What is hope?  Hope is:

1. Exclusively found in Christ – “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15
2. The end goal of our walk with Jesus – “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4
3. The only thing worth shamelessly bragging about – “We boast in the hope of the glory of God…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:2,5
4. The essence of our Father’s character – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
5. The path to purity – “All who have this hope in him (not knowing everything requires faith and hope) purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3
6. Why great heroes of faith endured, risked and accomplished so much despite dire consequences – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
7. A prized possession meant to be shared with a hopeless world – “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

If Christians and churches have cornered the market on hope, how could hopelessness have reached unprecedented levels in America?

The State of Hope in America Today

Recent studies and surveys by U.S. government agencies like the CDC found that:

• 40% of high school students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
• 20% of students seriously considered suicide and 9% attempted suicide
• 30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime
• 20% of adolescents (12 to 17) experienced a major depressive episode
• 7% of Americans aged 12 and older battle a substance use disorder
• 9% of our youth had a substance use disorder in the past year

Those findings aren’t surprising.  Schools teach children they’re cosmic accidents without hope beyond this life – a life that for many of them already appears hopeless.

Where Are We Looking for Hope?

Over the last 25 years, around 40 million Americans have stopped attending church.  That represents the most significant decline in church attendance during any quarter century in our nation’s history.  The rise of the “Nones” (no religion) and “Dones” (with church) correlates closely with increases in depression, suicides, violent crime, drug use, and alcoholism.  They’re looking for hope in all the wrong places:

1. Identity – Not as a child of our heavenly Father, but in their self-designated gender, sexuality, race, career, cause, party, or other affiliation
2. Love – Not unconditional, but with requirements to live, speak, and believe in alignment with someone else’s practices, words, and beliefs
3. Unity – Not in Christ, but promising the hopeless belonging and acceptance, united against anyone not endorsing their version of “truth”
4. Politicians – Not citizens of a Kingdom, but trusting duly-elected leaders to be the “savior”, rescuing them from any medical, financial, or military threats
5. Self – Not love for others but joining America’s fastest-growing religion (Selfism), which promises hope in the passionate pursuit of personal happiness
6. Online – Not authentic connections, but social networking with platforms and people who encourage finding value in likes, follows, and virtue signaling
7. Community – Not a birth or church family, but unfaithful friends demanding distance from paternal and religious influences, resulting in today’s epidemic of loneliness and isolation

If identity, accessibility, acceptance, and connection have become more readily available, why is hope so hard to come by?  Could it be the world is offering an attractive illusion to replace true hope, inevitably leading to disillusionment?

Where Hope is (Supposed to be) Found

At Christmas, we celebrated the arrival of Jesus, the only source of hope.  Christ alone offers what we crave at our core – love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, truth, kindness, compassion, and eternal life.  Before His ascension, Jesus commissioned His Church to carry those ideals forward as a beacon of light and hope in the darkness.  The Church stewarded that responsibility in America until the early 1900s, engaged integrally in the “hope” business: starting hospitals, schools, food banks, rescue missions, orphanages, and addiction recovery ministries that opened ears to hear the Gospel.  The hopeless were drawn to churches, realizing those providing help could be a source of hope as well.  The spiritually and materially poor found in churches genuine social networking and social capital to navigate difficult times in their lives.

As churches began abdicating their intended, historical role as the primary distributor of help and hope, America started shifting its trust from God to government.  Churches were the glue that held society and cities together – the spiritual, social, and charitable “center of town”.  Yet those seeking compassion and justice have been conditioned by decades of asking churches for assistance, only to be referred to a local parachurch or told the church would consider helping if they started attending.

How Can Christians Bring Hope in 2025?

If Americans aren’t looking for hope in Christ and His Church, they’re not going to find it anywhere else.  Any other destination is a road to nowhere.  They’re following those who are already lost.  All the world can promise is eternal separation from the Father. Only Christ-followers can show those who are lost the path to hope in this life and the next.  However, at this point few will listen until we more clearly contrast their self-centered worldview with the countercultural, enduring hope of Christ-centered living:

1. Love for our “Enemies” – Are your church’s members comfortable crossing moral and political aisles to seek out people they wouldn’t normally encounter, investing in relationships and sharing the hope of Christ in environments where it’s in short supply?  The radical practice of Agape with divisive factions who don’t see eye-to-eye on politics, parties, and policies could redefine “love” for those who’ve settled for lesser forms (e.g. “tolerance”).  During the 2024 election season, our Drop The Stone campaign encouraged Christians to combat criticism with kindness, offering a glimmer of authentic hope to those who’ve (mis)placing their hope in politicians.
2. Compassion for the Poor – Does your church engage not only in conversations despite disagreement, but in compassion despite differences?  Jesus modeled crossing socioeconomic lines to serve daily, not seasonally – relationally, not transactionally.  Holiday handouts may “check the box” but perpetuate cycles of generational poverty by breeding dependence, entitlement, and cynicism.  Meet The Need’s newest AI-based app, Link2Hope, revolutionizes how churches and charities assist the materially poor, forming sustained support networks to overcome debilitating isolation and hopelessness.
3. Grace for the Guilty – Is your church equipping members for distributed or centralized Gospel presentations?  Is more time and money invested in personal evangelism or (church) invitation training and materials?  Many of our neighbors, family, and coworkers will never darken a church’s doors.  Meet The Need’s mission is church reform, urging pastors not to treat churchgoers like “customers” but as Kingdom employees commissioned to pursue the real “customer” – those who don’t know Jesus.

Those three keys to sparking revival in 2025 will require a reversal from decades of declining discipleship.  Christians won’t reclaim personal responsibility for the Great Commandment without the Great Commission.  Only authentic disciples understand how Jesus loved, served, spoke – and feel convicted enough to risk following His lead.

It’s Your Turn…

How can you and your church unleash torrents of hope in your community this year?