Ready to Dive Deeper Into Your Mind Renewal Journey?

Igniting Hope Academy provides courses to empower and equip you with the tools and resources to live a life full of joy, hope, and influence.

Transform Your life

Is Igniting Hope Academy for me?

  • Creates greater connection with Steve, Wendy, and the Igniting Hope Family

  • Journeys with you systematically to provide support along the way

  • Structured conveniently for people on the go

Get equipped

Walk in greater joy, hope, and freedom

  • Get breakthrough in seemingly hopeless circumstances

  • Gain momentum and vision for your life

  • Increase your influence through upgraded beliefs

Meet Our Instructors

Steve Backlund is an encourager, leader developer, joy activist, and a revivalist teacher. He travels extensively throughout the world encouraging churches, leaders, and organizations into catalytic levels of hope. He has a unique anointing to release hope and joy paired with a revelatory teaching gift that creates new wineskins for greater dimensions of God (both personally and corporately).

Steve Backlund

Igniting Hope Co-Director

Meet Our Instructors

Connie Jones is a John Maxwell Certified Coach and Leader Developer. She is a radical encourager with a passion to see the Body of Christ rise up into her magnificent place of identity and authority. She has been blessed to serve the church during the past 25 + years as a youth pastor, associate pastor, senior leader, and itinerate minister. She is a graduate of BSSM and Rhema Bible College and now works for Igniting Hope Ministries. She and her husband, Aaron live in Redding CA with their greatest treasures, their three sons: Joran, Braden, & Jesse.

Connie Jones

Associate Director of Igniting Hope

Meet Our Instructors

Wendy Backlund is a revelatory author and speaker who lives with her husband, Steve, in California. Wendy has a passion for setting Christians free from their past, and empowering them to walk in the fullness of their spirit identity in Christ. She is the author of Living from the Unseen, Victorious Emotions, and more. Wendy has a fervent dream to release hope and revelation of the renewed mind, leading the Body of Christ into life-changing encounters with God.

Wendy Backlund

Igniting Hope Co-Director

Meet Our Instructors

Melinda is a true visionary who loves to build and teach. Melinda believes that we can truly be transformed through the renewing of the mind. Melinda is a licensed pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California. She is passionate about seeing marriages restored and equipping the body in inner healing and deliverance. Melinda’s powerful testimony demonstrates that love conquers all and dreams can be resurrected no matter the circumstance. Melinda is a testament that with God, all things are possible!

Melinda Lagaay

Beliefs Training Director and Content Developer

Meet Our Instructors

Ash Anderson is our Project Manager at Igniting Hope. She has been with us over 5 years and is both a strategic administrator and a passionate worshipper. Ash is very prophetic and loves bringing the voice and leadership of the Holy Spirit into organization and administration. She loves helping people reach goals, take risks, and see their potential in Jesus. Ash is married to her best friend and incredible husband, Luke, and they have a labrador puppy named Donut, one of our newest Igniting Hope mascots.

Ash Anderson

Director of Operations

What Students Are Saying

“A thousand thanks for all the growth and healing received through the Igniting Hope courses and community! I have loved the dynamic duo of mind renewal and the growing awareness of the reality of the Lord's highly effective Spirit realm! Both have been so instrumental in my personal journey. ”

“What I have been receiving weekly for 5 months has impacted my spheres of influence - I receive consistent comments from my leaders about my encouragement, have received leadership roles in these past few months, and have expanded in my hope for my own business and ministry. That is great news! I am so excited about what is coming. ”

“My whole belief system has been completely changed by this course. I am learning how to retrain my brain to hear what the spirit is saying. Thank you so much!”

Are you ready to transform your life?

Igniting Hope Academy