Roy Crowne
Founder

Roy Crowne got off to an early start as an entrepreneur, earning pocket money from market stall trader in the East End of London where he grew up. He became a Christian as a teenager when a schoolmate told him about Jesus. Taking school assemblies and running the church youth group were his introduction to ministry. He trained as a mechanical engineer, then went on to study at Moorland Bible College before joining Youth for Christ as an evangelist. He became YFC’s National Director in 1996, when the ministry was heavily in debt. He then turned that around in what he describes as ‘the hardest year of my life’.

In 2008 HOPE 08 was launched – a year of mission where churches in more than 1500 areas were challenged to ‘do more, do it together, and do it with words and actions’. Roy went on to become Executive Director of HOPE Together in 2010, when the year of mission ended.

Since then it has become a catalyst for local church mission around the Christian calendar and through major national events such as the centenary of the First World War and royal celebrations. Thousands of churches have worked together to make Jesus known, inspired by HOPE’s Talking Jesus course.

Roy became HOPE Together’s President in 2021, when he started Gospel Entrepreneurs to pass on the lessons he has learned to a new generation.