The Power of Hope

Jun 11, 2025
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By Michael Henderson

Hope Remains Essential

This year, Tasmanian Baptists have embraced intergenerational church as our theme—a vision of healthy church communities where all ages are represented. For congregations across the country that lack generational diversity, especially among youth, this theme offers a hopeful path toward renewal and fullness. 

Perhaps you’ve tried youth groups or young adult programs that didn’t take off. Maybe young people have left, drifted away, or lost faith altogether. After decades of changes and efforts, you may look around your current congregation and wonder how to connect with young people again. These concerns are real and deeply felt. 

I don’t pretend to have all the answers for reversing these trends. But I do know this: hope remains essential—especially when our plans need to shift. 

To me, hope and planning are distinct. Hope transcends logic and strategy; it can seem almost irrational in its persistence. But real hope is rooted in faith. It’s not limited by what we think is possible, but rather by what we believe God can do. 

What Stands In Our Way?

As Ephesians 3:20 reminds us, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” 

Take a moment to reflect on that the next time your hope begins to fade. God’s power is not constrained by our experiences, our resources, or even our imaginations. The real question isn’t what we can accomplish, but whether we believe God can. And when our hope is grounded in God’s ability—what could possibly stand in the way? 

Well—sometimes, we can. We can stop us. 

God invites us to join in with what He is already doing. Our plans should be a partnership with His ongoing work in our churches and communities. 

Isaiah writes that God is “always doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19), but the challenge is: can we see it? Can we recognize and respond to it? Even in places that feel like “youth wastelands,” where young people haven’t been part of church life for years, God can make streams in the desert. The question is, do we believe that? Do we have enough hope to trust that God will bring it to pass? 

Yes, plans are necessary—but so is hope. As we pursue the vision of intergenerational church, don’t put your hope in strategies alone. Put your hope in what God can do. 

Because He can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. 

Michael Henderson

Michael Henderson is part of the Leadership Development Team at TasBaptists and is a Creative Ministries Pastor at Hobart Baptist Church.

The Power of Hope

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