All Resources
How to: Care for Hurting or Grieving People
At Hope, we value all people, regardless of their life or faith condition. As small group leaders, you have a unique role in that you will be on the “frontlines” with people who are experiencing varying life and faith situations. Specifically, you will find that...
Small Group Open Chair Model
Whenever possible and healthy for the group, we encourage groups to maintain an “open chair.” This means that the group fosters an attitude of openness to newcomers and maintains an environment that would make a newcomer feel welcome. The group does not need to be...
What is Shame and Why is it Stealing My Joy?
In this episode, the team welcomes their Sound Engineer, Austin Sego to the microphone to discuss shame and its corrosive effect on joy. Join the LDI Crew for an honest...
Who Should I Date?
In this episode, the LDI Crew tells you exactly who you should date! NOT. Instead the team discusses all things dating, including wisdom in how we think about dating,...
What is Joy?
What is joy? In a sentence, joy is self-forgetful delight based on Reality. In this video, we unpack this definition and see how joy is ultimately not earned but given to us in Jesus.
Church Planting at Hope
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it." In response to this great truth, our church–Hope Community Church Downtown–has had the joy of starting 11 churches locally and supporting many more. It's not about us;...
Planting a Small Group
Why plant a new small group from your existing group? Before we continue, we would like to be very clear: Hope does not desire numerical growth of the small group ministry just for the sake of having a large ministry. We only hope for numerical growth if it reflects...
Sovereignty of God
When I was growing up, there was a game released in 2000 called The Sims. The objective was to build a home and support a family. At the beginning, you first create your family. From there, your family is placed on a plot of land and as the player, you are to create...
Gender Roles
The conversation surrounding gender roles in the church has been an interesting one for me to consider because of the tension I’ve wrestled with regarding this topic, especially as a wife and also a woman who works in ministry full time. Until this year, I didn’t...
Small Groups With Missionaries
As Hope Community Church small group leaders we see our group members experience many major life events and changes. This document contains helpful tips for leading someone called to overseas missions. Please note a few things before reading this document. First,...
The Jealousy of God
Many people do not have a problem with a soft “teddy bear” God. However, the moment the words “wrath,” “anger,” or “jealousy” are mentioned, the room grows quiet and hands start fidgeting. All too often, when something is challenging, people give themselves the...