March's Congregational Business Meeting affirmed Dominick Wong's call to Compass's Lead Pastor. Dominick was then offered the position and accepted.

 

February's Congregational Business Meeting and Corporation Business Meeting voted in 7 individuals to serve as Deacons.

 

November's Congregational Business Meeting successfully voted in the new Constitution and Bylaws.​

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​October 14, 2025

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Dear Compass Family,
 
Two of the most important responsibilities for any congregation are (1) to create governance that opens healthy, biblical ministry and (2) to select healthy, responsible, spiritual leaders who will shepherd the flock of God and chart the course of one’s vision. Though we will not be voting on any new men to serve as Elders this year at our upcoming Congregational Business Meeting, we will be voting on the proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws of Compass Church.
 
You have an opportunity on Sunday, November 9 to join our church family as we determine how we operate as a church in new Bylaws.
 
An Amendment to the Proposed Constitution and Bylaws—Important Notice
 
Robert’s Rules teaches, “At the time that an agenda is presented for adoption, it is in order for any member to move to amend the proposed agenda by adding any item that the member desires to add, or by proposing any other change.” In our case, we discovered during our Q&A Sessions that there will be an amendment to the proposed Constitution and Bylaws that were already sent to you. It is a very minor change concerning the percentage of votes to approve various topics in a congregational meeting. No one is proposing to change the actual required percentages in the proposed Bylaws, but our document includes numeric markings that make those percentages confusing—things like the marking, “<.” It requires an amendment to remove those simple numeric markings.
 
The Impact of the Amendment on Absentee Voting
 
This amendment impacts everyone who plans to vote with an absentee ballot. The Bylaws under which we currently operate state in Article 2, Section C, “A member of the Congregation who is unable to attend a Congregational Meeting may obtain an absentee ballot from the Church Office.”
 
Here's the challenge with absentee ballots. If an amendment is added, the person who submitted an absentee vote is not in the meeting to hear all discussion and changes. Therefore, that person is not privy to potential changes of intention or rule. They cannot enter into that discussion because they are absent from the meeting. Their absentee vote is therefore basically counted as a no vote when amendments are offered.
 
How does that impact us? Because we know we will put an amendment onto the proposed Constitution and Bylaws, if you were planning to vote by absentee voting, then your absentee vote will automatically be counted as a no vote. Using an absentee vote removes your ability to strengthen the future governance for Compass.
 
The Solution to the Impact of an Amendment on Absentee Voting
 
Here’s the easiest thing to do if you know you cannot be present at the congregational meeting. Don’t vote by absentee ballot. Ask someone who will be at the meeting to serve as your proxy vote. They can then vote for you so that your vote can be part of this crucial step to strengthen the ministry of Compass Church. It’s that easy.
 
What should you know about proxy voting? Note the following:
 

• When you give a proxy vote to someone, you are giving that person the right to vote for you. Hopefully they will vote the way you prefer. So, choose someone who knows you well enough.

• You should first ask the person you’d like to hold your proxy vote. No individual can hold more than two proxy votes. So ask if the person is already holding proxy votes from other people. If so, then ask someone else.

• You need to write a note that this person does indeed hold your proxy vote. Be sure to sign the note with your own signature. The person who holds your proxy vote will give your note to the official table at the congregational business meeting for the purpose of integrity in voting.

• If you prefer, there are proxy slips available at the Welcome Center and in the Church Office you can fill out and sign.

 
It’s a pretty simple system, and it allows you to engage with our church family to strengthen our operations and governance.
 
Join the last Q&A Session on November 2 at 6:30 pm in the Great Room if you have not yet been able to ask questions and learn about the changes. We look forward to your involvement. Thank you for being part of our family at Compass.
 
In Christ’s Grip,
 
Paul Utnage

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September 20, 2025

 

Dear Compass Family,
 
We are excited to start our process to discover Christ’s guidance for a new Lead Pastor at Compass Church. Please help our search process by completing an online congregational survey on the attached link by Sunday, October 5, 2025. The information will be collated by Holy Cow Consulting.
 
This is a great opportunity for every one of us—church member, regular attender, new and tenured, student and adult—to be part of the pastoral search process. Your participation will provide an up-to-date, insightful picture of our church’s vitality and perspectives for our Lead Pastor search and status at Compass Church. We appreciate your help with this survey by adding your honest insights into our Compass world.
 
