Who We Are
Compass Church is a dynamic, Bible-believing church family impacting the southwest valley of Phoenix. If you are looking for a place to belong, learn, and serve, come and see what God might have for you at Compass!
Our Vision
A church is like a magnificent sailing ship — one of those glorious old vessels cresting the waves and taking your breath away. Our Captain is Jesus himself. He’s the one who sets our course; he’s the one who gives the orders. We are his crew. He has brought us all together, and equipped each of us with unique abilities and assignments. When we all work together to carry out our Captain’s instructions, we enjoy smooth sailing and an effective voyage.
Our sails billow full with the power of God’s Spirit as he pushes us forward -sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but always at his pace. Our final destination is home; we are looking forward to that place our Captain has prepared for us, where we shall enjoy all eternity in his presence.
But this ship has set sail on the dark waters of our community and our culture. All around us people are drowning. Some of them are aware of their danger, and are eagerly seeking a rescue. But many of them continue to tread the waves of life, unaware of their peril. Our Captain has ordered us on a rescue mission. Our task is to go overboard to reach out to others, to draw them on board and introduce them to the life-changing love of Jesus, to empower them to become a part of his crew and be trained in fulfilling his expectations for their lives, and to encourage them to join us in rescuing even more of our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
We Believe
About The Bible
The Scriptures, both Old & New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.
About God
In one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
About Jesus
That Jesus is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins, according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Advocate.
About The Holy Spirit
That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
About Man
That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
About Salvation
That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become children of God.
About Communion & Baptism
That water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
About The Church
That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ of which He is the head.
That only those who are thus members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.
That Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church, and every local church has the right under Christ to decide and govern its own affairs.
About Jesus’ Return
In the personal and premillennial and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this “Blessed Hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
About Eternity
In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.
Our Values
As we seek to carry out God’s purpose for our church family, there are many important values which help to shape our course and give us direction in making strategic decisions.
Truth Over Human Opinion
Each of us has a wealth of experience, ideas, and expectations, especially when it comes to the dynamics of a church family and to our faith. However, God is our authority, and the truth of the Bible is our “operations manual.” The emphasis is never on what we think about a situation or choice, but on what God thinks.
God's Leadership Over Human Politics
As a church family, we strive to submit to God’s authority, and to make decisions in a setting of prayerful consensus. Though individuals and groups make decisions about our affairs every day, we strive to minimize politics (and thus the potential for human “power”) as much as possible. Rather than having boards or committees, we work through task-oriented teams. Even our staff operates as a team of equals, each gifted and responsible for unique aspects of ministry.
Vision Over Status Quo
Without a clear understanding of where we are headed, the probability of our having a successful journey is severely limited. We are a “work in progress;” God continues to move through us and all about us, and change is a way of life. Though many people fear the unknown that change introduces, we are confident that what is unknown to us is always known to God, and that change is a necessary ingredient of growth.
Effectiveness Over Tradition
Traditions are comfortable and familiar, and often hold a certain emotional warmth and security for us. However, we evaluate our ministry not by its comfort and familiarity, but by its effectiveness. Our goal is not to be a church that pleases ourselves, but rather one that pleases God. When God is pleased, then we are pleased. When traditions help to accomplish God's purpose for us, we embrace them. But flexibility for the sake of effectiveness is an important value in all that we do.
People Over Programs
A church is not a series of programs, or a building, or a business, or anything like that. A church is a gathering of people, each with individual needs, experiences, and abilities. They are the focus of what we do and how we do it.
The Needs of Others Over Our Own
In our consumer-driven society, it is easy to approach any church family and ask, “What can they do for me?” However, this is not God’s plan. Instead, he wants us to ask, “What can I do for God with them?” Self-sacrifice, kindness, compassion, and helpfulness are all important aspects of belonging to a church family, and they leave little room for selfishness.