The Ascension Quartet
About Us
A History of The Ascension
The 1970's saw many changes in the world: the first resignation of a U.S. president, the end of the Vietnam War, runaway inflation, oil shortages, and the beginning of rampant terrorist attacks. It was a time of turmoil, a time of people searching for meaning to life, and a time when the Word of God needed to be presented in earnest to a world that seemingly had lost its direction.
It was during this period that The Ascension Quartet, a Southern Gospel group with a mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in song, was formed in a local, Lebanon, MO church. The group set ministry, not entertainment, as its goal. Not content with just the short-term aim of sharing happiness for an hour or two. The Ascension Quartet shared with people how to have the joy of knowing Jesus as their personal Savior for a lifetime.
Today's Ascension Quartet members still share this same goal. Now based in Carl Junction, Missouri, the group travels thousands of miles each year bringing a message of love and joy through song to congregations both large and small. With the focus on ministry, this non-profit group is made up of members who are committed to the ideal that winning people to Christ is the main reason they sing and tell about the love of Jesus. The qualities of each man come together as a team that has the work of the Lord at heart.
While the emphasis of The Ascension Quartet is in bringing their music to churches and worshiping with those congregations, the group also performs in concert settings for private events, fund-raising benefits, state fairs, civic functions, and other ministry opportunities. Many non-church audiences around the country have been given the good news in secular places.
For over 50 years, The Ascension Quartet has brought the message of Jesus to the world, telling thousands that God loves them, and Jesus died to save them.
Why We Do This
Music has always been a vehicle for the Gospel. The Ascension Quartet exists for one reason — to point people to Jesus Christ through the timeless tradition of Southern Gospel harmony.
We believe that God uses music to reach hearts that words alone sometimes cannot. Every concert, every song, every note is an act of worship and an invitation for someone to encounter the living God.
The quartet was born out of a shared conviction that the message of grace, redemption, and hope is too important to keep quiet. We sing because we have been changed, and we trust that the same God who changed us is still in the business of changing lives.
We do this for the church that needs encouragement, for the seeker who hasn't yet found their way home, and for the glory of the One who called us to sing.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to minister the gospel of God's love and faith in music, word, and prayer to the people of Midwest America. To accomplish this, we accept bookings in churches, regardless of affiliation or size, at community events, county fairs, prisons, retirement centers — anywhere people are willing to listen to the gospel proclaimed without compromise. We maintain equipment and transportation that enable us to achieve these goals. But the time is short, and costs are rising. We are standing in faith for 1000 partnerships to realize our purpose.
Our Vision
Our vision is to take the gospel in song as far as we can reach, and to see all within the sound of our voices come to a knowledge of the Truth, become followers of Christ and commit to a life of seeking the Lord, and that they will, in turn, be moved with compassion to take Jesus to their world.
Our Mission
Our mission is to sing in unity, anointed songs that glorify God, explain His sacrifice to the world, and encourage a life-long love affair with Him. We offer the opportunity for people to come to the Lord, pray for any who come for prayer, and offer the outreach of Compassion International to extend our reach around the world.
Statement of Faith
We Believe
...in the Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy; and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct...
One God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, His virgin birth, His sinless human life, His divine miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, His work as our advocate with the Father, and His Personal return in power and glory...
The Salvation of lost and sinful man through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith apart from works, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit...
The Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the believer is enabled to live a holy life, to witness and work for the Lord Jesus Christ...
The Unity of the Spirit of all true believers, the Church, the Body of Christ…
The Resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
Ministries of The Ascension Quartet
First and foremost you'll find The Ascension in the local church.
The Local Church
Our primary call is to reach out to the lost by presenting the Gospel in song. Music can touch a person where the spoken word often doesn't, causing one to pause long enough to hear the gentle voice of the Savior beckoning via the Holy Spirit and calling one unto Himself.
We also want to minister to the Church. Just because one becomes a Christian doesn't suddenly make life a bed of roses. The Bible tells us that in this world we're going to have problems; life is hard. We hope that in the course of one of our concerts we say something or sing something that lifts people up and encourages them in their walk. Jesus tells us over and over again that we don't need to worry, He'll provide for our needs, He'll work all things to our good and He'll never leave us or forsake us. This is a message that many believers need to hear as they are struggling with the burdens of life here on earth. We want to be there to encourage and lift those people up.
The Ascension has qualified ministers as members of the Quartet and is backed by qualified ministers on the ministry Board of Directors. The Quartet is available for conferences and revivals as well as individual engagements.
Retirement Centers
All too often our parents and grandparents it seems are pushed aside by society. Some can't get out like they once did and relatives don't make it in to see them as often as perhaps any of us would like. We enjoy going into retirement centers and spending time with folks, singing about Jesus and encouraging folks that perhaps don't have access to get out and go to a gospel concert like they once did. We consider this to be a vital part of what we do and we try to incorporate these concerts into our weekends whenever possible.
Prisons
There are many today locked away in prisons all over this country. They're paying a debt to society for something that they did wrong. We hope that in the time spent there these people's attitudes change and they are somehow reformed before being reintroduced to society — but all too often that's just not the case. What better way to reform someone than to see them transformed by becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus. It is our desire to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the prisons in the form of gospel music and minister to a group that is often hungry for something different and better, something that brings hope where there has all too often been despair. Jesus Christ is that hope.
Other Venues
The Ascension Quartet sings at music conventions, fairs and events of various kinds. Anywhere that we have the opportunity to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a place we're interested in singing at.
Where We Do This
Where does The Ascension travel?
The Ascension Quartet travels across some 16 states in the middle of the United States approximately 40 weekends out of every year covering thousands and thousands of miles.
If your event or church is somewhere inside the circle on the map below then we'd love to talk to you about The Ascension Quartet coming to your church or event. Now just because you're not inside the circle on the map doesn't mean we wish to exclude you. We just might have to do a little more planning to make it happen.
Currently, all four of us have full time jobs so it makes the longer trips more difficult but not impossible. Email us and let's see what we can put together.
The Ascension Quartet primarily serves the 16-state Midwest region shown above — but no location is too far when the Gospel needs to be heard.