Our Story
Who We Are
Living Hope Church was founded out of the modern Pentecostal movement, but we are not bound by it's denominational structures and traditions. While we honour our past, we believe Jesus is building His Church—not a specific denomination or a set of rules or traditions.
We are committed to following the Bible as our ultimate authority for church life, leadership, accountability, and service. Our desire is to cultivate genuine faith that produces genuine relationships with God and one another - grounded in obedience to God's word rather than man-made rules and ideas.
Our accountability is maintained through our leadership team and trusted external pastors we are in relationship with. This ensures both spiritual integrity and wise counsel as we lead and serve our community.
Our History
Our church was formed in 1998 with only a handful of people. Over the years the church grew in numbers holding services in various halls, theatres, hotels and office buildings in the Surry Hills, Redfern, Chippendale and Camperdown areas.
In 2009, we bought our building in Camperdown where we are currently located. Initially, we renovated the offices and ministry centre, then in 2016 we moved into our new purpose-built 400-seat Auditorium in the same location.
Throughout the history of our church, we’ve had many challenges and changes which have shaped who we are today. Through the many challenges, we discovered Christianity is not about performance, or institutional religious practices or even about serving a hierarchical leadership. Christianity is solely a relationship with God, one of genuine faith and hope in Jesus Christ, where leaders are called to serve not to be served, just as Jesus came to serve.
Our journey has taught us to have complete dependence on God, trusting in Him knowing that we can rejoice in our sufferings as Christians, that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. (Romans 5:3-4). These experiences have also been a major catalyst in shaping our mission, vision and values.
Throughout our history, our church has had a few name changes, each name change marking a significant shift in direction and culture.
The most recent change to Living Hope Church signifies another shift in direction and culture, moving our focus from a city-taking and influencing church to a church with a mission to Loving God and Loving people in our community.
Why Living Hope?
The name Living Hope has such a deep meaning to our church community as it is a reflection of our identity, our mission, vision and values.
The exact phrase 'Living Hope' appears only once in scripture in 1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB):
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
This Living Hope speaks of a faith that is active, and grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a confident, enduring expectation of eternal life and the unshakable promises of God.
For us, Living Hope is more than a name. It reminds us daily that our hope is not in circumstances, success or ourselves, but in Jesus Christ alone. It is the hope that shows us how we live, how we love and how we serve our community - for His glory.
Looking ahead
Our living hope in Jesus Christ continues to shape us - drawing us into the vast depths of His love, healthier relationships, greater maturity, and increasing faith, peace and joy.
We are filled with excitement and confident trust as we look to the future God has prepared for us. We move forward knowing that 'He who began the good work in us will carry it on to completion until the return of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
We invite you to be part of this journey - come grow with us, serve with us and discover the joy of living in the hope of Christ