My name is Jeff Slater.
I’ve visited too many churches that greet you with an apology.
I’ve always loved visiting churches. I like seeing how different communities connect and express their love of God in worship. I’ve come to expect a few predictable phrases. They nearly always linger below the surface, but usually, they are spoken boldly aloud:
“Well, there used to be a lot more people here.”
“You should have seen it back in the day!”
“That whole section used to be full of children.”
Am I the only one who associates even the smell of old buildings with a disempowered longing for the past?
And yet, these same congregations of faithful children of God clearly DO still love God!
It breaks my heart that their love is held back by an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
And so, I’m on a quest.
I “discovered” the well-researched field of hope psychology. Now, I’m on a mission to teach churches how to make their hope complete again.
This website is the best starting point for YOUR journey of hope, too.
I suppose I should say I’m also a husband, dad of two boys, music nerd, general nerd, and United Methodist Pastor.
But more than any of that, I’m a child of God who believes that we can hope again.