You might be wondering, “Didn’t we already do a church survey in December 2024?” Your observation was correct. Our focus ten months ago was on the state of the church after the turmoil in 2024. We learned a great deal that created the focus of our intentional interim season.
 
However, we want to create the most effective pastoral search by understanding our current state of affairs at Compass. We want to discover how we’re doing right now, not how we were doing a year ago. What are we experiencing right now? What do we hope to experience in the next season when a new Pastor is added to our church family?
 
As you complete the CAT Survey, please be sure to reflect about Compass’ ministry during 2025. So please ask yourself, “What do I think about this statement in today’s ministry?” Rate each statement according to what we currently experience or what we have stated is our aspiration for this new season of ministry.
 
Please note that the 105-question assessment normally takes 15-25 minutes to complete. It must be completed in one sitting; you will not be able to stop and return to the survey. So please plan accordingly.
 
You can complete the survey by clicking on the following link: Compass Church Columbia Survey
 
If you are unable to complete the survey online for some reason, you may complete a written copy. Copies are available at the Welcome Desk on Sundays. If you must complete the written survey because of health, travel, or business, please return the written survey to the church office before October 5 so that someone can input your answers for you.
 
Thank you for taking time to complete this survey. We are very grateful for your authentic participation and insight.
 
Sincerely,
 
Paul Utnage
Interim Lead Pastor

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September 8, 2025

 

Dear Compass Family,

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After being tasked by the Elders with reviewing the church’s Constitution and Bylaws, the Governance Team has completed an amended Constitution and Bylaws for approval at a duly called congregational business meeting on Sunday, November 9, at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. 

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The Team reexamined every Section of every Article by asking three basic questions. First and foremost, is it biblical? Second, is it reasonable? Third, is it us? After their initial review, the Team included input from an Christian attorney who has served several churches in our EFCA Central District. The final result is an amended Constitution and Bylaws that is legal, effective, and faithful to the identity of Compass Church and the Evangelical Free Church of America. All Elders and Church Board members unanimously accepted the Governance Team’s proposed document on August 30. You can read about the Team, process, and highlights in the below FAQs additions. 

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We have enclosed a written copy of the proposed Constitution and Bylaws for your review, as required in our current Compass Bylaws. Please note that we also enclosed an easy chart that delineates some of the proposed changes. We believe we have proposed a healthier governance document for the future. 

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If you prefer to compare the current Constitution and Bylaws alongside the proposed document, we will provide written comparisons at the church building. You can well imagine that the comparison document is quite long, so we will not be mailing those documents. Feel free to pick up a copy at your convenience if you would like to compare versions. 

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Church members will vote whether to approve the proposed Constitution and Bylaws at a duly called congregational business meeting that is open to all. Childcare will be provided. The business meeting has only three agenda items, as follows:

1. Approve the proposed Constitution and Bylaws.

2. Approve the proposed 2026 church budget. 

3. Select nominated officers of the church for 2026.

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Members of the Governance Team, Elders, and Church Board will be available for a presentation and Q&A times about the proposed Constitution and Bylaws on three occasions for your convenience so that the business meeting itself does not go long. 

• Thursday, September 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Great Room 

• Sunday, October 5, 9:30 a.m. at the Great Room

• Sunday, November 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Great Room

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You can learn more, ask questions, or interact at one or more of these opportunities. Additionally, if anyone is interested in a one-on-one conversation with an Elder, Pastor, or member of the Governance Team, please feel free to do so. 

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We strongly believe we have strengthened the leadership and ministry of the church for many years to come with the attached Constitution and Bylaws. We look forward to seeing you on November 9.

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In His Name, 

Paul Utnage, Governance Team, Elders, and Church Board

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Who was involved in updating the church’s Constitution and Bylaws?

The group who worked on the Constitution and Bylaws the most was the Governance Team, created during our intentional interim season. The Governance Team included Steve Scott, Danny Bottorff, Hannah Boote, Isaac and Ashley Van Doren, Justin Dersch, and Martin Appold, with coaching and consultation from Paul Utnage. The Elders and Church Board then accepted and approved the recommended document. 

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What was the goal for the Bylaws?

The goal was to strengthen the ministry of the church with an amended Constitution and Bylaws for the future good of the church. The Governance Team began by evaluating the current Bylaws. They asked questions, such as: What topics should be removed from the current version? What topics should be updated from the current version? What topics should be added to the new version? The Team evaluated the Bylaws section by section. As they re-wrote the proposed version, they considered metrics for each Article, such as: Is the section biblical? Is it reasonable and effective? Is it healthy? Does it accurately describe who we want to be in the future? The Governance Team worked hard to create these amended Bylaws so that the church could begin a search for a new Lead Pastor. 

