All Resources
News from a Far Country: Notes from an American Conversion
I. The Madman and the Arsonists: A Parable Let’s say that you have lived your whole life in a small town well-known for arson cases. Let’s say your parents lived and raised you here, as did their parents, back and back to time immemorial, so that you really don’t know...
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...
Shepherd Leadership
What is a Shepherd Leader? At Hope Community Church we place a high value on spiritual leadership. As we consider who would make an excellent small group leader we think less about conventional leadership skills and more about ‘shepherd leadership’. The following...
How Can I Know When to Ask for Help?
Each episode features a leading question, quote of the week, and a Growing Together segment geared at imperfect leaders who are seeking development in their leadership...
Who [IRL] Should I Listen To?
In this episode, the team discusses wise counsel and who we should listen to in real life. The LDI Crew also considers characteristics of people who may be considered wise...
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,...
Combatting Idolatry in Our Lives
You might have heard the phrase in your life (maybe by your parents) that ‘you are what you eat’. Now, obviously we know that our parents or teacher isn’t telling us that if we eat enough doughnuts or pizza that we will literally turn into that food but our bodies to...
A Prayer of Humility
Philippians 2:5-11 https://resources.hopecc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Philippians-2.wav In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to...