Our History

In 1995 a thought was instilled in Matt Bohman to approach a church in need that could not afford to hire additional staff. He offered to oversee the youth ministry and emphasize ministry training and equipping as part of the vision. An agreement was made and the investment of one year began. It was an amazing year. Matt left there to help more struggling churches and became, as one friend labeled him, a “Pastor on loan.” He would help churches at minimal and many times no charge because of his desire to see churches get healthier. Little did Matt know that phase one of Restoring HOPE had technically begun.

Desiring to make complicated concepts easier to understand, in 2000 he began investing in writing ministry training material as he branched away from church staff positions and started his own equipping ministry. After witnessing the generosity and hands-on sacrificial giving by his longtime friends, Dan & Liz Baker, he realized that it was not just equipping and training that many churches lacked. Churches also needed to be better at showing true hands-on compassion to those that life has beaten up because of their personal or someone else’s bad choices. These are the two bookends of a healthy ministry. So, in 2007 Matt expanded his vision and began Restoring HOPE.

He took on long time friends, Dave and Rennie Garda, as mentors and was led to Granger, Indiana where he encountered Granger Community Church. His mind was blown away that a church would be so creative and intentional to reach into the community and not just focus on who shows up. After a couple years of trial and error… helping people and churches… teaching and training… writing and researching… Restoring HOPE had crafted its identity: to help people and churches get back on track with our original mission and to help those that are sacrificially giving to the needs of others. People began to give financially to his endeavors which took some of the financial pressure off of his own pocket… and thus phase two was underway.

After spending 5 years in Bakersfield, CA, Restoring HOPE relocated the main office back to the East Coast in 2014. Restoring HOPE believes that no one willing to give of their time should also go in debt for meeting needs that set people free. So, in 2015 we stepped into phase three and are learning how to do the fundraising thing. Our desire to significantly support those that have made a life choice to invest in restoring the hope of others was now one step closer to reality.