Introducing Compass Groups

The following is a transcript of remarks I made introducing our new small group ministry, called "Compass Groups" The first wave of groups are forming from the 14th through the 28th.

Good Morning!
It is my privilege to officially introduce Compass Groups to you this morning
Let me start by contrasting a Compass with a Weathervane. A Compass will help you find your way, even in a storm. A Weathervane can’t help you find your way, it can only tell you which way the wind is blowing. Ephesians 4:14 encourages us to become mature so that we will not be blown and tossed around by every wind of doctrine. We don’t want to be like the pointer on a weathervane as it spins in all directions. We want to be like the pointer on a Compass, centered on God the Object of our worship.
You are seeing the image of a Compass being used increasingly in our church as we identify our purpose in a simpler and more memorable way. You will hear much in the coming weeks about the terms Higher, Stronger, Deeper, and Farther.
You will hear that:
We want to go HIGHER in our Worship of God; that is North on our Compass
We want to grow STRONGER in our relationships; that is East
We want to dig DEEPER into the study of God’s Word; this is South
We want to reach FARTHER to the lost in our community and the world.
So what are Compass Groups and what is their purpose?
Just before Ephesians mentions Windy doctrines, it says: …we are to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. The purpose of Compass groups is summed up in the Compass Group Slogan “Finding our way forward together.”
A Compass Group is a Small Group. Small groups are made up of 10 or so believers who band together to create a deep bond of relationship. From that relationship comes encouragement, accountability, support, guidance. It is preparation for good works. It is about unity in the faith. It is about attaining maturity and the fullness of Christ.
Our first or introductory wave of groups will be designed to give you a taste of what is to come. For 8-10 weeks, your Compass Group will use curriculum based on this Compass Vision that I have briefly explained. You will be completely free at the end of this Vision Series to drop out of your group and reform with a different group, or your group may want to stay together and deepen the bond you have begun to create. At the beginning of the year, we will begin a second wave of Compass Group formations, and this will truly be the beginning of a long-term ministry of deep and lasting relationships in our body. These groups will be formed with the goal of continuous commitment to each other for up to 24 months from their first group meeting. One desired outcome of this small community of believers is the growth into group leadership of some in the group and the multiplication of the group. We also believe that as our church grows, this will provide a visible set of open arms to any who would worship with us.
The first wave of Compass Groups will begin to form next Sunday! Leaders are committed and in place, and for the next 3 Sundays you will have an opportunity to meet them in person or through a short bio that will be displayed on tables in the courtyard. Again, this begins next Sunday the 14th and continues through the 28th. Today, you will receive a card that asks you some basic information about yourself. These cards will also be available for the next three weeks. You will want to use that card to communicate any preferences you have, and we will use that card to help leaders communicate with you to create your Compass Group. You may place that card in an offering basket or you will be able to turn them in at the tables in the courtyard beginning next week.
Compass Groups are about strong relationships so I want to close with a contrasting true story about failed relationships.
Some time ago, a nun was ministering to male inmates at a large prison. One day, one of the men approached her in the chapel and asked if she would be willing to purchase a Mother’s Day card for him so he could mail it to his mother. She agreed, but as word traveled, she was inundated with the same request from the other inmates. Seeing how large the task was becoming, she contacted a greeting card company, and that company agreed to donate 500 cards to her for distribution to any inmate who desired one. After Mother’s Day, she thought she had better be prepared for Father’s Day as June approached. The greeting Card company again donated 500 cards for the purpose, and she communicated her availability in the chapel as Fathers Day approached. To this day she still has all 500 Father’s Day cards.
While this deals specifically with failing at fatherhood, can you imagine that it also deals with failed marriages? Can you imagine that it also deals with personal responsibility and obedience to authority? Can you imagine that it illustrates the need for others…. Maybe you… to stand in the gap?
In my hands is a newspaper from September 3rd. In it you have 1 gang-shooting into a car. 1 gang-shooting into a home. 1 non-fatal shooting on Garden Hwy, and 3 Fatal shootings, all in a 6 week period. Would anyone like to guess whether or not any of the shooters have loving, engaged fathers at home?
Just above the finish of that article is one about a woman who lost her home to fire. The article ends with her words “At least I have my family, my friends, and God.
Compass Groups will provide each of you with the opportunity to become family to those who have none, friends to those who need a friend, and the hands and feet of Christ to each other.