Dr. Andrea Humphrey, affectionately known as Dr. Dre, embodies a remarkable blend of roles: Pastor, Author, Speaker, Coach, and Leadership Specialist operating with humor, and a grounded demeanor. She navigates seamlessly between her roles as CEO of I.Q. Training Inc., Founder and Lead Pastor of H.O.P.E.’s House International Ministries, and President & CEO of the Hope Community Development Center in Granada Hills. With an innate ability to recognize greatness in others, Dr. Humphrey’s mission transcends borders, as she travels worldwide empowering women to embrace their full potential.

Dr. Humphrey’s call to ministry started at age 17, during her time at her home church in Berkeley Mt. Zion.

“We had an all-night youth prayer meeting, and it was there while praying that I had what seemed like a movie playing in my head where I was standing in an auditorium preaching to thousands of people. Honestly, I didn’t quite understand it, additionally two scriptures that I didn’t know came to mind and when I looked them up and both referenced the word of God being in your mouth. I then met with my youth leader and let him know I think I was called to preach the gospel. He heard me and prayed with me and then confirmation began to happen repeatedly.”

Seamlessly navigating between her roles as a successful corporate executive, wife, mother, pastor, coach, author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Dr. Humphrey does find one more challenging than the others.

“Hands down being a mom while operating in all those other roles! Children don’t come with a handbook, there are business books, coaching books, even conferences for church planting, grow your church seminars etc., but children? That is still one of the hardest jobs in the world and getting tougher daily with social media, technology and all the things that command our children’s attention. While saying that, the answer for which is most fulfilling is the same answer. I have traveled all over the world but being a mother to two incredibly smart, kind, and beautiful girls is the greatest legacy I have.  The joy of watching them grow, learn, and find their way has been the joy of a lifetime.”

H.O.P.E.’s House is Dr. Humphrey’s church in which she founded. She used her real life lessons she learned from being a member of past churches to help create a healthy environment for church goers.

“My husband and I were part of a church for 17 years serving in everything from the deaf ministry (I am an interpreter), to Watts children’s ministry, the praise team, Juvenile Hall bible studies, running college outreaches etc.  That church literally had no checks and balances or safety nets to prevent the pastor from building his own kingdom through manipulation and control. When it was all said and done, the church ultimately imploded and people scattered, hurt, and broken and some vowing to never do organized church again. I knew the call on my life was not broken, nor was the word of God and my heart was to give people hope, something that was deeply missing from that ministry.”

In very quick time Dr. Humphrey realized that her calling was attainable.

“We (my husband and I) started a bible study on Cal State University Northridge’s campus and before long, hundreds of college kids were coming (maybe because we feed them good weekly?). It was the students that encouraged us to start a church in our home and that led to us starting H.O.P.E.’s House Christian Ministries (Hope, Opportunity, Purpose, Encouragement).  In short order, we had over 70 people in our home for church and of course for Sunday dinner, I would cook Collard Greens, Fried Chicken, Yams, Mac’n Cheese, Peach Cobbler, and it became clear we needed a building. September 2003, we found a building and 250 people showed up to the first service saying they had been waiting for us to start and bring Hope to the Valley! That was 20 years ago and our ideologies have impacted thousands over the course of time. I am now helping young church planters with their journey and passing along knowledge and wisdom from all the land mines I stepped on along the way so that they have an easier path to walk. Internationally we are impacting orphanages in Kenya & Uganda and Eswatini. I travel to churches all over the world helping leaders train up young people and expand their reach, it is a tough time to be a pastor but one of the best times to have a history that is integral with fruit that remains.”

H.O.P.E.’s House recently celebrated 20 years of operation and in that time Dr. Humphrey has seen tremendous growth within the individuals she preaches to.

“We started with college students, feeding them, paying tuitions, housing them etc. 20 years later those students are now 40+ years old with families and aging parents.  We no longer have tons of backpacks we are moving out the aisles but strollers! We are still instilling hope, giving young people opportunities to learn and grow in leadership, helping them find their purpose and encouraging them in their gifts. We have 6 churches that have been planted out of Hope’s House and countless leaders, worship leaders, pastor, and ministers all over the world helping other churches grow and flourish.”

Dr. Humphrey believes that perspectives and evolving theology is shifting in the direction of not only acceptance but encouraging women to function in ministry leadership roles. Keep it locked right here to aspireTV for more uplifting stories of the people in our own communities.