Our Process

We’re Interested

Let us know by filling out the “We’re Interested” form with at least one other person from your congregation. Once we receive the form a member of the Houses of Hope team will contact you to set up an initial meeting.

Discernment Process

Establish a Core Team of at least four members that will be accompanied by one of our Hope Table Guides for five sessions to determine if Houses of Hope is a good fit for your congregation at this time.

Core Capacities

Continue with your Hope Table Guide for four sessions where your Core Team will be invited to dream differently, listen differently, share differently, and show up differently. At this point you have the option to add more people to your Core Team.

Engage Christian Practices

Invite others from your congregation to join your Core Team for three months exploring the Christian practice of gratitude, followed by three months exploring the Christian practice of forgiveness. A Guide from Hope Table will continue to be a resource for your congregation.

Turn Hope into Action

Utilizing our resources, partnerships, and networks, our Houses of Hope team will help your congregation take the next most hopeful step to turn hope into action.

Share Hope

At the completion of this year-long process of building hope, your congregation will then leverage that hope to bring hope, and healing, to your entire community.

How is a House of Hope built?

You need a committed group, dedicated time, willingness to try some new things, and openness to what may emerge. Once you join the Houses of Hope community, you have access to Building Hope, the learning structure that grows to include your neighbors; a Guide to accompany you; and a community of other congregations for mutual development. It all starts in our community.

During the initial, one-year program, participants will learn to:

Have genuine love for who they are

Focus on the present

Feel less burdened

Ask different questions

What does a House of Hope look like?

A place of joy and fulfillment over one of obligation and responsibility
A community shaped by different abilities, where people share leadership
A place known in the community and looked to in times of need or crisis — trusted in those tender moments to give hope to the entire community and not just those who are members
A place for worship opportunities and community gatherings that happen both inside and outside the church building

A place of deep listening among the members of the congregation, who are not entrenched in their assumptions and preconceived ideas
A community of wholeness
A congregation looking outward
A place where people know hope for themselves and their communities

Become a Partner

Share your email below for one of our team members to connect with you to provide more information on how your congregation can become a House of Hope in your community.