Rowland Croucher
Encyclopedia
Rowland Croucher is an Australia
n pastor, counsellor and author.
Brought up in the Open Brethren
in Sydney, following a five-year career as a high-school teacher, Croucher began training in 1964 for the Baptist
ministry in New South Wales. He worked for the InterVarsity Fellowship (1968-1970), now the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students
(AFES); then pastored churches in Australia: Narwee and Central Baptist Church - both in Sydney - and Blackburn Baptist Church in Melbourne (now Crossway Baptist Church
), which became a 'megachurch' in the late 1970s, with seven pastors, a salaried staff of 25 and 1,000 attending; plus several interim ministries. He was then, briefly, pastor at First Baptist Church, Vancouver
, Canada
. From 1983-1991 he worked for World Vision
Australia.
Since 1991, Croucher has been founding director of John Mark Ministries, serving pastors, ex-pastors, church leaders and their spouses throughout Australia and elsewhere. The John Mark Ministries website, with 20,000 articles, claims to be the most accessed non-denominational religious website in Australia.
Croucher has authored 12 books including "Still Waters Deep Waters" (with 35,000 copies in print) and has been a regular participant in Australian radio and TV programs. During the past fifteen years he has been the convenor of supporters of Dawn Rowan
in her epic legal battle with the Federal Government of Australia
.
In 2011, Croucher added his voice to those of other Christian leaders calling for the introduction of same-sex marriage
in Australia.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pastor, counsellor and author.
Brought up in the Open Brethren
Open Brethren
The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren or "Plymouth Brethren", are a group of Protestant Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement...
in Sydney, following a five-year career as a high-school teacher, Croucher began training in 1964 for the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
ministry in New South Wales. He worked for the InterVarsity Fellowship (1968-1970), now the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students
The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students is an evangelical Christian parachurch organisation that aims to encourage university students to believe in and follow Jesus Christ...
(AFES); then pastored churches in Australia: Narwee and Central Baptist Church - both in Sydney - and Blackburn Baptist Church in Melbourne (now Crossway Baptist Church
Crossway Baptist Church
Crossway Baptist Church is Australia’s largest Baptist church and is located in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Regular attendance at Sunday services is over 3,500 people.-History:...
), which became a 'megachurch' in the late 1970s, with seven pastors, a salaried staff of 25 and 1,000 attending; plus several interim ministries. He was then, briefly, pastor at First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. From 1983-1991 he worked for World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
Australia.
Since 1991, Croucher has been founding director of John Mark Ministries, serving pastors, ex-pastors, church leaders and their spouses throughout Australia and elsewhere. The John Mark Ministries website, with 20,000 articles, claims to be the most accessed non-denominational religious website in Australia.
Croucher has authored 12 books including "Still Waters Deep Waters" (with 35,000 copies in print) and has been a regular participant in Australian radio and TV programs. During the past fifteen years he has been the convenor of supporters of Dawn Rowan
Dawn Rowan
Dawn Rowan is a therapist who specialises in counselling adult survivors of childhood ritual, satanic, emotional, sexual and physical abuse...
in her epic legal battle with the Federal Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
.
In 2011, Croucher added his voice to those of other Christian leaders calling for the introduction of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
in Australia.
External links
Books
- Recent Trends Among Evangelicals, (Sydney: Albatross Books and Kent: MARC Europe, 1986; ISBNs 0 86760 025 X and 0 947697 45 4)
- Still Waters Deep Waters: Meditations and Prayers for Busy People (Sydney: Albatross Books and Herts: Lion Publishing, 1987; ISBNs 0 86760 031 4 and 0 7459 1187 0)
- High Mountains Deep Valleys: Meditations and Prayers for the Down Times (Sydney: Albatross Books and Herts: Lion Publishing, 1991; ISBNs 0 86760 090 X and 0 7459 1299 0)
- Rivers in the Desert: Meditations and Prayers for Refreshment (Sydney: Albatross Books and Herts: Lion Publishing, 1991; ISBNs 0 86760 137 X and 0 7459 1709 7)
- Gentle Darkness: Meditations and Prayers for Illumination (Sydney: Albatross Books and Herts: Lion Publishing, 1994; ISBNs 0 7324 1007 X and 0 7459 2431 X)
- A Garden of Solitude: Meditations and Prayers for Encouragement (Sydney: Albatross Books and Herts: Lion Publishing, 1998; with bibliography and index to all five volumes in this series: ISBN 0 7324 1074 8)
- GROW! Meditations and Prayers for New Christians (Melbourne: JBCE, 1992; ISBN 0 85819 822 3)
- LIVE! More Meditations and Prayers for New Christians (Melbourne: JBCE, 1993; ISBN 0 85819 881 9)
- The Best of GRID (with Grace Thomlinson): Leadership, Ministry and Mission in a Changing World (Melbourne: World Vicion of Australia, 1993; ISBN 1 875140 11 5)
- YOUR CHURCH CAN COME ALIVE (Melbourne: JBCE, 1991; ISBN 0 85819 809 6)
- SUNRISE SUNSET: Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year (HarperCollins, 1995; ISBN 1 86371 402 2)
- The Family: At Home in a Heartless World (HarperCollins 1995; ISBN 1 86371 389 1)