About Us
Hope International Church of Brussels
Our Mission
We seek to be a community that worships God, spreads the hope of the gospel, and grows together as disciples of Jesus.
Our Vision
We desire to see:​
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An international and multi-generational community that is committed to glorifying God by worshiping Him in accordance with His Word.
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A church transformed by the gospel and committed to sharing this good news so that more people in Brussels would come to saving faith in Jesus.
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A community that experiences togetherness of the Christian life through worshiping together, praying together, sharing meals together, and studying God’s Word together.
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A people intentional about becoming more like Jesus and learning to serve him in their homes, church, schools, work, and community.
Our Values
Confessional – We confess, together with the Church throughout history, the common faith which is expressed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Like many other Presbyterian and Reformed churches around the world, we subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
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Bilingual – Brussels is a capital city that is uniquely international as well as Belgian. English is the common working language for many who have moved to Brussels, and French is the majority language among residents. Hope Brussels seeks to serve internationals as well as locals, therefore we aim for our worship, fellowship, and pastoral care to incorporate both English and French.
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Grace-based Community – Our church seeks to live as a community of believers that is shaped by the growing understanding of the depth of our own sin as well as the yet deeper love that God has shown us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our sin reminds us that we are wholly dependent upon God's grace and forgiveness, and we in turn strive to extend grace and forgiveness to others. We desire to be a community that is marked by humility and Christ-likeness; we pray that God continues his work of grace in our lives so that we might be more and more transformed to be like Jesus.
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Gospel-centered Worship – The gospel is not something we merely tack onto the end of the sermon, but rather it permeates all of what we do in corporate worship. From the opening call to the closing benediction, the gospel of Christ's saving work on behalf of sinners is the resounding theme of our worship.
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Ordinary Means of Grace – We are committed to experiencing God’s grace through simple ministry. These simple means include the Bible as the Word of God, the sacraments as signs and seals of the promises of God, and prayer as the expression of our communion with God (Acts 2:42). These elements are the ordinary means of grace that God uses to grow us for his glory and our good.
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Breaking Bread and Hospitality – We see the home and particularly the meal table as an irreplaceable context for sharing life and building up one another in the Lord. This is a natural setting for Christian fellowship, discipleship, and evangelism, therefore we want to foster a culture of hospitality that encourages other members of the body and demonstrates love to our neighbors.
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Presbyterian Accountability – We recognize that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds his Church on the foundation of the apostles and that he reigns over it. We see in the Scriptures that the Lord entrusts the responsibility of leading the Church to elders ("presbyteroi" in Greek), some of whom are pastors. These elders support each other and are accountable to each other, which is also lived out more broadly in a larger council of elders of the churches in the region (Presbytery) and an even larger council of elders made up of all the presbyteries (Synod).