The Compass Church
- Denomination: Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Size: 4,000
- Website: www.thecompass.net
- Hiring for: Campus Pastor
A crucial need at Wheaton Campus
When a key role such as campus pastor opens at a church, it’s more than just a gap — it’s an opportunity for the team to strengthen the mission and care for the community. For this five-campus church, finding the right campus pastor was vital.
This campus pastor would play a crucial role as the on-the-ground shepherd for the Wheaton campus. His work would revolve around building relationships, developing leaders, and ensuring the church’s mission is pursued consistently as an extension of The Compass Church.
Without a strong leader placed in this role, the church would struggle to maintain the sense of community, care, and growth it valued so highly. They needed to fill the role quickly and focus on their own community and mission throughout the process.
About The Compass Church
The Compass Church is located in the western suburbs of Chicago. United under the mission of “Helping people find and follow God,” they are driven by a passion for seeing life transformation in their community, taking the hope of the gospel here, near, and far.
Each of their five campuses, including Wheaton, operates under centralized leadership while maintaining local campus teams, including Campus Pastors, Worship Leaders, and ministry-specific staff. This structure allows The Compass Church to provide unified teaching through Senior Pastor Jeff Griffin while fostering strong, local communities and ministries.
The Compass Church holds firmly to the EFCA Statement of Faith and maintains robust ministry programs for adults, students, children, and community impact both locally and globally. Whether through weekend services, small groups, youth retreats, or local partnerships, The Compass Church is dedicated to living out the love and mission of Christ in tangible ways.
The ideal candidate
The Compass Church was seeking a Campus Pastor who was relational, mission-driven, and skilled at leading and equipping others. They needed an experienced pastor who could help foster a strong sense of community, develop healthy ministry teams, and lead with strategic vision and a shepherd’s heart.
The ideal candidate would be personally called to evangelism and discipleship and eager to embody the church’s four faith-growth priorities: Pursue Him Daily, Connect in Groups, Serve in Teams, and Reach Your Neighbor. Strong relational, leadership, and communication skills were essential, but just as important was a humble and authentic character.
Strategy and timing
The Compass Church had previously partnered with Vanderbloemen in 2018 to find a Campus Pastor for their Naperville Campus on Hobson Road. When the Wheaton Campus Pastor role opened, they reached out again, trusting Vanderbloemen’s understanding of their culture and leadership needs and access to qualified candidates.
Rick Callahan, an executive search consultant with 34 years of pastoral ministry experience, connected with The Compass Church’s team. Drawing from his deep background in church leadership and his skill in discovering each church’s specific needs, Rick met with The Compass Church team to personally learn their culture, vision, and the specific needs for the Wheaton campus pastor role. He built a detailed candidate profile, capturing what The Compass Church was seeking in a campus pastor.
Rick then passed the torch to Sarah Meggers, a recruiter who is now an executive search consultant. Sarah guided the search process, working to identify the highly qualified candidates with aligned faith and experience. She helped develop a strong first slate by identifying candidates who matched the church’s needs on paper.
Rick and the executive search consultant team conducted interviews with this slate of qualified candidates to ensure they were both a professional and cultural fit. After presenting the strongest candidates to The Compass Church, the church moved forward with their own thorough interview process. Ultimately, they found their ideal candidate from that initial round of candidates.
About Brad Thayer
Brad Thayer rose throughout the interview process as the clear right fit. Coming to The Compass Church from Seattle, Brad demonstrated a strong alignment with the church’s mission, culture, and leadership expectations.
Brad’s background includes:
- 11 years of ministry experience as a lead pastor
- Experience as a teaching and equipping pastor
- A passion for evangelism and discipleship
- Proven ability to lead staff and volunteer teams
- Strong relational, leadership, and communication skills
With a clear calling to move to Illinois, Brad and his family are excited to begin building relationships with the Wheaton Campus congregation and the broader Compass community. He and his wife Carrie have been married for 13 years, and they have two young boys. Carrie is a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Now that The Compass Church has found and placed its ideal candidate in Brad Thayer, the Wheaton Campus is well-positioned for a vibrant future. With a passion for connecting people to Christ and a deep commitment to building healthy teams, Brad is able to make an immediate and lasting impact..
