PART 3 – Life On Pit Row

My first thought was to crawl into a hole and die. Instead I crawled away to Guido Gardens in Metter, Georgia to pray and seek God. I also took a trip to North Atlanta to hang out with my friend Gary Lamb and mentor Shawn Lovejoy. I didn’t pour out my guts to them…I just wanted to be around two guys that stay positive and soak up their thirst to follow God. It was my time…however…at Guido Gardens that really made the change. I spent hour after hour in the chapel reading God’s Word. I spent day after day on my knees among beautiful landscapes crying out to God to give me one more chance. It was there…in the quiet…in the brokenness it…the Holy Spirit revealed that I…and Compass Point…was made for something completely different than anything I read about it recent books. I discovered that Compass Point’s future was actually found in the journeys of churches and pastors from the past.

Through fresh vision and God-given direction I began to see that today’s young 20-somethings resemble the hippies of the late 60s in their values, goals and priorities. I began to realize that today’s 20-somethings and 30-somethings with children (a.k.a., young families) are clamoring for the same things that people did right after World War II. As a result I began to pour over anything remotely connected to Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel and the Jesus Movement of the early 70s. I also began to talk with older Southern Baptist pastors about what they were doing back in the 1940s and 1950s…the time when more people were baptized and discipled than any other time in the SBC’s history. It was unreal…because the more I learned…the more God allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to me. I had overcome the mistake of gaining vision from others…and God was letting me see that there was a parallel to what was being done in the past to reach people…and the kind of people Compass Point was trying to reach today.

It shook us up as a church…and it shook me up as a shepherd. In September we began to completely deconstruct the church. We knew that continuing to run without structure, parameters and a firm doctrinal stance would only lead to continued chaos. Numerical growth no longer mattered to us…being a healthy church did. We knew that by being healthy…as a whole…would eventually lead us to more people coming to Christ…more people being properly discipled…and thus more people coming to Compass Point.

In October God allowed five great things to happen to Compass Point…and me.

1. I discovered through a conversation with Perry Noble that you have to shut out the world quite often…even your own staff…and listen for God. The Holy Spirit lays vision on the lead/senior pastor for the church…not anyone else.
2. We discovered the 9 Marks methodology for a healthy church. It has begun to revolutionize what we do.
3. I watched this video about Lonnie Frisbee. He was definitely a flawed man struggling with a secret sin…but I was moved by what I saw churches doing in those days that led to the Jesus Movement. I truly believe it is the key to reaching young 20-somethings, college students and teens for Christ.
4. I discovered this book and this book by Dr. John MacArthur. Whether you love him or hate him…the man has been reaching people for Christ in California and discipling them effectively for many years. It’s obvious the dude knows thing or two about preaching and pastoring!!!
5. Kyle Bridges (our Life Development Pastor) and I went to Mountain Lake Church for the “Best Practices Practicum” to learn how to structure our church for healthy growth. It is the single greatest thing we have ever done in order to curtail the chaos and to get our administrative practices in place for the future.

It wasn’t just one of these things that did it…it was all of these things…combined with constant prayer, deep study of God’s Word and listening for His direction in all decisions.

We also began to understand that todays young couples and families in Polk County are not looking for a church that chases culture. They are looking for a church that is counter-culture. We knew if Compass Point was going to have a tomorrow that we had to stop trying to be culturally relevant today. In really getting to know the unchurched and disconnected people of Lakeland, Florida we discovered that they wanted a church that was authentic in it’s relationships…but also pretty “in your face” with it’s teaching. They didn’t want a church that was trying to keep up with the latest fads…but a church that presented a direct contrast to what the world had to offer. Seeker sensitive, uber-hype and purpose-driven had led folks to feel like consumers…empty souls on a spiritual journey…that seemed to have no destination. They had not been filled by what they found in area churches…they had felt like just another number…and had actually given up on church…and Christianity in the process. In order to reach them Compass Point was going to have to offer something totally different than the other modern and post-modern churches in Polk County. That’s when we decided to go 20th Century retro.

I have no clue what to call it…I have no clue if it’s even a possibility in other parts of the country. But for Compass Point we just refer to it as “how we roll”. It’s not complicated…it’s not complex…but for us…it has worked. We focus on expository preaching, better discipleship and Scriptural discipline when needed. We embrace art and technology…but not to the point where the tail wags the dog. We dumped the secular songs in the service and pumped up the hymns (albeit with loud guitars and drums). We stopped doing marketing and just started going where no other churches go (bars, street corners, pubs, concert halls, rough neighborhoods, etc.). We stopped handing out water to homeless people and started taking them out to lunch in order to actually build a friendship with them…instead of some “I touched a homeless person” hyped up church event. We forgot about reaching the masses and started worrying about reaching the one. We quit trying to use Sundays as an outreach tool and just started trying to worship God better and teach His Word without compromise. We stopped looking like every other church in Lakeland…and it began to work. We dropped all of the cute slogans and vision statements…our mantra became…

1. Study God’ Word
2. Follow God’s Word
3. Share God’s Word

…all without compromise. It’s pretty simple…yet pretty hard to actually live out at times. We stumbled some…still do…but it’s becoming a little more natural for us. In the landscape of modern church growth technique and planting strategies…what we are doing doesn’t make sense. It defies what is working elsewhere…and makes more work for us in some areas. Yet…for Compass Point it is proving successful.  I have no clue if it would be elsewhere?!?!?

In the last three months we have rebounded. Our people have responded and have started bringing disconnected friends to church and mid-week Bible studies. The sheep are still pretty messy…but we are seeing so much more life change. Our Sunday attendance have consistently been growing and setting new records with each passing week. During the holiday when most churches experiences slumps…we experienced growth. Our revamped discipleship strategy seems to be working…through it is still in the developmental stage. Our giving level has almost tripled…with some folks giving way above their tithe. We have been more active with servant outreach projects…and getting more local word-of-mouth buzz than if we had mailed out 50,000 postcards.

I have no clue if it will last. I have clue what will happen next. I just know it is God’s hands and he is blessing  the shepherds and the flock of Compass Point at the moment.  We spend every waking moment in fear of doing something stupid that will cause God to take His favor off of us.  It’s a great place to be…

Thus ends the story.