Hope Mennonite Fellowship (HMF) is a conservative Anabaptist Mennonite church fellowship based primarily in Pennsylvania.

The HMF emerged in the early 1980s from concerns over church governance, discipline, and the relationship between church leaders and members within other conservative Mennonite bodies.

Since its founding, HMF has developed into a network of congregations that seeks to maintain traditional Mennonite beliefs and practices while emphasizing cooperation between church leadership and the congregation in matters of policy and discipline.

The roots of the Hope Mennonite Fellowship can be traced directly to the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, one of the oldest Mennonite bodies in North America. During the 1960s, disagreements arose within the conference regarding church discipline and standards of conduct. In 1968, a group of conservative bishops left the Lancaster Conference and formed the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church.

Over time, differences emerged within EPMC itself. Some members favored maintaining existing standards, while others supported increasingly detailed regulations. In June of 1981, Bishop Earl B. Horst and Minister Edwin H. Gehman withdrew from EpMC and began the movement that became Hope Mennonite Fellowship. Their principal concern was the desire for a more open relationship between church leaders and lay members in matters of church policy and disciplinary review.

The first worship service of the new fellowship was held in the rented Millbach Meeting House near Klinefeltersville, Pennsylvania. Early congregations met in rented facilities known as Millback and Muddy Creek. As membership increased, permanent meetinghouses were built, and additional congregations were formed.

Unlike some religious movements that experience rapid expansion, HMF's growth has generally been gradual and deliberate. The fellowship expanded by planting new congregations as existing ones reached capacity. Additional congregations joined or were established over subsequent decades. The Garbers congregation became part of the fellowship in 1992, Rehrersburg was formed in 2002, Allegheny Valley in 2008, and Troxelville in 2011. An urban mission effort that originated through prison ministry in Allentown became an HMF congregation in 2009.

According to information published by the fellowship, HMF had grown to eleven congregations and nearly 750 members by 2026. The fellowship reported seven bishops, twenty-two ministers, and fifteen deacons serving its churches.

A distinguishing feature of HMF is its commitment to shared responsibility between church leadership and the laity. One of the major reasons for its formation was dissatisfaction with what the founders perceived as insufficient lay involvement in decision-making. HMF therefore established a system in which changes to church rules and discipline require the consent of seventy-five percent of the lay membership. This arrangement reflects the fellowship's desire to balance spiritual leadership with congregational participation.

Leadership is exercised through bishops, ministers, and deacons, consistent with traditional Mennonite church organization. Individual congregations function within the fellowship while cooperating on broader ministries, mission efforts, youth programs, and educational activities.

As a conservative Mennonite fellowship, HMF adheres to traditional Anabaptist convictions. These include a strong emphasis on discipleship, personal faith in Jesus Christ, biblical authority, church community, modest living, and separation from worldly influences. The fellowship's practice reflect a concern for maintaining brotherhood unity and preserving historic Mennonite values.

Education is highly valued within the fellowship. Most congregations support Christian day schools that primarily use educational materials produced by Mennonite publishers such as Christian Light Education and Rod and Staff Publishers. Homeschooling is discouraged, though not prohibited, because of the fellowship's emphasis on community cohesion and shared educational experiences.

The fellowship also maintains certain practices designed to strengthen church unity. For example, although it sponsors youth choruses and community programs, it does not participate in special singing programs within church meetinghouses.

Its ministries and outreach include worldwide mission work and evangelism, prison ministries, and youth ministries.

Distinguishing characteristics include strong lay participation, steady congregational planting, commitment to Mennonite education, active mission and service programs, and conservative Anabaptist identity.

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