Love & Care Ministry
Throughout Scripture we see God seeking the benefit and welfare of all people. Whether it be in Isaiah where God challenges Israel to share their food with the hungry, provide the homeless shelter, or to clothe the naked (Isaiah 58) or Jesus who lifts up those in need of hope in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. From beginning to end the desire of God is that all of humanity would be able to encounter His love through the love and care He desires to provide. This work has now shifted to those who follow Jesus--the Church. We have been called, anointed, and equipped to help equip men and women of God of all backgrounds and places in society for whatever is needed to receive the love and care which will enable them to find what is needed to emerge from wherever life may have led them. At Compassion, this pillar is always at the forefront as we seek to develop initiatives which help empower people with the love and care of the Kingdom both locally in our community and globally. Often times this pillar will be intertwined with our last pillar, "Outreach & Strategic Missions Operations."
Throughout Scripture we see God seeking the benefit and welfare of all people. Whether it be in Isaiah where God challenges Israel to share their food with the hungry, provide the homeless shelter, or to clothe the naked (Isaiah 58) or Jesus who lifts up those in need of hope in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. From beginning to end the desire of God is that all of humanity would be able to encounter His love through the love and care He desires to provide. This work has now shifted to those who follow Jesus--the Church. We have been called, anointed, and equipped to help equip men and women of God of all backgrounds and places in society for whatever is needed to receive the love and care which will enable them to find what is needed to emerge from wherever life may have led them. At Compassion, this pillar is always at the forefront as we seek to develop initiatives which help empower people with the love and care of the Kingdom both locally in our community and globally. Often times this pillar will be intertwined with our last pillar, "Outreach & Strategic Missions Operations."
Strategic Level Prayer & Spiritual Warfare
We know full well that the vision God has given our church will always be under attack. Whether it be a church, a peron, or a family--the enemy will always seek to destroy wherever the Gospel and Kingdom of God is at work. Knowing this, we take seriously the greatest weapon we have been given: prayer. In 1 Corinthians 10:3 it states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does." The way we wage war is through strategic prayer and intercession recognizing we are equipped for battle by the Holy Spirit. This of course is not the only purpose of prayer but it is a very important one for us. Our pastor has always stated, "To the degree we are a praying church; to that same degree we will see God do amazing things within and through us." This goes for devotional prayer as we minister unto the Lord as well as strategic level intercessory prayer. This pillar is crucial to our health and growth. We live out this pillar as we pray at all gatherings as well as our prayer times together throughout the weeks, months, and year. We trust that as we continue to be persistent in the area of prayer we will see a revival through our efforts and intercession which God will use to alter the moral climate of the community and region around us.
We know full well that the vision God has given our church will always be under attack. Whether it be a church, a peron, or a family--the enemy will always seek to destroy wherever the Gospel and Kingdom of God is at work. Knowing this, we take seriously the greatest weapon we have been given: prayer. In 1 Corinthians 10:3 it states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does." The way we wage war is through strategic prayer and intercession recognizing we are equipped for battle by the Holy Spirit. This of course is not the only purpose of prayer but it is a very important one for us. Our pastor has always stated, "To the degree we are a praying church; to that same degree we will see God do amazing things within and through us." This goes for devotional prayer as we minister unto the Lord as well as strategic level intercessory prayer. This pillar is crucial to our health and growth. We live out this pillar as we pray at all gatherings as well as our prayer times together throughout the weeks, months, and year. We trust that as we continue to be persistent in the area of prayer we will see a revival through our efforts and intercession which God will use to alter the moral climate of the community and region around us.
Effective Discipleship & Leadership Development
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus made abundantly clear what He desired His disciples to focus on: making disciples. At Compassion, we do not seek to make members, attendees, or satisfied customers. Our desire and efforts are focused around helping each person grow in their identity as Jesus followers. Whether it be through our weekend gathering or various other avenues of training and teaching--all of it is geared towards growing the church into a place of maturity. This means we take seriously all areas of Scripture and seek to interpret and follow the best we can to model our lives after Jesus. Apart from growing as disciples, we also believe that the area of leadership in the church matters. God desires that within the Church leaders rise up and use their giftings and function in the role's God has called them to. Whether they be the motivational giftings found in Romans 12 or the more specific functions (not titles) of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher observed in Ephesians 4:11--we seek to create a culture where team ministry abounds due to the honor and respect given to the various roles and giftings present within. Whether the individual be a woman or a man, we believe all are capable to function in these leadership roles within the body of Christ under the spiritual authority and guidance of the Compassion Eldership team and Apostolic overseers (See "Beliefs"). When this emphasis is present in the church, we return to what Jesus had always intended: team work ministry where men and women of God are equipped, raised up, and released into the ministry God has called them into.
