We are excited, grateful, and humbled to announce that after weeks and months of prayer and discernment, Hope Midtown, Hope West Side, and Hope East Village will reorganize as three congregations under one leadership - Hope Church NYC - while maintaining separate locations. Below are some frequently asked questions and responses about the process and what’s next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why this move?
The leadership of Hope Midtown, Hope West Side, and Hope East Village believe that our respective mission(s) as a church can be better accomplished together, rather than apart.
We believe there is mutual benefit in this reorganization that will allow for each congregation to flourish in mission in ministry locally while being part of one centralized team and leadership.
How was this decision made?
In May 2022, Pastors Mike Park and Drew Jackson approached Drew Hyun about the possibility of reorganizing congregations under one leadership in this new season post-covid.
A significant part of this initial conversation was the eventual personal transitions that Mike Park and Drew Jackson were praying through - namely, their desire to transition out of their paid vocational ministry roles at Hope West Side and Hope East Village, respectively. For Mike, this decision was fairly firm, while Drew entered a summer Sabbatical to confirm whether or not his own transition was confirmed.
Although timelines for Mike and Drew’s transitions were not set, there was the hope that centralizing leadership in the city would allow for the strength of each congregation to flourish as a reorganized entity.
In May/June, the idea of the reorganization was discussed by Drew Hyun, Mike, Park, and Drew Jackson with their respective Transitional Leadership Teams (TLT) at each congregation, and the TLTs were invited to pray through the summer about whether this decision seemed to be aligned with God’s heart and plan.
At Hope Midtown, the following meetings were then hosted (aside from TLT meetings) for leaders/volunteers/attendees of the church to process, ask questions, etc, as the summer was coming to a close: 1) Dinner (Invitation) - August 31, 2022, 2) Team Lunch (Open Invite) - September 11, 2022, 3) Team Lunch (Open Invite) - October 2, 2022.
Meanwhile, upon the completion of Drew Jackson’s Sabbatical in September, he shared the news of his own pending transition with the East Village TLT, and encouraged the leaders to collectively discern the reorganization anew given the initial conversation at the beginning of the summer.
In the Fall, the churches hosted various joint events for the congregations to spend more time together and for the Transitional Leadership Teams to process together (In East Village, a discernment team was formed in October to earnestly seek whether this was the right decision for their congregation).
On October 21, 2022, a joint town hall was hosted before the joint Worship and Prayer Night to answer any remaining questions before the Transitional Leadership Teams from each church (and the Discernment team from Hope East Village) were to make a final decision about whether we should move forward with this reorganization.
On October 31, 2022, a final decision was made by the TLTs and East Village Discernment Team to move forward with the reorganization.
How will the churches be structured?
The churches will be centralized in authority and assets (including a centralized budget with separate accounts for each congregation) with a Centralized Executive Team consisting of Pastors Drew Hyun, Mike Park, and Drew Jackson (for now) under the Hope Church NYC incorporation (where Hope Midtown sits). A central Transitional Leadership Team will be created as we work to formalize our polity as a church in our denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Meanwhile, influence in the respective congregations will be decentralized for each local community. The respective leaders and teams in Midtown, West Side, and East Village will remain distinct and committed to their local congregations.
Thus, on the ground, not much will change for the casual attender of either church, although there will be a sharing of resources across ministries such as worship, youth, next gen, and discipleship courses, as well as plenty of joint events where congregants can connect, grow and serve together.
Financially, the overall goal will be for each church to eventually cover its own costs - both revenue and expenses, as if each were a self-sustaining entity.
If self-sustainability is not feasible in a local congregation, the Executive Team (with the Transitional Leadership Team) will make decisions regarding the budget with transparent communication to each of the congregations.
What are the transition plans for Mike and Drew and Hope West Side and Hope East Village?
Mike and Drew have both felt a call in recent months to transition to vocational roles that are more aligned with their gifts, passions, and season of life.
They are committed to transitioning well (and making sure the congregations have a robust and bright plan after they transition), so they are committed to staying as long as it’s needed to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.
Thus, the timelines for their transitions are not fully set yet, but there is a collective sense that this reorganization and the prospects of working as one central staff team at Hope Church NYC can help ease the transition (along with some new pastoral staff members, as you’ll see below).
The current plan is for Drew Hyun to become the Lead Pastor of the congregations with the staff teams at each local congregation working together in their various roles and locations.
Meanwhile, we are in the process of hiring different staff pastors in the West Side & East Village to help ease the transition of Mike and Drew.
These pastors will be serving on the same central staff team under Drew Hyun’s leadership, thereby operating as part of a team whose collective goal is to serve the various congregations to connect, grow, and serve as disciples of Jesus.
Is the goal for each congregation to continue under this structure or eventually become its own interdependent church (like the other Hope churches)?
In short, the plan is to remain together unless we discern that it would be beneficial for a congregation to become particularized.
Ultimately, our goal is missional and relational effectiveness, and our belief is that the centralized structure in this season best serves the aim for missional and relational effectiveness.
Eventually, a congregation may become independent, and we trust that whatever happens we will do so with an aim toward missional and relational effectiveness.
What is the timeline for this reorganization?
The timeline involves 5 distinct, prayerful phases:
Exploration (May 2022-August 2022)
Transitional Leadership Teams begin the discernment process
Negotiation and Finalization (September 2022-October 2022)
Leaders meet, process questions, eat and pray together
Clarify beliefs, structures and alignment
Joint events around worship and prayer
Final decision is made
Implementation and Engagement (November 2022-December 2022)
Broader Communication to Respective Churches + Public
System Changes to Consolidate
Consolidation (January 1, 2023)
Functioning as new merged entity with local expressions
Integration (2023)
Working out the centralized-decentralized dance and setting up regular rhythms of communication and systems
What will happen to the Lead Pastors (Drew Hyun, Mike Park, and Drew Jackson) and staff teams?
Currently, the plan is for the Lead Pastors and the staff teams to remain in their respective roles while modifications will be made to the organizational chart to centralize as a whole.
The new hires of pastors on staff will be made to serve the local congregations better under this centralized structure with Drew Hyun as the Lead Pastor.
What are the financial implications/goals?
Each congregation has a healthy reserve with budgets aimed toward generosity, health, and growth. Each congregation will create a subaccount under the Hope Church NYC organizational umbrella that will function as the budget for each local congregation.
How can I still contribute financially to each church?
For the remainder of 2022, you can continue contributing financially to your local church.
On December 15, 2022, we will open up bank accounts under Hope Church NYC for each local congregation for you to give toward (while leaving the old accounts open through the end of the year to give a buffer to transition giving before 2023).
In January 2023, all of the giving will be directed to the new accounts under Hope Church NYC and the old accounts will close for Hope West Side and Hope East Village.
What affiliations will continue as part of this reorganization?
Hope Church NYC will now become one family of churches with three locations (and the other Hope Churches will become affiliate churches). Meanwhile, Hope Church NYC will remain part of the New City Network (a network of urban churches birthed out of the Hope family), and the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination.
Where can I direct questions that may arise?
For any questions during this period, you can direct them to info@hopechurchnyc.org.