It all began in 1988 when our founding pastor, Dr. Craig Strickland, felt the call to plant a church “out east” in the suburbs of Memphis.  Along with 25 charter members, Craig began Hope in the living room of a Germantown home in September of 1988.  Eli Morris came to join Craig at Hope with a heart for inner city missions.  In 1992, Hope purchased our first piece of land at 8500 walnut grove Road and moved into their first permanent worship space.  Over the next 20 years, Hope’s congregation and building has expanded to serve over 30 ministries, thousands from Memphis to the Bronx, to Belize.
 
Craig and Eli’s prayers were met when Rev. Rufus Smith agreed to leavehis hometown of Houston, Texas, to join the preaching/teaching team in 2010.  In November 2013, Rufus was voted in to take the position as senior Pastor.  Craig moved into Founding Pastor role and Eli remains in his desiredposition, God calling position of Senior Associate Pastor.  
 
At Hope, our mission is clear: We want to engage our un-churched neighbors of every age and ethnicity to experience Jesus. "What exactly is 'un-churched?'" you might ask. Un-churched are not only those who have never been to church, but also those that may have grown cold to the idea of church. Those who feel church is nothing but shame, guilt and judgment. Reaching the un-churched has been our focus from day one.
 
We try to be different. We try to offer a place of powerful worship and timely, relevant, life-application messages rooted in Bible truths. We don't care what you wear, we just care that you're here. We provide a safe, welcoming place for new guests checking us out, but also a gathering place for friends and small groups that want to dive deeper into God's Word. Wherever you are in your walk of faith—whether just starting or well-traveled—we invite you to come and be a part of Hope. You'll fit right in.

Religion

Hope Church

Rufus Smith, IV

Greg Frohna

Vincent Chan

Phyllis Johnson

Milton Carroll

Kevin McCauley Ed.d.

Issac Desean Curry M.div, Th.m

Dave Ruff

Colley Cooper

Christy Edney

Bob Russell

Kathy Flake

Jerry Ehrhart

Jessica Shoup

Matthew Tubinis

Dana Shankle

Mike Gold

Bevin Baddorf

The Educational and Pastoral Coordination team at Hope Church focuses on fostering spiritual growth and community engagement through various educational programs and pastoral care initiatives. This team collaborates to develop and implement age-appropriate curricula for children, teens, and adults, while also facilitating small groups and providing support for individuals in need. By creating a welcoming environment, they aim to connect un-churched individuals with the teachings of Jesus and encourage deeper relationships within the church community.

Educational and Pastoral Coordination

Administrative and Support Staff

Ministry and Outreach

Educational and Pastoral Coordination

About

Team members

Other teams at Hope Church

Administrative and Support Staff

Ministry and Outreach