The Reverend Peter Cruchley, a United Reformed Church minister and global peacemaker, has died aged 59 after a battle with cancer. He passed away in Switzerland, where he served as director of the commission on world mission and evangelism at the World Council of Churches.
Born in Epsom, Surrey, to missionary parents, Cruchley spent his early childhood in Zambia before returning to Birmingham. He studied history at Swansea University and trained for the ministry at Mansfield College, Oxford. Ordained in 1992, he served congregations in Cardiff for over 25 years, known for his flamboyant style and innovative worship.
In 2016, Cruchley moved to Singapore to work for the Council for World Mission (CWM), where he initiated the Onesimus Project. This ongoing initiative addresses historical racial injustices, including the CWM's complicity in slavery, and has expanded to combat modern-day slavery.
Cruchley earned a PhD from the University of Birmingham in 1999 and wrote widely on theology. He is survived by his wife Lena, two daughters from his first marriage, a grandson, and two brothers.