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Is the proposal one document or two documents? How is the one document organized? 

The proposed document is one document that includes information and direction that was traditionally covered in two documents in past decades. Current recommendations encourage churches to create one document so that you guarantee greater alignment. 

 

Article 1 in our proposal covers information about the Corporation, much like older Constitutions. Don’t feel anxious about that word, “Corporation.” The “corporation” refers to the practices of the church as a legal, not-for-profit entity under the laws of Missouri and federal tax -exemption requirements. It’s a legal thing and Compass has been a “corporation” in Uncle Sam’s view ever since its inception. 

 

Articles 2-7 cover information about the Church, much like current Bylaws. Since Bylaws are for the internal use of the church—in other words, how will we operate together as a church?—the Bylaws include the description of how the church, as a legal entity, will operate. This insulates individual members from liability for the church as a whole, and protects the orderly business of the church.

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Article 8 covers information about Indemnification for the purposes of both Corporation and Church. 

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What model of governance or polity is proposed in the Constitution and Bylaws?

You may have historically heard people talk about the ideas of “governance” or “polity.” Some people hold to a classical “congregational model.” Others hold to a classical “Reformed elder-led model” or “Episcopalian model.” At Compass—and in the EFCA—we chose to ignore the labels of classical polities because neither extreme fits the Scriptures. We simply focused on the privileges, responsibilities, and authorities of the congregation, Elders, Deacons, Pastors and church staff, and various ministry teams. 

 

We clarified the roles and responsibilities of the Elders and staff. We also protected the responsibilities and authorities of the congregation much as you have known them. We also clarified and strengthened the pathways for the congregation to get help if the congregation ever loses confidence in the church’s leadership. You’ll be able to read all these clarified things in the Bylaws. 

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What is Article 4 about Deacon Ministry? Is this something new?

Article 4 is definitely new to Compass, and yet it’s not new. Let’s explain. Compass Church initially established a Church Board to support and align with the Elders. The church assigned responsibilities for both entities. However, the Bible does not refer to anything like a “Board.” It doesn’t even use the word. It does, though, talk about Deacons who serve the church alongside the Elders. Deacons—both men and women who serve in the role—biblically provide extraordinary service and mercy in various ministries throughout the church (see Philippians 1:1 where both elder and deacon are mentioned). In our history, the Church Board at Compass has been serving in ways similar to the biblical idea of Deacons. The proposed Constitution and Bylaws seek to align Compass with the biblical instructions about church leaders, as well as the standard practice in churches associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. This proposal strengthens a ministry that is often the flag ship of a church’s service. 

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The role of Deacon is not an authoritative office—that is the role of elder. We are not creating two Boards that might vie against each other, nor are we creating two “authoritative” positions. The role simply refers to the recognition, affirmation, and confirmation of men and women who provide extraordinary service in a particular ministry. 

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Does the proposed Bylaws strengthen the church’s ministry for the future?

The Governance Team, Elders, and Church Board believe the proposed Constitution and Bylaws strengthen the clarity and operations of Compass Church’s future. We humbly propose them for your consideration. 

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How can I learn more or ask questions?

Please join one of the opportunities for discussion and questions that will be provided by elders and the Governance Team:

• Thursday, September 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Great Room 

• Sunday, October 5, 9:30 a.m. at the Great Room

• Sunday, November 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Great Room

You may also ask for a one-on-one conversation with a Governance Team member, elder, or pastor. 

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Update: August 30, 2025

 

Dear Compass Family, 

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Discovering the best choice for pastoral positions today is no easier than it was when the early church chose a successor for the vacated position among the apostles. God, of course, guided the first-century Christians to his choice as they prayed. We trust, as well, that God has already begun to work in our employment search for a new Lead Pastor.

 

You can well imagine that membership on a Pastoral Search Team is an incredibly important part of this employment process in the long-term vision of the church. Would you please be part of this process by nominating candidates who might serve as qualified members of the Lead Pastor Search Team? 

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The Lead Pastor Search Team should be composed of eight individuals. Paul Utnage will serve as the non-voting facilitator-coach. That leaves seven other members—two elders, one Board member, and four church members, according to our current Constitution and Bylaws. You can help by making nominations for this Team. 

