HOPE Community Church is the first daughter church of Uptown Christ Covenant. Uptown Christ Covenant was founded in 1994 as the anchor church for a Center City Church Planting Movement. In June of 2000, Uptown called Mark Upton to be their Assistant Pastor of Outreach with the specific intention of having him pastor their first daughter church. Mark was ordained in November of 2000 and approved as a church planting apprentice of the PCA in February of 2001.

In November of 2001, the elders of Uptown instructed Mark to begin writing the vision statement for Hope Community Church. Mark formed a team of people to pray for this process. Next he contacted Matt Guzi and together they began to write the Hope vision statement.

In January of 2002, Mark presented the vision to the elders of Uptown. It was approved, and a team of 45 adults and 22 children committed to join Mark in making the vision of Hope Community Church a reality. After much prayer and demographic research, the Park Road Shopping Center area was chosen as the target area for Hope because according to polling data, it had the highest density of people in Charlotte who claimed to have no faith involvement. Hope Community Church signed a lease with the YWCA and had the first worship service on April 7, 2002.