Compass is a Christian leadership development program for high school students. Selected students participate in an unforgettable 1-month immersion adventure and an ongoing 3-year mentoring program.
IMMERSED FOR 1 MONTH
The 1-month immersion is called the RMI--Real Ministry Immersion. Students who are selected to participate in the Compass program kick off their Compass experience at the RMI. They are immersed in a unique context in which opportunities to connect with God and with peers are cultivated and in which the necessities of considering a life of leadership and ministry are confronted. The RMI is based at the Gordon College campus and is staffed by Gordon-Conwell faculty and staff. It consists of three back-to-back expeditions:
| Wilderness Expedition |
|
|
| Theological Expedition |
|
|
| Ministry Expedition |
|
|
A nine-day wilderness adventure in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in partnership with the La Vida outdoor education program at Gordon College. La Vida has over 40 years of experience in the Adirondack State Park working with youth in outdoor education. Visit 
A theological exploration led by Gordon-Conwell professors on the seminary’s main campus on Boston’s North Shore. Gordon-Conwell is one of the top seminaries in the world and has a century-long heritage of training students for leadership in the church.
An overseas trip where students are challenged to lead and minister in ways they have never imagined. Past projects include working in orphanages, leading church worship services, participating in evangelistic efforts, helping establish a church plant, helping in a home for street people, instructing English language programs, participating in sports programs, and leading church-based children’s programs.Real...
It's real because when you are living in community with people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 1 month, you can't help but be real. Real strengths, real weaknesses. Real tears, real joy. Real sights, real smells. It's all real.
Ministry...
This world is hurting. We know that. And the God who created it and redeemed it is calling you to use your talents and resources to minister to those around you. How is God calling you? The RMI is designed to explore that very question.
Immersion...
If you want to learn how to swim you’ve got to get wet. The RMI is an opportunity to jump into the deep end and learn more about God, about others and about yourself.
MENTORED FOR 3 YEARS
After the RMI, each Compass student is mentored for three years by a pastor or other church leader. Students and mentors meet at least twice a month for the first year and then as they best determine for years two and three. Mentors help students process their RMI experience and walk alongside them these crucial years as they make major life decisions and seek to follow God’s call. Mentors also supervise student leadership and involvement in a ministry context. Compass provides support and resources, including discounts to select seminars and programs offered by the Ockenga Institute of Gordon-Conwell. Through its mentoring component, the Compass program seeks to encourage a lifestyle of mentoring, both in the lives of individual students and mentors as well as corporately in the life of the church.
CHANGED FOR LIFE
Compass began in 2002 with the generous support of the Lilly Endowment, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana as part of its Theological Programs for High School Youth initiative. Over the past ten years Compass has helped nearly 300 students from 27 states find their way.
