Compass Bible Church’s
Mission
Compass Bible Church’s
Ministry
Convictions
God is working out his plan to save people from their sins through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). And he invites us to be a part of the process by giving us the ministry of reconciliation as his ambassadors in the world (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). When Jesus established his church, he promised that it would never be stopped (Matthew 16:18). And before he ascended back to heaven, he left us with the monumental task of making disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19). Thankfully, he reminded us that he has all authority (Matthew 28:18) and promised that he would be with us all along the way (Matthew 28:20). The last words of Christ are called the “Great Commission” and serve to define the mission of our church. It contains one main verb: “Make Disciples” with three participles describing the actions involved in this process: “Going,” “Baptizing,” and “Teaching”. Our mission is to make disciples by reaching new disciples of Jesus Christ, teaching those disciples, and training those disciples to make more disciples for Jesus Christ.
Reaching
“Go” is the first part of the command to make more disciples of Christ. Starting in Jerusalem and then spreading throughout the whole world, the disciples of Christ have been multiplying by the power of God’s Spirit (Acts 1:8). Everyone is born in sin and stands condemned before God, with no ability to be reconciled to him unless God atones for their sin and grants them new life (Ephesians 2:1-10, Ezekiel 36:26, Titus 3:4-7). And we know that people will never believe the truth about their sin problem and the solution Christ provides through his atoning death and life-giving resurrection unless someone explains it to them (Romans 10:13-14). This local church was birthed out of a desire to “go” to a new area where many people needed to hear the gospel and believe in Jesus for eternal life, and we trust that God is pleased with that sacrifice (Romans 10:15). We believe that the Phoenix Valley is full of people who belong to God and will be saved by repenting of their sins and trusting in Christ (Acts 18:10).
“Baptizing” was the command for the disciples to place new disciples in water as a public and visible symbol of their new spiritual cleansing and allegiance to Christ. We celebrate God’s saving power through the ordinance of baptism. At Compass Bible Church, we want everyone to be saved from their sin through the good news of Jesus Christ!
Teaching
An essential step in the discipleship process is communication of truth from one person to another. The Greek word for “disciple” (μαθητής) means to be a “learner” or “follower.” God’s word is the essential foundation of everything we teach, because we are not ultimately concerned with the thoughts and theories of man, but in the powerful and authoritative word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2). Jesus commanded his original disciples to teach new disciples to observe or do all that he commanded. Discipleship is not just about growing in academic or theological knowledge, it is also about doing what God commands (James 1:22-25, John 14:15). Our leaders will aim to declare all the truth contained in God’s word, not shying away from unpopular truths (Acts 20:27-28). At Compass Bible Church, we want every Christian to be committed to learning to obey everything that God commands.
TRAINING
Jesus spent three years training his disciples to be the men who would lead the church when he was gone. A crucial step in the discipleship process happens when a new disciple passes on what they learned (2 Timothy 2:2). This is why the majority of the work done in the local church involves some sort of training that comes from church leaders to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). The people of the church should be engaging in the work of making new disciples. Participation in the local church requires effort and engagement with other people on a deeply personal level (Hebrews 3:12-14, 10:24-25). The outcome is a solid group of followers of Christ who are reproducing themselves in others. At Compass Bible Church, we want every Christian to become an effective disciple maker who receives their “well done” from Christ! (Matthew 25:21).