Men
At the heart of Hope Fellowship is men. We make no apologies for targeting men because we've learned that as goes the man, so goes the family, the church, the community and ultimately, the world. If we're going to change the world, it will happen one man at a time.
This emphasis on men in no way belittles women and children or views them as being less important. Quite the contrary, we love and value women and children so much, that we focus a large amount of our energy as a church on those who have been called to love, protect, provide and sacrifice for them. If we can build godly men, women and children will be the greatest beneficiaries.
We target men because of the specific type of influence God has given them. While the Scriptures are clear that both genders are equally gifted and valuable in God's sight, they also teach that men and women are not given the same roles to fill. In the beginning, God created each gender for a very specific purpose. He created men to serve their wives and children by leading, protecting, providing and sacrificing for them and He created women to use their unique skills, wiring and insight to assist their husbands in his God-given task while supporting his headship role through willingly submitting to him.
This call of husbands to leadership and wives to submission isn't because men possess superior gifts, intelligence or ability, but rather, it is a matter of calling and authority. In other words, men aren't commanded to lead because they are more talented or able than their wives. They are commanded to take the lead and have the final say because that is the calling God has given them. While husbands are to have the last say, they don't have the only say. Wise husbands will listen to their wives and take their advice and wisdom to heart before making any decisions.
While this stance may make Hope Fellowship appear archaic, chauvinistic or even anti-female, quite the opposite is true. We are very much pro-female, recognizing the invaluable contributions women make to life in general and the kingdom of God in particular. We are, however, anti-feminist because at the heart of feminism is the refusal to accept the unique roles God has given to each gender to fulfill. Again, the Scriptures are clear that God has granted men a level of authority and responsibility which He did not give to women and which He will not hold women accountable like He will men.
At Hope Fellowship, our goal is to build both godly men and women. In respect to men, our goal is to build men like Jesus; the real Jesus with whom real men can identify. Not, "Jesus the bearded lady" and definitely not the "Jesus is my boyfriend or my therapist" that so many modern worship songs sing about; but the real Jesus - the sin confronting, mercy extending, whip bearing, weeping with friends, warrior king - who is the perfect balance of strength and tenderness. That’s the Jesus the men of Hope Fellowship follow and strive to emulate.