Core Belief
At Compassion Church we stand upon the Nicene Creed as our statement of faith. This creed dates back to the fourth century, when Christians came together and composed this formative and definitive statement. The Nicene Creed has stood the test of time as a standard of what Christians from every stream of the Body of Christ believe. It is more than an intellectual checklist of doctrine; it is a confession of worship that forms us as the people of God and draws us together into the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While we do not recite it often publicly it is the bedrock of our decision making and discipleship.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].* With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*Early versions of the Nicene Creed do not contain the phrase "and the Son."
*Or "universal." This does not refer to the modern day "Catholic Church."
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].* With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*Early versions of the Nicene Creed do not contain the phrase "and the Son."
*Or "universal." This does not refer to the modern day "Catholic Church."
Core Practices
Worship
When followers of Jesus gather in worship, God is active. The Holy Spirit communicates the presence of God in the midst of corporate worship. Declaring the reign of Christ into the atmosphere changes the atmosphere. We believe that one of the ways the Holy Spirit expresses this reign is through the orderly exercise of spiritual gifts and freedom of expression.
Prayer
Prayer is one of the ways for Christians to know God intimately and personally. Moreover, it is in prayer that we participate with God in what He is doing on earth. We discern the heart of God and add our "yes" to His Word and work. Prayer is the engine of ministry at Compassion Church. Each week there are prayer meetings in the Upper Room (Wednesdays and Sundays) as well as various seasons of church-wide prolonged times of fasting. A prayer is that one day we would see
endless 24/7 prayer happening in our Upper Room.
Scripture
The Bible was never meant to be an antiquated book that we go to when we are in need. It wasn't meant to be a resource where verses and authors are taken out of context. Scripture—Both the Old Covenant as well as the New—were always meant to be formational. In other words, the entirety of Scripture is meant to form us as individuals, families, and a collective people declaring the truth of Jesus for today’s culture. In the Scriptures we find everything we need to live an obedient
and faithful life as Jesus followers.
Serving Others
We do not exist for each other. The Church was never meant to be a country club or social “hotspot.” The Church was only ever meant to contain repentant and freed people who have found Jesus and exhaust themselves by sharing his message in the ways God has led them to. We believe that Sunday as well as our mid-week gatherings are a time of celebration and equipping. Everyone has a role to play in serving others through Compassion. We do not buy into the consumer model of church. Jesus told us to “Go.” And so, passionately and recklessly we love and serve.
Discipleship
Given our identity as “Compassion” it is clear that we are called to reach those others are not reaching. To go where no one is going. With this calling it is easy for us as Jesus followers to grow weary and tired in serving others. Because of this we take very seriously what it means to be in community and equipped through biblical study. From classes to gatherings in homes to prayer gatherings—we seek that everyone would find joy, peace, and growth through the various discipleship outlets at Compassion so that their marriages, families, and individual selves would thrive in Christ.
On Mission
We believe that every believer is invited into God's mission of redeeming and restoring His world. As a church, we believe we are called to announce in both word and deed the good news that Jesus is Lord, here and now! This happens through church planting, evangelism, global missions, and local outreach. We are committed to planting healthy local churches as the Spirit leads. As the Lord enables us to raise up leaders with passion for unreached people, our goal is to pay attention to God's work in their lives and to cooperate with it. We take seriously the call to send them out for the sake of the unbelieving world. At Compassion we choose to live each day with Matthew 28:16-20 fresh in our minds. We call this living “On Mission.”
When followers of Jesus gather in worship, God is active. The Holy Spirit communicates the presence of God in the midst of corporate worship. Declaring the reign of Christ into the atmosphere changes the atmosphere. We believe that one of the ways the Holy Spirit expresses this reign is through the orderly exercise of spiritual gifts and freedom of expression.
Prayer
Prayer is one of the ways for Christians to know God intimately and personally. Moreover, it is in prayer that we participate with God in what He is doing on earth. We discern the heart of God and add our "yes" to His Word and work. Prayer is the engine of ministry at Compassion Church. Each week there are prayer meetings in the Upper Room (Wednesdays and Sundays) as well as various seasons of church-wide prolonged times of fasting. A prayer is that one day we would see
endless 24/7 prayer happening in our Upper Room.
