In 2013, Compass Bible Church (Aliso Viejo, CA) put on an Equipped Conference titled, “Making the Big Church Small,” because the pastoral staff sensed a need to train people to engage in small groups faithfully and effectively.

Ten years and five church plants later, our goal with this book remains much the same—to equip Christians with a practical guide for engaging in small groups. Each chapter is written by a Compass pastor who draws upon biblical principles and hands-on ministry experience.

Though not exhaustive, the selected topics cover essential components of small group ministry that are scripturally based and fundamental to carrying out the Great Commission. Regardless of your current involvement in church small groups, we invite you to work through this material to become better prepared and more useful to the Lord in his Church.

Partners is a 1-on-1 spiritual growth program intended for both new and longtime believers who are serious about maturing in their faith. This program overviews the fundamental issues of the Christian faith. The program is designed to help you learn how to live an effective, pleasing Christian life.

The ten-chapter program can be completed in approximately 14 weeks. After you have gone through the program, you are prepared to take what you have learned and teach someone else.

Bible Survey for Kids is a simplified system for teaching children the basic themes of each of the sixty-six books of the Bible. It utilizes simple explanations, thought-provoking questions, and directed drawing assignments to embed an overview of biblical content on children’s hearts and minds.

This curriculum is designed for children ages 5 to 11. It includes 66 lessons, one for each book of the Bible. By completing two lessons per week, with each lesson taking around 20 minutes, your child can survey the whole Bible in one school year.

Beyond Bible Basics was created to help parents, teachers, and youth leaders prepare teens for the Christian life. This curriculum teaches teens the fundamentals of the Christian life as taught in Scripture. The study consists of thirty-three chapters spanning ten sections and is designed for your teen to complete one chapter each week.

Each of the ten sections of Beyond Bible Basics deals with a different aspect of the Christian life. The thirty-three chapters include verse memorization, questions to answer, and verses to look up and comment on for each topic they are studying. The sections exhort your teen to apply what they are learning in practical ways. 

As your teen progresses through Beyond Bible Basics, they are taught how to own their faith. We trust that in one school year, they will have the necessary tools to be prepared for the Christian life.