Our Vision
Our goal is to equip communities to create healthy families and individuals–spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If the local church does not exist, our team is committed to assisting missionaries and local Christians in seeing it established. In everything we do, we are committed to sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Our Heart
CompassionLink is an international AGWM ministry developed to serve a hurting world. It is a Christ-centered, development-based approach to helping people help themselves. CompassionLink’s philosophy is that everyone has value, dignity, and potential, no matter their life situation.
Where We Go
CompassionLink is not limited by borders. We have successfully partnered with missionaries and national churches in over 92 countries, helping communities cultivate independence and sustainability while sharing the love and message of Jesus to everyone we meet.
Our History
In 1984, Dr. Paul Williams founded HealthCare Ministries with the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida. The goal then is the same as it is today - to assist our missionaries and the national churches with whom they work in indigenous ministry efforts.
In 1998, HealthCare Ministries, under the direction of Dr. JoAnn Butrin, moved its center of operations to Springfield, Missouri with the goal of being at the hub of regional and missionary worldwide outreach.
While planning for the move to Springfield, JoAnn and Carol Young sat down with pencil and paper and sketched out a building design that would accommodate being able to offer training in multiple arenas of compassion ministries. The building has proven to be a wonderful facility to do so, as hundreds have sat in the large classroom and been trained.
In 2016, HealthCare Ministries joined with the international ministry Sustain Hope to become CompassionLink to better focus on community health and development. Dr. Butrin continued as the director of CompassionLink, while also directing 8 other International Ministries. It was her vision to move the ministry from offering “relief-type” medical care on a short-term basis, to becoming a ministry that walked beside churches and communities to find the root causes of their health needs, while helping them discover sustainable solutions that would improve overall health and well-being.
In 2021, Dwight and Heather McConnell were appointed as the Directors of CompassionLink after having served as the Community Health Evangelism Coordinators for seven years. Their hearts are to continue with the vision of leading the ministry in training in sustainable solutions for communities in need, worldwide.