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Before you nominate anyone, be wise. No one should make a recommendation lightly. As you consider possible nominations for the Search Team, the standard for your evaluation should be the following qualifications that align with the type of man for whom we are searching. Please prayerfully take each qualification for Search Team members seriously. 

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• Does this person have the time availability and flexibility to adequately serve on the Search Team? Members will have two or three meetings in October through November. They will then have another couple meetings in January until candidates are ultimately identified by the professional employment search firm, Chemistry Staffing. At that point the Search Team will likely have at least one meeting per week for a while. Time will be needed outside the meetings for watching sermons and additional conversations in the process. 

• Is this person committed to and excited about Compass’ vision, ministry, and future? 

• Does this person adhere to the Statement of Faith at Compass? 

• Does this person have a consistent practice of prayer and biblical devotions in his or her life?

• Does this person consistently and regularly attend worship?

• Has this person demonstrated involvement in one or more ministries of the church?

• Does this individual exhibit spiritual maturity, demonstrated by humility, wisdom, and a joyful attitude?

• Does this person have healthy relational skills—i.e. active listening and a team orientation? Does this person hold his or her opinions lightly so that he or she has no need to dominate or demand their own way? 

• Does this person have one or more of the following spiritual gifts: teaching, pastor-teacher, encouragement, leadership, wisdom, or discernment? 

• Does this individual have basic computer and website skills? Search Team members will be online for a good amount of time. 

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You can nominate names by completing this online form.

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All nominations will be passed to the Elders for consideration. The Elders will then invite a group of men and women from the nominations of the congregation to serve on the Search Team. Quite obviously, more individuals will be nominated for service on the Search Team than is possible to include. So please pray for wisdom for the Elders as they consider these recommendations. 

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Thank you for your involvement and prayers. 

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In His Name,

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Paul Utnage 

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Update: August 1, 2025

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Even though summer heat with occasional cooling spells is still forecasted, the turning of pages on your desk calendar reminds us that Summer will ultimately dissipate. Autumn will be upon us. Our internal body clocks will instinctively switch to a new season. We’re “wired” to always being on the move. Seasonal changes subtly change our focus, don’t they? So, it’s helpful to know where we are and where we are going with our intentional interim at Compass Church.

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The following Report is provided to update you about the progress of several key initiatives undertaken during our interim season. You’ll notice that we are quickly moving to the next stage in our interim. To alert you to this “circadian” change, this report includes:

• Summary of General Goals

• Pastoral Search Preparations

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Summary of General Goals
The general goals for the interim season, initially created and approved in December 2024, were as follows:

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1. To teach and model grace and hope so that gospel-living is re-ignited in the congregation’s mindset, language, and relationships.

 

We have been working on this goal from the beginning, and we trust we’ve seen good movement and confidence.

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2. To strengthen the emotional, relational, and spiritual health of the church so that the congregation can receive a new Lead Pastor who can then move forward with the congregation well, without the chains of past struggles.

 

We have sought to turn our historic strengths into future strengths, such as strengthening midsize groups, friendliness, fellowship, children’s ministry, and student ministry. We continue to work at strengthening Sunday School and family ministries, including the hirings of Heather Scott as part-time Director of Children’s Ministry and Ethan Cole as part-time Young Adult Coordinator.

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The Elders continue to meet with identified individuals and couples who were hurt by the church or church leaders; our purpose here is reconciliation and relationship that honors God. Although this is a quiet, confidential, “behind-the-scenes” action, it is truly a game-changer for the church’s culture and testimony. Pray for the elders as they move forward.

 

3. To create and model leadership convictions, constructs, structure, and culture that is not based on one “personality-driven” person, but rather is expanded throughout the church with newly refreshed and trained leaders.

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We are currently studying Acts on Sunday mornings because the book of Acts helps us to understand the purposes and work of the church, service, and outreach.

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The Elders continue to approach shepherd-leadership from the vantage point of gospel-centered ministry. Elders and Board members, along with staff Directors, regularly meet together to create greater communication and working relations in the church. This is a crucial step to strengthening leadership constructs and culture, as well as better communication between leaders. They will be meeting again in August to more clearly delineate the responsibilities and communication lines among church leaders.

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We have established a relationship with a new financial management and accounting organization to strengthen our financial stewardship.

