We are so glad you have decided to explore Crabtree Church.
Everything we do is focused on building a Christ-centred community that transforms lives. Our passion to equip disciples to live out God’s purpose, and we believe that every person has a right to know that Jesus is alive.
For more than seventy years, Crabtree Church has been a valued part of the Harpenden community — a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather for worship, fellowship, and the shared pursuit of faith in Jesus Christ.
Over the decades, the church has served as a spiritual home for many in Harpenden and the surrounding areas.
We are an independent evangelical church with a multi-generational congregation, committed to the teaching of Scripture and the life of the local church.
Our services reflect both continuity with our historical roots and an ongoing desire to serve the present generation with clarity and conviction.
Our origins can be traced to a Brethren Assembly that met in the West Common area of Harpenden. Between the two World Wars, the congregation remained relatively small, typically numbering between twenty and thirty people.
Despite its modest size, this early community established a firm foundation of biblical teaching, prayer, and fellowship that would shape the church’s future development.
In the years following the Second World War, the congregation experienced significant growth, influenced in part by wider evangelical renewal movements, including the ministry of Billy Graham and the Greater London Crusade.
As interest in Christian faith increased across the region, attendance at West Common Hall steadily outgrew the available space.
Providentially, land on a new housing development along Crabtree Lane — originally designated for a Baptist church — became available when it was no longer required. This opportunity enabled the congregation to establish a permanent home.
Through generous giving, land sales, and support from the Laing Trust, a new building was constructed by Jack Dennis & Co. of St Albans. Opened on 27 November 1954 and initially known as Crabtree Lane Hall, it became the centre of the church’s expanding ministry.
In 1993, the church was renamed Crabtree Church to give it a more contemporary and accessible identity. Twelve years later, in July 2005, it opened a new, larger back hall, funded largely through significant member contributions.
The church has long supported community families, with a “mums and tots” group starting in the mid-1970s, which later became the weekly “Little Fishes” group.
Today, Crabtree Church continues in this heritage as part of the Evangelical Alliance, working alongside other churches and ministries across the UK to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and live out the mission entrusted to the Church (Matthew 28:16–20).
Leadership Team
Our team consists of dedicated people who are faithful to the gospel and wholeheartedly seek the good of Christ and His church. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to speak to any of them.
Our Pastor
Pastor Fari
Our Elders
Our Pastoral Support Group
Church Statement of Faith
Crabtree Church is part of the Evangelical Alliance – a UK-wide network of churches and ministries working together in mission so that, together, we can more effectively share the good news of Jesus and live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
We follow the Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith (2005):
- The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
- The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
- The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
- The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
- The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
- The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
- The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
- The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
- The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers—given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
- The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
http://www.eauk.org/about/basis-of-faith.cfm
Policies
Crabtree Church has a safeguarding and health and safety policy which is displayed on the noticeboard inside our premises.
The church’s complaints policy is available on request.