THE SCRIPTURAL COMPASS

When the Church of God of Landisville began its journey to follow the Holy Spirit from an inward to an outward-focused church, our elders started with a prayerful examination of the Word. As we began to sift the data of our particular congregational culture and our distinct mission field, we were drawn to the words of Matthew 9:35-38.

Originally we spoke of this as our scriptural map but as we moved along in our journey, the idea of a compass seemed a better way to communicate to the postmodern mind, especially Generation Xers and beyond. Maps come in various forms. Road maps, for example, mark the locations of various destinations and identify the roads and bridges that have been constructed to allow persons to go from one spot on the map to another. A topographical map focuses on the contours of the terrain of an area--ridges, mountain ranges, passes, valleys, lakes, and rivers. Sometimes towns and villages are included, but a topographical map is about describing the land not identifying the destinations.

When the first explorers enter a new territory, they do not generally have well-developed maps. They operate with a compass. Their first intention is to see what lies within that territory. The compass gives them a sense of direction in what is yet uncharted territory. A compass helps the explorer arrive at a destination even when a map does not exist. You simply need to have a way to orient yourself to "true north" and a general sense of where that destination lies in relationship to "true north" from your starting point.

Postmoderns value mystery, exploration, intuition, experience. They see life as a journey more than a destination. Maps are the tools of destination. They are comforting, sometimes commanding clearly prescribed routes. Compasses are about journey to the destination. The idea of compass fits the imagery of the Church and the Holy Spirit. Christ is the "true north" and the DNA of the Holy Spirit are the compass settings that keep us oriented on the "true north". In keeping with our understanding of discovering the will of God by what be considered the magnetic leading of God, a scriptural compass is a solid metaphor ... the starting point for the theological foundation that gives life to the ministry of the Church of God of Landisville.

This material is from my D.Min. project Fanning Into Flame the Gift: Understandings and Strategies That Effectively Implement a Spiritual DNA of Outreach in a Local Church. (C) 2005 by Stephen L. Dunn, pp. 35-36.