By Jacquinet Murphy
NDG Special Conributor
Whether Pastor Vincent and First Lady Bobbie Carrington of Hope Church of Dallas are delivering God-inspired messages in word and song to their multigenerational congregation or connecting families to the home of their dreams, they are giving hope.
The Carringtons, who are both millennials, have led the Hope Church, located at 3822 Boulder Drive in Dallas, Texas, for the last eight years, after serving the church in prior years under its founding leadership, Pastor Bobby and Janice Silmon.
Pastor Carrington recalled working under Pastor Silmon’s tutelage and reflected on the genuine love he had for others and his sacrifices for the ministry. “He was a giver. If he had it, it was yours. He was a faithful, servant leader who sacrificed for the ministry.”
Building on this foundation, Pastor Carrington is known for his innovative approach and delivering a sound word of God with clarity that even a child could understand the Scriptures.
“Seeing him grow in his faith as a musician and become a minister to share what God has birthed in him with such clarity and such a simple delivery is amazing and impactful, said Lady Carrington. “It impacts my life as a follower of Christ even now weekly.”
The Carringtons were raised in a non-denominational, Pentecostal Holiness family where their parents served as pastors of a congregation. Pastor Carrington, originally from Houston, recalled a high school encounter that personally transformed his life.
“I was raised in the church and my father was a minister, but I remember one of my teachers who asked the question ‘What do you find fascinating about the dark side?’ A student responded, “There is no proof that there is a God,” said Pastor Carrington.
He recalled his utter silence because although he knew what he believed and had been in church his entire life, he could not furnish proof to make an unbeliever believe in God.
“Not long after this, I had some conversations with friends about angels and their extraordinary experiences and I began recalling numerous testimonies from church people and even from my parents. I realized that this is the proof.”
This experience gave birth to a personal hunger for answers and to know God. He continued studying the Scriptures to understand the infallible proofs of God’s existence, ultimately developing a genuine desire to follow Christ.
“I began to realize that my life was not promised. So, instead of waiting until 40 to 50 years of age or older to live right, I said, ‘why not do it now?’,” said Pastor Carrington.
Pastor Carrington deepened his faith and intently nurtured his relationship with God, which remained strong even as he left home to attend college at the University of North Texas in Denton. He surrounded himself with like-minded friends through the university’s gospel choir, bible studies, and worship experiences.
Unbeknownst to him, Lady Carrington also began her college journey at the same school and campus. The two eventually met while attending a choir performance. Over time learned of their very similar backgrounds and beliefs. Both were children of church pastors, musicians actively working in the church, the college gospel choir, majoring in business, and earnestly living a God-driven life.
“I have always been a part of the holiness church, and for me to see someone who grew up in the same vein and understood the life of a preacher’s child made it so much easier to communicate. I saw that he had a God heart, music heart, and familiarity. It was nice to see that there were young people my age who really loved the Lord and actively participated in their church just as much as I did. We had so much in common, it just made life make sense to me,” said Lady Carrington.
Pastor Carrington also began his journey in ministry while in college. He started sharing his faith and the revelations he received from God’s word during the nightly bible study sessions hosted by a close friend.
“It was during the bible studies that I felt the call to share with others what God had given me and just to let God order my steps in ministry.”
His steps led him to the HOPE Church, where he leads as God orders, especially during these unprecedented times.
Like many churches during the COVID-19 pandemic, HOPE Church streams worship services online to their social platforms. It was an adjustment, but the Carringtons can see that this gave their small congregation another outreach method to reach the community.
“Watching the followers grow after posting the services, we were amazed when looking at the analytics and algorithms to see how many people were blessed by something that happened in the service,” said Lady Carrington. “This was not true in the traditional sense unless you captured it real good and people bought the video. We can utilize our time differently to give the Lord a digital way to reach the people.”
While digital services are the primary way most of the congregation engages in worship right n, the shift in method did not change the ministry’s message or mission. Whether people click to worship or walk through the sanctuary doors, Pastor Carrington still desires that people feel the church’s name manifestation.
“There are so many things to be down about with the pandemic. Many families and friends are transitioning, we are wearing masks, and people have to be distant from each other, and even the country’s climate has so much tension, said Rev. Carrington. “I want people to know that there is hope outside of what we can see, and no matter what is going on, our true hope is in Christ Jesus.”
As faithful stewards of the house of God and work of the ministry, the Carringtons are noted for their Christian leadership in their real estate conglomerate, ONE Relocation Group of Keller Williams, an industry advocacy firm for buyers, sellers, or investors.
“I grew up serving with my mom and learned that it has to be done with excellence, and this is at the heart of what we do in our church and our business,” said Lady Carrington. “We serve people in business with the same spirit of excellence that we do at the church when we are serving Christ.”
The Carringtons are the parents of three young children. The oldest of the two are active in the work of the ministry. When they are not serving in the church or working in their company, the family enjoys spending time together watching movies and staying close around the house, the family’s safe place.
To experience the word and worship services Sundays at 11 a.m. at Hope Church, you can attend the services virtually online via www.hopechurchdallas.org via Facebook @HOPEChurchDallas or on Instagram @hcdallas.
