Hope ecumenical services launches as innovative, shared business model with mainline Protestant denominations

Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation has formed a groundbreaking ecumenical partnership, bringing together the best practices and services of Mainline Protestant denominations, through their respective church extension funds, using an innovative ecumenical business model, to serve each other. To support congregations, the best of their programs and services, network of colleagues, decades of experiences, leadership and faith have been pooled to provide transformational ministry services to a wider ecumenical network.

Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation has formed a groundbreaking ecumenical partnership, bringing together the best practices and services of Mainline Protestant denominations, through their respective church extension funds, using an innovative ecumenical business model, to serve each other. To support congregations, the best of their programs and services, network of colleagues, decades of experiences, leadership and faith have been pooled to provide transformational ministry services to a wider ecumenical network.

Hope Partnership services help congregations—regardless of denominational identity. “Our approach respects the uniqueness of every congregation, and builds on the assets in its own context,” says Rick Morse, vice president of Hope Partnership. “Churches who work through the transformational process frequently make a bold decision and find a renewed missional calling for their future.” With a growing national ecumenical network of trained facilitators and coaches—bolstered by this collaboration—Hope Partnership assists both struggling and thriving congregations to move into financially sustainable, life-transforming mission. These Mainline Protestant church extension funds will also now be using Hope Partnership services to extend their own respective products and services portfolios.

Participating church extension funds are from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Episcopal Church, and the United Church of Christ. Church extension funds provide capital financing to churches and ministry programs for building purchases, construction, renovation, as well as property redevelopment projects. Since 2014, Presidents of the Church Extension Funds began to meet to identify common dilemmas related to struggling congregations and subsequently determine how they can best work together to support their shared goals.


Hope Partnership was initially founded in 2012 by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to assist churches with ministry assessment and viability, provide leadership development programs, and facilitate the resulting transformation of both leadership and ministry.

Under this new collaboration, each church extension fund will contribute financial and operational support to train and coordinate the expanded ecumenical network of assessors and facilitators needed to deliver transformational services to member churches. “This is a visible expression of true ecumenical partnership,” says Gilberto Collazo, president of Hope Partnership. “We are all sharing our resources and expertise so more communities can be touched by empowered churches doing ministry in new ways.”

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Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation supports congregations through leadership development services that equip clergy and lay leaders to lead in insightful, invigorated and innovative ways. It offers four main programs, including: (1) New Beginnings, a six-month facilitated and coached process for congregations struggling with financial and membership sustainability; (2) Epiphany, a one-year facilitated and coached process for churches already at equilibrium to imagine and live into their future ministry story; (3) Mission Pathways, an individualized, three-month self-guided service for healthy congregations looking at new ways to do ministry; and, (4) Recasting, a one-year process that brings together groups of congregations for the creativity, motivation, and accountability that occurs when meeting in community, as they form and launch their own options for sustainability and ministry. To learn more about Hope Partnership, visit hopepmt.org.

The Disciples Church Extension Fund is the church extension fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). To learn more, visit disciplescef.org.

The Presbyterian (U.S.A.) Investment & Loan Program, Inc. is the church extension fund of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). To learn more, visit pilp.pcusa.org.

The Episcopal Church Building Fund is the church extension fund of the Episcopal Church. To learn more, visit ecbf.org.


The United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund and the United Church of Christ Church Building and Loan Fund are the church extension funds of the United Church of Christ. To learn more, visit cornerstonefund.org or cblfund.org.

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