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The Elders have finalized several important Position Statements that clarify Compass’ perspective about issues important to church ministry, such as Marriage and Sexuality, Christian Counseling, Women and Church Leadership, Intellectual Property Rights, and others. It is important to have these documents before beginning a pastoral search. As well, the Governance Team has finalized their draft of a new Constitution and Bylaws for the church. It is currently being reviewed by an attorney to assure that all proposals are legally sustainable and healthy. Once this step is finished, the congregation will have plenty of time to review and vote on new Bylaws. Additionally, a new Employee Handbook is being reviewed by an HR Specialist to assure the health of the staff.

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4. To re-charge and equip more leaders and volunteers with momentum for both the present and future ministries at Compass.

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5. To take concrete steps towards a “conversion church” that seeks to grow primarily through new conversions and outreach.

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We will focus on the fourth and fifth goals after the pastoral search has officially started.

 

Pastoral Search Process
We have begun steps to prepare for a pastoral employment search. Elders are working with Paul Utnage about the search process, initially determining whether a Search Team will work alongside a professional employment firm or will work alone. There are great advantages to each option—neither option is a poor choice. Pray for wisdom for the elders in this decision.

We will create the Profile of the Pastor in August. Church leaders begin on August 9 to consider the chemistry of the church that is desired for the pastor. The whole congregation is then invited to participate in two important conversations:

A Town Hall on Sunday, August 17, 6:30 p.m. with pot-luck desserts. Paul Utnage will summarize the whole pastoral search process to give you a comprehensive understanding of what a national search looks like and what a pastoral employment search entails. You are invited—come and learn the many facets of what’s involved in a pastoral search process. As well, our conversation on August 17 includes an informal survey to craft the profile and priorities of the new Lead Pastor. Everyone at the meeting will be part of this conversation. Mark your calendar for this important meeting.

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A second CAT Survey of the congregation, September 6-13. As we did in December 2024, we want to again survey the congregation to describe the needs and strengths of the congregation. We do not want to simply use the first CAT Survey.  The first CAT Survey provided information to create interim goals. The results of this second CAT Survey will be used in the pastoral search to give a clear, detailed understanding of the church to pastoral candidates. This is an important step in the process because it helps a candidate discern whether he fits the needs and strengths of the church.

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After these first steps, a Search Team will be created to align with the Profile of the Pastor and the needs of the process.

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Thank you for your service in the vision of Compass Church. If you have questions about the status of the interim season, please feel free to ask any Elder, Board member, or Paul Utnage. And as always, please pray that we will stay focused on the needs of the church and interim season.

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Update: March 20, 2025

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On Sunday, March 16th the congregation voted to approve two new elders who have felt the call to serve Compass Church in this way, and whom went through the vetting process with Paul and the elders, Andy Kramer and Mark Freemantle. Join us in welcoming them and please keep them in your prayers as they jump into shepherding and leading. We also acknowledge Scott Harris for his faithful service as an elder, as his interim term comes to a close this month.

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One of the immediate goals of our intentional interim season is to strengthen the stewardship practices and integrity of Compass Church. Jesus talked about handling our finances in such a way that we bring glory to God, even in the marketplace. The elders and church treasurer decided on Wednesday night to outsource and contract with a local bookkeeping and accounting service. Please be in prayer for wisdom as we begin this process of interviewing and contracting with trustworthy accounting services so that our congregation has the greatest confidence in our stewardship integrity and practices. If you have any questions, feel free to ask an elder or the church treasurer (Shelly Hoenert - treasurer@compassefc.com).

 

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Update: March 2025

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At our Town Hall meeting on Feb. 23rd, Paul shared with us an abbreviated summary of the results from the CAT survey along with his proposed strategic plan. This plan is supported by the elders and has begun implementation. To read the document he shared at the meeting, you can view it by clicking here. For more thorough CAT survey results or to see the copy of what was shared at the meeting, you can email Paul.

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More information will be shared at the Congregational Meeting on March 16th. Please plan to bring a dish to share for the potluck at 5:30pm, and stay for the meeting at 6:30pm. Childcare will be provided, and there will be several important topics brought up, including topics that require congregational vote.

 

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Update: December 2024

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Paul has developed a strategic plan from his interviews and the CAT assessment.  This plan has been reviewed with the Elders and will be communicated to the congregation at a Town Hall meeting on 2/23 (6:30 pm).  We would like everyone to share in a desert bar upstairs at 6:00pm.  Bring treats that work well for walking about and mingling (cookies, cupcakes, etc). Please plan to attend.

 

If you have any questions for the elders or Pastor Paul regarding this season at Compass you can reach them via email:

Paul Utnage - paul@compassefc.com
Elder Board - elders@compassefc.com