Another day, another pastor or a church in the news headlines. You had your doubts, but now those doubts feel a little more like fractures. You believe God is real, but why has He stayed silent? Why does he allow so much pain? Does he see all of the Christians who are hurting other people in His name? Can I recover from how shaky my faith feels at times or is it time to simply walk away?
John McKinzie is the founding and lead pastor of Hope Fellowship in Frisco, Texas. John served as a youth pastor for 13 years in Irving, Texas, Pampa, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee before starting Hope Fellowship in Frisco, Texas in January of 2000.
Hope is one of the fastest growing churches in the nation according to Outreach Magazine. In a little more than a decade, Hope Fellowship, which initially met as a church plant at a daycare center, is a multi-site ministry averaging over 5,500 on Sunday mornings. Pastor John McKinzie chose Frisco to set down roots because of its moniker as one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
"We just put up a sign and we initially had 51 people," McKinzie said. "It was the only place in the whole city that was open to start a church."
He and his wife Melissa have been married for over 23 years and have four children. Macy, Conner, Madison and Cassidy. When John is not busy leading Hope, he enjoys riding motorcycles, backpacking/hiking, coaching soccer and hanging with his wife and children. He is an avid Dallas Cowboy fan, Dallas Maverick fan and Texas Rangers fan, but more than any of these things his heart is to love Jesus and people authentically.
