Pastor Paulo Freire has been shepherding the congregation at Hope Church in New Jersey for 25 years. He is a native of São Paulo, Brazil, but he was raised in New Jersey. As a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute, Pastor Paulo brings a love for the study and application of the Word of God to the pulpit with him. He and his wife Lisa live in beautiful Wantage, NJ. They have three sons: Tyler (attending Reformed Theological Seminary in Florida, married to Jeanna and together raising their adorable daughter Maggie), Micah (on staff as a church music director in Burbank, California), and Elias (in high school and still at home).

When he is not behind the pulpit or in his office at Hope, Pastor Paulo can be found preaching and teaching in other churches, at summer camps, or traveling to foreign countries training others in the eternal truths of God’s word. He also delights in training pastors and laymen through the EFCA Gateway Theological Institute and working with both the District and National Boards of Ministerial Standing.

In his free time, he enjoys traveling with his family to new and interesting places, and he can occasionally be found sitting with a paintbrush in his hand. While he very much appreciates a leisurely stroll down the streets of neighboring New York City, Pastor Paulo is thankful to be ministering and residing in the serene rural beauty of Sussex County, NJ.