Who We Are

Our Story

Hope Connection Church has a lengthy history, dating back to 1935 when the church met in a building at 1235 SW 25th in Oklahoma City. As you can imagine, the congregation has undergone many transitions, including several brand changes and venue relocations. While many changes have come and gone over the years, Hope has remained a strong, constant force in the OKC metro area; seeking & saving “the lost” and strengthening “the found” through its life-giving message. 

Weaved throughout its history, Hope Connection Church has a legacy of strong, Godly leadership. Among these prominent leaders is Pastor Dale Smith. He and his wife, Billie, served the congregation as Lead Pastors for twenty-eight years. Among their many accomplishments was purchasing and building on Hope’s current property, 8309 South Santa Fe Avenue. They retired from senior leadership in 1998, and they are highly honored by Hope Connection Church! From 1999-2012, Pastors Ken & Angie Senchal served as Lead Pastors. During their tenure, the church experienced growth & health – both numerically & architecturally – as they guided the church’s trek “across the parking lot” where our current worship facility now stands

In January 2013, Pastors Chris & Jennifer Helms were divinely appointed as Lead Pastors at Hope Connection Church. Through God’s grace, the usual ‘speed bumps’ of major transitions have been avoided and the steady pace of growth & unified leadership has continued! Hope Connection Church is charging into the future with great strength! Today, hundreds of people attend Hope’s weekly gatherings and lives are being transformed by the power of the Gospel.

We invite you to see for yourself – how exciting an authentic, life-giving Christian community can be. Let’s go after God with passion together!

Our Beliefs

What We Believe

Humanity has been given an exclusive Savior with an inclusive message, “Whoever calls on Jesus will be saved” (Romans 10:9-13; Romans 3:22-23). Humanity’s basic need is to be redeemed from the penalty of sin and restored to “right relationship” with their Creator. Belief in Jesus’ identity, acceptance of his atonement, faith in his resurrection, and reliance upon his teachings are the core principles of both salvation and living an “abundant life” with Christ. Given this basis--and out of desire to expand understanding and reflect Scriptural accuracy--Hope Connection Church has developed several “we believe” statements designed to bring further clarity to the core doctrines of Scripture:  

We believe in one eternal God manifesting Himself in three roles: as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-2, 14).
We believe that Jesus Christ is Savior of the world, He was sent to earth to die for our sins and deliver an all-inclusive message, “Whoever calls on Jesus will be saved.” (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-13; Romans 3:22-23; Acts 4:12)
We believe that repentance is acknowledging and turning away from our sin (Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
We believe water baptism to be an expression of both obedience and allegiance to Christ. It is an outward declaration of an inward faith! The Scripture presents baptism by immersion as akin to “washing away” the blemishes of sin and “rising” to new life in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12). Baptism is a line of demarcation that powerfully separates our old, “dead life” in sin from our NEW LIFE of freedom in Christ! Believers in Christ’s time were immediately baptized upon conversion, lifting the banner of Jesus’ authority, redemptive sacrifice, and teaching principles over their own lives (Acts 2:37-39; Acts 8:12-13; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:31-34; Acts 19:4-5). Christians are baptized “into Christ” (Galatians 3:27). The idea of an unbaptized believer is not found in the Holy Scriptures.
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We believe the Holy Spirit (or “spirit of Christ” Romans 8:9-11) serves multiple purposes: it regenerates our dead spirits (we are “reborn” John 3:1-7), supplies strength for faithful adherence to Christian living, and also empowers us for ministry utilizing its various gifts. Christ instructed his disciples to WAIT for the Holy Spirit to come before launching their Gospel ministries. They followed his instructions by descending upon Jerusalem and seeking the Holy Spirit’s special anointing for ministry. Several days later, in an “upper room”, the Holy Spirit “fell upon” Christ’s disciples and “filled” them with more than just salvational assurance—they received unique ministry empowerment. From that point forward, the disciples evangelized the world by declaring the truth of Jesus Christ’s salvation AND the importance of “walking out” the believer’s life with an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence. Believers are encouraged to be continually “filled with the Spirit” and expect the various “gifts of the Spirit” to operate through them (Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 4:8, 23-31; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; John 14:18, 25-26; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 10:38-48; Acts 19:1-7). It is exceedingly biblical to ask the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit to be present in your life (Luke 11:9-13).
We believe spiritual maturity is a lifelong journey of active discipleship. Growth in Christ happens through personal study of God’s Word, honoring spiritual leadership, gathering with fellow believers, loving and serving others, and trusting God in every circumstance (John 8:31; John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:11-15; Hebrews 10:24-25).
We believe Heaven is the eternal dwelling place of God and the promised paradise for those who are in Christ. While Hell is real, those whose identity is found in Christ have no need to fear it (Luke 23:42-43; Revelation 21:2-8; John 14:1-4).

Connect With Us

Want To Get Connected?

Learn more about us, find your next steps, and get connected with our Discover Hope Class. This class is available every SECOND Sunday of the month during our Sunday service. Sign up for our next class, TODAY!

Discover Hope