JEFF AND ANGIE THOMPSON
INNOVATIVE MINISTRY
The Roseburg Event Center in Marion was a thriving place for weddings, galas, and the like-—bringing people together over food and their amazing built-in catering business. When the COVID-19 pandemic all but squelched gatherings, owners Toby and Diane Middlesworth and their family began dreaming about how they could use the building to serve God through a nonprofit organization.
At the same time, Jeff Thompson was wondering if traditional Western worship was the only way to gather groups of believers together. Jeff’s expertise on doing church well came from a decade of church ministry in Nebraska and another decade of ministry at Converse Church of Christ. Jeff loves the church but found traditional rhythms of worship took tons of maintenance, which left little time for dreaming of innovative ways to effectively reach people beyond the building for the sake of Christ. He was ready to disrupt the status quo for the purpose of engaging the next generation by igniting a ministry with the flame of creativity.
“God’s always been putting it on my heart to do something different…be outside of the box,”
JEFF THOMPSON
“God’s always been putting it on my heart to do something different…be outside of the box,” Jeff says. So he stepped outside of his metaphorical sanctuary box and leaned into what God was asking him to do. Over time, Jeff began to understand that while the message of the gospel must always remain consistent, the method to deliver the message of the gospel can always use some innovation.
He began asking the question, “How can we be creative at growing and expanding your kingdom, God?” And the Lord began to answer. The answers Jeff received came in fits and starts from a diverse bunch of gifted people, but the result was a ministry called “Compass” with an innovative reach to the least churched age group in the United States: college students. This group is looking for direction…for true north. Jeff and his wife Angie (’19) just point them to Jesus.
Angie says, “We called our ministry Compass because it points people to Jesus, just like John 14:6 says- Jesus is the way.” They use this verse to keep them focused. When an opportunity arises for an event or an idea is generated by someone in the community, they assess whether it will effectively point people to Jesus. If the answer is “yes”, then the leaders have the freedom and innovation to try to make it happen.
Jeff is quick to say, “Compass runs as a nonprofit. We are not a church.” While Sunday morning Compass Worship is an aspect of their ministry, there are three other areas they focus on as well. Compass College-Aged Ministry (CAM), Compass Community, and Compass Family. Their status as a nonprofit organization allows for them to partner with area churches in Grant County, offering collaborative events like a girls’ conference, a podcast studio, a worship experience, and more. The Compass Board agrees that they approached the space as a ministry by asking, “What would we offer that’s different?”
Their use of the former Roseburg Event Center provides space to dream and think outside of the box. It’s the perfect backdrop for events because it offers unique space as a venue; recreational areas like sand volleyball courts, a full outdoor basketball court and soon-to-be pickleball courts; as well as a full professional kitchen, capable of providing catering services. And, there is still room to grow.
Tour the Compass building and you’ll see the beautiful blossoming of the former event center into a usable space for practical ministry. The main event space is filled with round tables and chairs, as is typical for an event center-—not for church. However, their innovative approach to teaching the Bible from a stage and then allowing people to share across the round tables with each other—digesting the message together—allows for an amazing and natural opportunity for discipleship. They call this “Table Talk” and, Angie says, “We noticed a shift in this generation of young adults because they really want to engage, and they enjoy relationships. Compass Worship meets that need.”
These gatherings happen on a Sunday and the room is full of many college-age students ready to take notes on a message from Jeff so they can process it together, but the tables aren’t only ideal for talking—they're excellent for eating! The Compass team uses the professional catering kitchen to prepare a hot breakfast for each gathering where attendees can share a meal. Not only do students intentionally connect, but they begin to dream of how they can best serve their sphere of influence with their God-given gifts and abilities.
Jeff admits that college students come to him with ideas and sometimes they can implement them and sometimes they pose questions of purpose and practicality that require the students to be innovative in their own ministry offerings. One example is the weekly podcast, started by students who wanted to extend the Sunday Table Talk discussions. The Compass team brainstormed with the students, purchased equipment, and made the podcast possible.
The heart of the Thompsons and the Compass team is creativity on mission and dreaming alongside the students and community members who approach them with ideas. They have grand visions of what the space could offer in the future-— marriage counseling, marriage retreats, retreats for men, retreats for women, men’s bible studies, and women’s bible studies, concerts, and the list goes on and on.
Jeff smiles when he says, “The creativity of God is endless!” He goes on to explain the evidence of this in language and nature and extends it to ministry. Jeff and Angie Thompson’s vision for Compass is to continue to listen and understand the ministry needs of Grant County and beyond and then find innovative ways to meet those needs. So far, they’ve exercised much creativity with profound effect-— innovation in ministry and a future full of possibility for the next generation of innovators in ministry.
