What church often has to hope (6)
I believe the answer is:
aspire
'hope' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
(Other definitions for aspire that I've seen before include "Direct one's hopes and ambitions" , "Have lofty aims" , "Seek (to do something)" , "rise to a great height" , "Hope (to achieve)" .)