgin, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection from the dead, ascension to the right hand of the Father, and ongoing mediatory work, and His triumphant return.
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Person of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. We believe in His ongoing work in salvation, conviction, illumination, leading, empowering, and sanctification.
We believe in His abiding presence in believers and the ongoing edification of the body of Christ through the manifestation of supernatural gifts that He imparts as He wills for the Glory of God and our good.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, all 66 books, inspired by the Holy Spirit, inerrant in the original documents, and God-breathed. It is therefore our final authority on all matters of life and godliness.
Salvation
We believe that man was created in the image of God but rebelled against God and fell into sin. Therefore, man stands condemned before God. However, God’s plan of redemption, to save us from sin and death, was brought about by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He came to reconcile those who would repent of their sin and place their entire hope and trust in Him for their salvation to God. It is a gift of God’s grace alone and must be received by faith for the forgiveness of our sins.
Church
We believe the church was established by Jesus Christ and He promised to build His church. Believers (those who have been born again and have received eternal life) are placed in the body of Christ, the church, which is the dwelling place of the Spirit. The local expression of the Church is necessary for believers to actively engage in the purposes of God and meaningful fellowship.