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...
How Do I Navigate the Tension of Being Compassionate & Having High Standards?
In this episode, the team discusses how an unhealthy relationship with perfection impacts the ability to navigate the tension between having high standards and accepting...
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...
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,...
Grieving Unmet Expectations
Expectations. We all have them. Whether they are known or not, whether they are met or not. They can be sneaky and can reveal a longing, a desiring or a hope we didn’t know we had until that expectation was not met. Expectation is defined as the state of expecting or...
Killing Sin: Confession, Contrition, Community
“Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” ― John Owen, The Mortification of Sin Recently someone sent me a video of a leopard in India caught on camera...
Justice Requested, Justice Received
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. — Micah 6:8 The year 2020 has brought us two crucial things: COVID-19 and increased awareness of systemic racism in our...