Scripture
The Bible was never meant to be an antiquated book that we go to when we are in need. It wasn't meant to be a resource where verses and authors are taken out of context. Scripture—Both the Old Covenant as well as the New—were always meant to be formational. In other words, the entirety of Scripture is meant to form us as individuals, families, and a collective people declaring the truth of Jesus for today’s culture. In the Scriptures we find everything we need to live an obedient
and faithful life as Jesus followers.
Serving Others
We do not exist for each other. The Church was never meant to be a country club or social “hotspot.” The Church was only ever meant to contain repentant and freed people who have found Jesus and exhaust themselves by sharing his message in the ways God has led them to. We believe that Sunday as well as our mid-week gatherings are a time of celebration and equipping. Everyone has a role to play in serving others through Compassion. We do not buy into the consumer model of church. Jesus told us to “Go.” And so, passionately and recklessly we love and serve.
Discipleship
Given our identity as “Compassion” it is clear that we are called to reach those others are not reaching. To go where no one is going. With this calling it is easy for us as Jesus followers to grow weary and tired in serving others. Because of this we take very seriously what it means to be in community and equipped through biblical study. From classes to gatherings in homes to prayer gatherings—we seek that everyone would find joy, peace, and growth through the various discipleship outlets at Compassion so that their marriages, families, and individual selves would thrive in Christ.
On Mission
We believe that every believer is invited into God's mission of redeeming and restoring His world. As a church, we believe we are called to announce in both word and deed the good news that Jesus is Lord, here and now! This happens through church planting, evangelism, global missions, and local outreach. We are committed to planting healthy local churches as the Spirit leads. As the Lord enables us to raise up leaders with passion for unreached people, our goal is to pay attention to God's work in their lives and to cooperate with it. We take seriously the call to send them out for the sake of the unbelieving world. At Compassion we choose to live each day with Matthew 28:16-20 fresh in our minds. We call this living “On Mission.”
How is Compassion Church and it's leaders governed?
Compassion is a nondenominational church. We are not formally attached to any one denomination. We are governed by a team of elders comprised of both women and men of God who work to shepherd the church based on bylaws formulated with the simplicity of the Scriptures (primarily the Gospels and the book of Acts) in mind along side our cultural context. We are working to partner with various like minded churches and networks which will continue to bring innovation and team work (John 17).
Our Lead Pastor is supported and held accountable through our team of Elders which works hard to ensure he, his marriage, family, and growth are healthy and pointing towards Jesus so that he can lead with excellence. This team applies similar accountability to each leader and team member here at Compassion. We believe that a healthy church begins at the top with how we are structured and function. It must be tethered to biblical models of leadership and guidance.
Our Lead Pastor and Eldership team is also under the Apostolic oversight of Bishop James and Maria Murunga of Grace Community Fellowship in Kenya, East Africa. Through a fruitful and deep 18 year bond, Bishop James and Pastor Noah, as well as the Elder team, have walked together in ministry through various seasons. It was over the last few years the Lord revealed to our pastor and team that we needed this level of oversight to ensure we are in correct biblical alignment with the pattern observed in the New Testament. To learn more about their ministry in Kenya please visit: https://gcfkenya.co.ke. James is the first of others we are trusting the Lord to provide who will serve as an "Apostolic Counsel" for Compassion Church and all of its external initiatives. To learn more about our bylaws, governance, and/or financial stewardship philosophy please email [email protected]
Our Lead Pastor is supported and held accountable through our team of Elders which works hard to ensure he, his marriage, family, and growth are healthy and pointing towards Jesus so that he can lead with excellence. This team applies similar accountability to each leader and team member here at Compassion. We believe that a healthy church begins at the top with how we are structured and function. It must be tethered to biblical models of leadership and guidance.
Our Lead Pastor and Eldership team is also under the Apostolic oversight of Bishop James and Maria Murunga of Grace Community Fellowship in Kenya, East Africa. Through a fruitful and deep 18 year bond, Bishop James and Pastor Noah, as well as the Elder team, have walked together in ministry through various seasons. It was over the last few years the Lord revealed to our pastor and team that we needed this level of oversight to ensure we are in correct biblical alignment with the pattern observed in the New Testament. To learn more about their ministry in Kenya please visit: https://gcfkenya.co.ke. James is the first of others we are trusting the Lord to provide who will serve as an "Apostolic Counsel" for Compassion Church and all of its external initiatives. To learn more about our bylaws, governance, and/or financial stewardship philosophy please email [email protected]
