Starting February 2, 2025

Mission Statement

We exist to glorify God by making disciples in Long Beach

Our Distinctives

At Compass Bible Church we are called to make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:18–20). As we do, we will always work to express and maintain these eight ministry values.

1. The Bible is Central

While the Bible is not an end in itself, it is certainly the indispensable “compass” for our knowledge and understanding of God and his plan for our lives.

Psalm 43:3;  Psalm 119:105;  Psalm 19:7-11;  2 Timothy 3:16-17;  John 17:17

2. We Showcase Expository Preaching

Because God’s written revelation to us is ‘living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword’ it is our intention to allow it to utilize Compass preachers to get to our hearts and minds as they open the word and let its message out. Our goal is that Compass pastors won’t use the Bible to preach their messages, but that the Bible will use Compass pastors to preach its message: God’s powerful and life-changing truth!

Hebrews 4:12;  2 Timothy 4:2-4

3. We Seek to Maintain a High View of God

In a day when many have attempted to reduce God to be their spiritual therapist, it is important for us to remember that God, our Creator, is the highly exalted, transcendent, King of all things. We cannot afford to think less of God than he really is. We dare not respond to him as merely our comfortable friend and fail to worship him as our Sovereign Lord.

Malachi 1:6-11;  Isaiah 6:1-5;  Isaiah 66:1-2

4. We Work to Proclaim a Biblical Gospel

It is imperative that we understand what God’s word says about how one becomes a disciple of Christ and thus a child of God. We cannot truncate, sterilize, simplify, adjust or in any other way modify the message of the gospel that was once and for all delivered to God’s people in God’s word. We will not shy away from clearly articulating God’s truth on heaven, hell, sin, judgment, repentance and faith. It will be our goal to hold tightly to a biblical gospel.

Romans 1:16;  Mark 1:15;  1 Corinthians 15:3-11

5. We Have a Genuine Reliance on Prayer

We understand that the mission, the goals and the values at Compass Bible Church are humanly impossible. We do not inherently possess the wherewithal to make disciples or aid them in knowing, loving and serving Christ. These are works of God and we will always rely on him as we ardently ask him to accomplish these biblical objectives among us.

Colossians 4:2-6;  John 14:13-14

6. We Have Highly Committed Participants

To effectively and efficiently accomplish all that God has called us to do, we cannot maintain the all-too-common ‘20% of the people do 80% of the work.’ At Compass we must always encourage that “each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16b)

Ephesians 4:11-16;  Acts 4:34-35;  1 Peter 4:10-11;  Romans 12:4-5

7. We Will Look to Authentic and Sacrificial Leaders

The kind of people that God calls to lead at Compass Bible Church is extremely important. Obviously our pastors and teachers must meet the biblical qualifications as set forth in the books of 1 Timothy and Titus. Beyond that we expect our leaders to follow in Apostle Paul’s example of being authentic, forthright, honest, hard-working and sacrificial. In a phrase we expect that our leaders set the example of saying to Christ daily: “any thing, any place, any time!”

2 Corinthians 6:3-11;  1 Thessalonians 2:8-9;  1 Peter 5:1-5

8. We Will Always Be Working to Plant New Churches

It is our concern that we work to regularly launch more Bible-teaching churches that are resolved and constrained to move into more communities with a biblical purpose, a biblical mission and clearly maintained biblical values. It is our hope that Compass will never lose its commitment to this end.

Acts 1:8;  Matthew 28:18-20;  2 Timothy 2:2

Our Elders

Jesus promised to build his church (Matthew 16:18) and established Himself as its foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11). In Ephesians 4:8–11, the apostle Paul writes that church leaders are God’s agents in building the church as they equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

Photo of Josh Petras

Josh Petras

Josh currently serves at Compass Bible Church in Huntington Beach, overseeing The Press and assisting with the preaching ministry. Prior to this, Josh served as Pastor of High School Ministry at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, while earning his degree from The Master's Seminary (M.Div, D.Min). Having taught the Bible since 2006, Josh has a desire to see people come to know Jesus, to be satisfied in Him, and to relentlessly serve Him all their life. Josh and his wife Katie have three children - Jude, Chloe, and Sophia - with another on the way in December.

Photo of Bruce Blakey

Bruce Blakey

After 14 years in banking, Bruce entered full-time pastoral ministry in 1991. Bruce spent 24 of those 33 years as the Senior Pastor of Believers Fellowship in San Antonio, Texas. The last 3 years Bruce has served at Compass Bible Church in Huntington Beach, helping to plant a church in Long Beach, leading the weekly Adult Bible Class and ministering in Club 65, a ministry to older believers. Bruce has been married to Roberta for 47 years. They have 3 married sons and 12 grandchildren.

Join Us

Are you considering joining Compass LB from the start? We would love for you to join us in our work of making disciples, especially if you live in the Long Beach / Lakewood area.

We will be hosting four Long Beach Fellowship Nights starting Friday, October 25. These services, held in Long Beach, will include preaching, praise, and time to connect with those who are going to be part of this church family. Attend one of these events to let us know you plan to join the church.

These nights will be focused on foundational commitments of our church:

  • October 25 - Committed to God's Word
  • November 8 - Committed to God's Gospel
  • November 22 - Committed to God's People
  • December 6 - Committed to God's Glory

The night will begin at 6:30, and child care check-in opens at 6:15. The address is 3331 Palo Verde Ave, Long Beach, CA 90808.

For questions, e-mail info@compasslb.com.

Give

The Lord has graciously provided all we need to start the work of the ministry! If you desire to regularly give to Compass Bible Church Long Beach, you can use the link below. We are thankful for your willingness to partner with us in this manner.

Give to Compass Long Beach