PREACHING AND TEACHING TEAM
Dr. Craig Strickland
Senior Pastor
Dr. Craig Strickland began Hope in 1988 in a living room with 8 original members. Now approaching its 23rd year, Hope has reached out to people and churches of all denominations and faith communities with a message filled with hope and guided by a commitment to servant-leadership at every level. Today, Hope welcomes an average of 6000 members and visitors every weekend. Craig graduated from Messick High School. After high school, he graduated from Memphis State University and received both his Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry Degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He was the founding member and Chairman of the Board of The Memphis Leadership Foundation and has served on numerous committees involving church growth. He is currently Chaplain of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, The Germantown Police Department and Chief Chaplain of the Tennessee Public Safety Network. Craig lives in Germantown with his wife, Lee, and their yellow lab, Barklee The Wonder Dog. They have three adult children; Emily married to Scott, Tucker, and Taylor, and two grandchildren, Scottie and West.
Dr. Eli Morris
Stirring-Urban
A lifelong resident of Memphis, Eli graduated from Overton High school followed by his B.S. from Memphis State in 1977. Eli received his Master of Divinity with honors from Memphis Theological Seminary in 1990 and his Doctor of Ministry in 1996 from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Eli’s concern for the poor has been a hallmark of his work at Hope. His current role at Hope as the Associate & Urban Ministry Pastor finds him each and every day engaging with and ministering to those who live with the challenges of poverty. He serves on the boards of STREETS Ministry, Oasis of Hope, Luke 4:18 Ministries, and MIFA Emergency Services. Eli also is the pastor of our unique Sunday evening service, The Stirring. An avid runner, Eli has logged over 22,000 miles and has run in all 50 states. Eli lives in East Memphis with his wife Patty and two cats. They have three adult children; Tommy married to Jessica, Avery married to Destiny, and Lindsay.
Rev. Rufus Smith
Discipleship
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Rufus joined the Hope staff September 1, 2010. Before moving to Memphis and Hope he served 12 years as the Sr. Pastor of City of Refuge Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), a diverse, dynamic and socially active congregation. He is the Chairman of the Evangelical Presbyterian Urban Ministry Network. In addition, he served 3 years as the lead Chaplain for the NBA Houston Rockets and advises on four other local and national Boards. He was ordained in 1988 and studied at Houston Baptist University majoring in Theology and Psychology and his passion is preaching, teaching and discipleship development. He loves baseball, reading, fishing and walking, but his claim to fame and fun is His wife Jacqueline of 26 years along with their three adult children, Ruth Abigail, Rufus V, and Rhoda.