The Crowded House Core Values

Here you can find out about The Crowded House's core values. This page spell out what these commitments exclude and tries to illustrate what they might look like in practice. It is a statement of our distinctives. It is not intended to be a judgment on those with a gospel commitment who do things differently.

In obedience to Christ and for his glory, we are committed to:

1. The priority of the gospel ('community in mission')
2. Mission through community
3. Home as the location and ethos of church
4. Living as an extended family
5. Being an inclusive community
6. Growing churches by planting churches
7. Church without the trappings
8. Everyone exercising gospel ministry
9. Shaping our activities around people's gifts
10. Good Bible teaching and learning

To listen to a series of talks explaining the TCH values click here

1. The priority of the gospel
('community in mission')

We are committed to taking the gospel both to our neighbours and to the ends of the earth. We will challenge one another to be sacrificial, risk-taking and flexible because the gospel has priority over our comfort, security and traditions. We want to have a global gospel vision and to this end be generous with our resources. We will not let Christian activity be just one part of our lives.

Everyone assumed Sheila would make it to the top when she landed a well-paid job with good prospects. And things had started well. But during that first year something strange had happened. Almost unnoticed, her old ambitions were replaced by new ones. It may have been the teaching she received at church, but she thought it was more down to the examples of other Christians. She had moved into a poorer area, got a low paid job in the local citizens advice bureau and pitched in with the work other Christians were doing. Her parents - her Christian parents at that - said she was throwing her life away. But she remembered someone once saying that was just the way you gained your life.

2. Mission through community

We are committed to communicating the gospel message in the context of a gospel community. We want people to experience church as a network of relationships rather than a meeting you attend or a place you enter. We will not put on evangelistic missions outside the context of a Christian community.

The toddler group in the local community centre had been a refuge to Sophie. Everyone joked about the chaos, but for her it was a place of calm. It was the same when she started going round to Carolyn's house each Tuesday morning. As often as not Carolyn's friend Ros from church would be there. That meant five pre-school children, but she felt she could relax. When she finally plucked up the courage to leave her violent husband it was Ros and Henry who took her and the kids in. She'd been there a month now and was beginning to feel she belonged when the church met in their home every Sunday. It was helped by the fact that most of them seemed to be in and out of the house quite a bit during the week. It was just great to be among people who really seemed to care for one another. The only troubling thing was that she was beginning to realise it had something to do with their belief in Jesus.

3. Home as the location and ethos of church

We are committed to homes as a context for all or most of church life. We want home to define the ethos of church and believe it facilitates effective evangelism, especially among the unchurched.When congregations use other buildings, those buildings will not be viewed as sacred or the main focus of mission.

At university someone in his hall of residence had tried to get Patrick along to church. What a joke! But was he at church now? He wasn't sure. It had started when a colleague asked him round for a meal. He was impressed by how Simon and the other people in his house all got on with one another. They'd got talking about life and stuff and they'd invited him to come round again on Sunday. Simon had suggested he come round in time to watch the football. When others arrived later in the afternoon they had all eaten together. They were a real hotch-potch of people, but Patrick enjoyed the banter. After the meal they had read from the Bible and discussed what it meant. No-one seemed to mind his questions. Now some were playing a board game. A family with young children had just left. A couple seemed to be praying in the kitchen. Maybe this was church. Maybe it wasn't. Whatever it was, Patrick felt strangely at home.

4. Living as an extended family

We are committed to caring for one another, discipling one another, investing in relationships and resolving conflict. We will expect one another to make decisions with regard to the implications for the church and to make significant decisions in consultation with the church. We will not view church as a meeting you attend. We will not let conflict continue unresolved.

Though he knew Mark was right, Peter felt annoyed. Mark knew he and Philip had 'exchanged words', but Peter didn't want to be reminded of his responsibility to do something about it. None of the others had noticed anything that evening. He and Philip were perfectly civil to one another. But Mark had spotted things weren't right and challenged Peter to sort it out. Maybe it would all blow over. Maybe it wouldn't. There was no escaping it. Mark would ask him tomorrow what he'd done about it. He picked up the phone.

5. Being an inclusive community

We are committed to making church accessible to unbelievers and welcoming to the socially marginalised. We want all who come to have a sense of belonging. We will not let our welcome be dependent on adherence to any cultural norms when these are not demanded by the gospel. We will not do that which might make unbelievers feel left out.

