The Community of Hope (COH) began in 1994, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (Houston, Texas) in response to requests by laity for training to provide pastoral care as volunteers. COH was established under the leadership of the Reverend Jim Alcorn, (Director of Pastoral Care at St. Luke’s) and the Reverend Helen Appelberg (Founding Director of COH). Persons of all denominations were encouraged to receive training and participate in the pastoral care ministry.

In 1998, COH moved outside the hospital walls of St. Luke’s and by 2004, The Community of Hope grew to over eighty-four centers, with centers in many states. The need for decentralization was recognized and a regionalizing process began in 2004. Leaders met at the Annual Leadership Conference in June 2005 to organize a new structure: The Community of Hope International (COHI). The curriculum is still provided by the COH central office at St. Luke’s in Houston. The essential philosophy and missions remain the same, while allowing each region to adapt the program to its specific needs.