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus made abundantly clear what He desired His disciples to focus on: making disciples. At Compassion, we do not seek to make members, attendees, or satisfied customers. Our desire and efforts are focused around helping each person grow in their identity as Jesus followers. Whether it be through our weekend gathering or various other avenues of training and teaching--all of it is geared towards growing the church into a place of maturity. This means we take seriously all areas of Scripture and seek to interpret and follow the best we can to model our lives after Jesus. Apart from growing as disciples, we also believe that the area of leadership in the church matters. God desires that within the Church leaders rise up and use their giftings and function in the role's God has called them to. Whether they be the motivational giftings found in Romans 12 or the more specific functions (not titles) of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher observed in Ephesians 4:11--we seek to create a culture where team ministry abounds due to the honor and respect given to the various roles and giftings present within. Whether the individual be a woman or a man, we believe all are capable to function in these leadership roles within the body of Christ under the spiritual authority and guidance of the Compassion Eldership team and Apostolic overseers (See "Beliefs"). When this emphasis is present in the church, we return to what Jesus had always intended: team work ministry where men and women of God are equipped, raised up, and released into the ministry God has called them into.
Outreach & Strategic Missions Operations
A healthy church is one that has eyes for those in need of the message of Jesus. What we have is what the world needs. Naturally then, all efforts within the Church ought to have a focus that extends outside the Church. We do not grow as disciples and leaders to become better version of ourselves. We walk these paths so that Christ may be formed within us to deeper degrees so that the world might see and hear the message of hope. Our vision of "Jesus, Hope, and Love for All" is less a statement and more of a command from the Lord. We exist to grow and become healthy so that our church might become a hub of Spirit led activity which strategically engages the unreached and unserved in ways that expand the Kingdom of God. Locally we are seeking to see this happen as we evangelize and eventually plant new works out of Compassion. These would not be satellites or "brick and mortar" church buildings but rather organic gatherings of new disciples meeting anywhere, being reached through our strategic efforts of evangelism and church planting. This pillar applies globally as well as we seek to execute and develop transformative efforts to reach people with the love and care of the Gospel in various ways. Some of those ways have included the formation of children's homes in India as well as at the present with what we call "sustainable economic initiatives" with our mission partners. These are projects focused on areas like livestock purchase, farming acreage for families, fish ponds, water wells being drilled all for the purpose of alleviating hunger and poverty since all of these means can become income producing. We also focus our efforts on food distribution, Ukraine relief efforts, COVID relief supplies, and more. As a team of Elders we trust the Holy Spirit will lead us in each season with strategy from above.
A healthy church is one that has eyes for those in need of the message of Jesus. What we have is what the world needs. Naturally then, all efforts within the Church ought to have a focus that extends outside the Church. We do not grow as disciples and leaders to become better version of ourselves. We walk these paths so that Christ may be formed within us to deeper degrees so that the world might see and hear the message of hope. Our vision of "Jesus, Hope, and Love for All" is less a statement and more of a command from the Lord. We exist to grow and become healthy so that our church might become a hub of Spirit led activity which strategically engages the unreached and unserved in ways that expand the Kingdom of God. Locally we are seeking to see this happen as we evangelize and eventually plant new works out of Compassion. These would not be satellites or "brick and mortar" church buildings but rather organic gatherings of new disciples meeting anywhere, being reached through our strategic efforts of evangelism and church planting. This pillar applies globally as well as we seek to execute and develop transformative efforts to reach people with the love and care of the Gospel in various ways. Some of those ways have included the formation of children's homes in India as well as at the present with what we call "sustainable economic initiatives" with our mission partners. These are projects focused on areas like livestock purchase, farming acreage for families, fish ponds, water wells being drilled all for the purpose of alleviating hunger and poverty since all of these means can become income producing. We also focus our efforts on food distribution, Ukraine relief efforts, COVID relief supplies, and more. As a team of Elders we trust the Holy Spirit will lead us in each season with strategy from above.
