About us

Jesus is life. The rest is details. Jesus Christ alone is our hope, and the only real and lasting hope for the world (John 14:6). We love him. For this reason, we don’t apologize for the gospel or for putting our relationship with him first in our lives (Romans 1:16). We strive to respond faithfully to the call of Jesus to follow him above all else in this world, which so often competes for our time, energy and attention (Luke 14:15-24).

Lost people matter to God and so they matter to us. Jesus was sent to reconcile a lost world to God (Luke 15:1-32), and he calls us to do the same. We like unchurched people, and we know what a difference Jesus can make in their lives. For this reason, we seek to reach out to the world around us and share the everlasting love of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, John 20:21, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, Lutheran Church of Hope mission statement).

We worship God, not tradition. Where tradition helps to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and further the mission of our church, we embrace it. Where tradition becomes a wall between God and his people, we seek to tear it down (John 2:13-22, Matthew 23:13-36, John 9:1-41). While the gospel message of Jesus Christ remains unchanged (Hebrews 13:8), the manner in which it is proclaimed must change for it to be communicated effectively in a changing world (Mark 2:21-22). In our worship and in our ministry, we intentionally offer a wide variety of options from traditional to contemporary and we remain open to new waves of innovation sent to the church by the Holy Spirit of God — all for the sake of Christian mission (Psalm 146-150, Acts 2:1-42)

Following Jesus is a growing experience. We can’t outgrow Christian faith. As modern day disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to move from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity (Philippians 3:13-14, Ephesians 4:12-14). For this reason, we strive to bring people into an ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). This growth best happens in small groups (Acts 2:42-47). As we grow in faith, we turn our hearts to God, giving of ourselves and our resources — freely and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7).

We are one body, united in Jesus Christ. We are a church of individuals, different in many ways, yet called together by God to be one in ministry and mission. As members of the same body, we become more effective when we work in harmony as a unified whole (John 17:20-23). Among us, love for one another is the norm (John 13:34, Romans 13:8), conflicts are resolved according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17), and we seek to build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We rejoice together, and we suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:25-27).

We are currently working to raise funds to support the building of a permanent campus for Hope Ames. Until then, we worship on Sundays at the Ames City Auditorium. During the week, you’ll find us at The Link (3329 Lincoln Way), where our staff works and we hold classes, bible studies and more.