Who we are

Discover Hope

“For I know the plans I have for you, ” declares the Lord,  “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.  

Jeremiah 29:11

Our Visions, Values & Beliefs

We desire to see God create a place where people who have never been to church before or who have not been to church in awhile can feel warmly welcomed. We desire for God to use us to create a place where anyone can begin to explore their relationship with God.  We are a church for the “unchurched.”

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

Grace

Showing God’s love to everyone with whom we come in contact.

Truth

Upholding the integrity of the Word of God.

Community

Supporting each other through the peaks and valleys of life.

Prayer

Leading through the activity of prayer.

Teamwork

Serving together according to our talents and gifts.

Relevance

Providing messages that are relatable to everyone.

Vision

Believing that God is reaching those who do not know Jesus.

Multiplication

Growing and spreading into many churches and ministries.

We are members of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). www.EPC.org

As members of the EPC, Hope Church is committed to upholding the integrity of Scripture and expressing the love of God to all people.

The EPC motto is:

In Essentials, Unity
In Non-Essentials, Liberty
In All Things, Charity

Hope Church holds to the following essential Biblical Christian beliefs:

  • All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. 
  • The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
  • The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. 

More on our Doctrinal Beliefs

Hope Church San Antonio also affirms the traditional Reformed theology represented in the Westminster Confession of Faith (including the Larger and Shorter Catechism) which we uphold as a doctrinal standard for our pastor, elders, and deacons.

To read the Westminster Confession of Faith: www.EPC.org/wcf

Our History

Hope Church San Antonio was officially “planted” by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and held their first worship service on Palm Sunday April 16, 2000. Our founding pastor, Rev. Tom Masterson, along with Associate Pastor Rev. Darden Caylor and approximately 20 families set out to establish the first EPC church in the San Antonio area. 

Our first location was Redland Hall which is now home to La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant on Redland Road. Hope Church moved to Bush Middle School and met there from 2002 – 2012.  Our first building was built on 10 acres land located off 1604 near Redland Road. Hope Church purchased a building and 5 acres and moved to their current and permanent location in summer of 2017, located 18850 Redland Road, 78259.

Our Pastors

Rev. Tom Masterson

Senior Pastor

An accomplished sinner, Tom is the founding pastor of Hope Church. Prior to San Antonio, Tom served for 5 years at New Harvest EPC in St. Louis, MO and was Director of Youth Ministries for 2 years at Christ EPC in Houston, TX. He and his wife Kathy are both graduates of The University of the South (’89), Sewanee, TN, graduating with a BA in religious studies. Tom received a MDiv (’97) from Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO.  

Tom enjoys fly fishing, sports, Johnny Cash, grilling, cigars, wine, bourbon tasting and deep theological discussions! He is passionate about serving his community locally and globally including our ‘sister church’ in central Cuba. A native Texan, Tom enjoys studying history and proudly wears his cowboy hat.

“What I absolutely love about Hope is the collection of genuine people that God has gathered together here. The souls that make up Hope Church are warm, and defined by Grace.”

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:1

Rev. Darden Caylor

Associate Pastor

Darden has a BA from Univ. of Northern Iowa (’93) and a MDiv from from Covenant Theological Seminary (’97) in St. Louis. He and his wife Belinda helped launch Hope Church and he served as Associate Pastor for 7 years. Moving back to St. Louis, Darden established Mercy Road Church and served as Pastor for 9 years then joined Refuge Church as Executive Pastor for 4 years. With joy, Darden returned to San Antonio and resumed his role as Associate Pastor in January 2023 at Hope.

Darden is passionate about worship, owning over 30+ insturments. He believes worship it is not about performance; it is about inviting people into authentically engaging in music that allows them to connect with God.

“The essentials of faith are important at Hope and yet, there is freedom in non-essentials, creating a relaxed environment that allows Hope to be assessable to everyone.” Darden is passionate about community and fellowship. He and Belinda consider their home a place of refuge for hurting people, while also a place of fun!

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:13

Our Elders

Our elders serve as spiritual leaders, nurturing and guiding our congregation to grow in their relationship with God and one another. They seek to follow our vision and core values with obedience to Christ.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

Mark 10:42-45

Our Deacons

Our Deacons oversee the practical care for our congregation. They have a heart as servant-leaders and play a vital role in demonstrating Christ’s love and compassion to both the congregation and the wider community.

The first duty of a Deacon is to provide sympathy and service to those in need.

Acts 6:1-4