INDIANAPOLIS – (April 3, 2019) Since 2012, Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation has functioned as an independent collaborative ministry with Disciples Church Extension Fund (DCEF), providing leadership development and congregational revisioning services to more than 1,300 churches throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Starting June 1, the operations of Hope Partnership will be administered through DCEF, permitting Hope to serve its mission even more effectively.
“This is a ministry-driven decision,” says Gilberto Collazo, President of Hope Partnership. “With this change in structure, we will be able to cut overhead and offer our services at a reduced cost, allowing us to help more of the congregations that need us most.”
Under its established name and identity, Hope Partnership will continue to work with clients by offering its proven programs, including New Beginnings and Epiphany. And, because the need for leadership development and congregational transformation crosses denominational lines, Hope Partnership will also enhance service relationships with ecumenical partners like the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church (Canada), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Episcopal Church.
“This is really an internal consideration,” says Rick Reisinger, DCEF President. “We had the capacity to take on Hope’s administrative functions and the directors and staff of Hope wanted to focus exclusively on their mission and ministry. In fact,” he notes, “Hope Partnership actually grew out of DCEF seven years ago. So it feels natural, moving forward, that the services of Hope Partnership will again be available through us.”
Donations made to Hope Partnership will continue to benefit the Disciples congregations using its services.
Congregational vitality and sustainability are, in part, the result of effective stewardship of capital and leadership resources. These are the missions of DCEF and Hope Partnership.
The ministries, under the umbrella of Church Extension Financial & Missional Resources (CEFMR), partner with Disciples in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and, in some cases, other Christian denominations throughout the U.S. and Canada to find new and innovative ways to transform communities through service-driven mission and ministry. For more information on these ministries, visit disciplescef.org/plan/#hope and disciplescef.org.