George's mind was racing. He had put a lot of work into his talk and had come up with a really imaginative group activity to apply its message. But Philippa had brought a friend. That was really exciting, but now George was worried his planned activity might make her feel left out. Jane was leading a discussion on recent events in the news, but he'd told her not to let it drag on so he knew there wasn't much time left. He could ignore the passage, save his talk for later, but what would he do instead? Besides, letting people see Christians take God's word seriously was important. Jane finished. Everyone looked at him. He paused, still undecided and then asked Pete to read the passage. He would shorten his talk, ditch his group activity and open it up for questions at the end. The important thing was to make Philippa's non-Christian friend feel comfortable with what was going on.

6. Growing churches by planting churches

We are committed to starting new congregations - both in areas where no church exists and through subdividing growing congregations. We will not develop into a single, large congregation.

Next week it would be all very different, thought Roger. The church had grown over the past two years and now it was definitely a squash in their front room. And so a group were going to start meeting at Phil and Jennie's house. There were a few tears. But there was also a lot of excitement. Phil and Jennie had been holding a Bible study for some of their neighbours. A couple had been saved and now others were going to join them. A new church was being born. But Roger was aware, too, that it meant a new beginning for those remaining. He knew he would have to do more teaching although he was keen to develop Raja's teaching gift. Next week they would begin to reassess what they as a church should do now. What gifts did they have? What ministry could they do together? The more Roger thought about it, the more it seemed to him that two new churches were being born.

7. Church without the trappings

We are committed to freedom and simplicity in church life. We are committed to Bible teaching; loving community; the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42). Apart from these things we want to be flexible and relevant for the sake of the gospel. We will not regard as necessary for church life such things as accomplished music, constitutions, monologues, officers or anything that might hinder the core activities of the church and its mission.

'What a week I've had,' said Brian, a local minister, when Gareth met with him for their monthly prayer session. 'It was the deacons' meeting on Monday. That was tough. We were discussing the church renovation programme. I must have spent hours on it, but you've got to get it right. Then I had to give a talk to the ladies' meeting. I ended up sorting out some hassle over the flower rota. Yesterday was the evangelism committee. I wish I had more time for preparation.' Gareth smiled. No deacons, no building, no ladies meeting, no flowers, no committees. Just what did he spend his time on?

8. Everyone exercising gospel ministry

We are committed to everyone in the church exercising gospel ministry. For some this will be expressed in their employment. We believe leadership is important and see leaders as facilitators of gospel ministry rather than those who exercise control. We will not make distinctions between full-time and nonfull-time ministers.

Pauline had always been shy. People had often tried to find jobs for her to do in church. But she was too self-conscious. People were kind, but she felt a failure. Then someone had noticed her ease with elderly people and it had snow-balled from there. Last week she had met for a Bible study with two elderly ladies in the next street. She had visited the local old people's home as usual. She had been round to pray with Bill who was now housebound. She had done some shopping for Mabel and visited Gladys in hospital. It was exciting to think this was her ministry. And she was so much more interested in the Bible now that she was teaching it herself.

9. Shaping our activities around people

We want the activities of a church to reflect its context. We will shape activities around the opportunities we have with unbelievers, and the gifts and passions of church members. We expect one another to see ourselves as servants of Jesus even when that means operating outside our comfort zones. We will not give people roles simply to maintain programmes.

As Alison handed round cups of coffee, she was a little sad that this was the last toddler group meeting. Over the past couple of years it had really thrived - three mums had become Christians along with one of their husbands. But now Maureen was leaving and without her energy and ability everyone had agreed it was best to close it. Alison had toyed with taking it on herself, but she knew it wasn't her thing. Still, she was looking forward to her first film club that evening - an early showing of the latest movie followed by pizza and discussion at her house.

10. Good Bible teaching and learning

We want to shape our lives and our life together in obedience to the Bible which we believe to be the reliable, authoritative and sufficient word of God. To this end we are committed to good Bible teaching and learning. We will not act on the basis of tradition, habit or pragmatism without reflection on the Bible. We will not see Bible teaching as an end in itself, but as that which must shape our thinking and action.

Carlos looked back on the evening with some satisfaction. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but it was good to see people taking the Bible more seriously than before. His hard work with George was paying off. George's Bible study had been spot on and well communicated. People seemed to grasp the point and it was great to see them discussing its application so intently. Their business issues had been enlivened by a discussion on how Paul would have handled them. Perhaps most exciting of all was the way people were beginning to use the Bible to shape the priorities and requests of their prayers. Still, Carlos thought, he mustn't get too smug - the real proof of their commitment to the Bible would come in the following week when they had to live it out.