Called to More: How 20s Are Reaching the Next Generation in Nashville

You graduate. You land a job. You move to a new city. And then, unexpectedly… it’s lonely.

For many postgraduates, the years after leaving college are disorienting. Between moving cities, entering the workforce, or getting married and starting a family — suddenly, life gets busy. With so much change, it can be hard to form deep relationships, and it is easy to slip into loneliness, anxiety, or burnout. Between juggling new responsibilities and navigating the shifting waters of adulthood, oftentimes the priority of making disciples takes a back seat.

That’s why, in the bustling city of Nashville, Navigators are finding new ways to connect those in their 20s to mentorship and community, as well as re-engaging them to be disciplemakers right where they are. Hosting weekly meal nights and pairing young adults with spiritual mentors across the city, the Navigators 20s ministry provides a space for like-minded believers to connect, grow, and be equipped to share the gospel in everyday life.

“We are hoping that they can connect with friends in this community who aren’t just focused on survival, but who see their role in the larger story that God is writing,” Dave Bachman, the Nashville Navigators city director, says.

“We’re not lowering the bar — we are challenging them to all that God has called them to. We are asking them to not just think about themselves and how they are doing, but to press on, considering how to invest in others.”

This past year, Nashville Navigators have discovered a new and innovative way to invite postgraduates to pour into those younger than them: the Disciplemaking Volunteer (DMV) group at Belmont University — a team of postgraduates who commit to mentoring college students one-on-one.

Creating Discipleship Opportunities at Belmont University

Isaac Haight first joined The Navigators when he was invited to a Navigators 20s night after moving back to Nashville post college. A young professional working in a corporate environment, Isaac was involved with the 20s ministry for over three years before feeling called to leave his job to serve in a ministry role.

“When I was in the workplace, I was wrestling with a conviction that I felt like I was wasting my time,” Isaac remembers. “I felt like the Lord had been calling me into vocational ministry and that I wasn’t doing what I was made to do. So I ended up quitting my job after I came home from a mission trip — the rest is history.”

Having connections with The Navigators, Isaac ended up on staff and re-pioneering a campus ministry at Belmont University in Nashville — a collegiate ministry that took a hard hit during the pandemic. Over the past couple of years, Isaac and his wife, Caitlin, have been building up the ministry, and Isaac now serves as the campus director.

As the ministry at Belmont started to grow, Isaac realized that he needed some help — and an idea struck him. What if he could mobilize the young adults in The Navigators 20s ministry to step up, volunteer, and help provide one-on-one discipleship for local college students?

“Because I used to be a participant in Navigators 20s before I came on staff, I knew what the ministry was about, and it felt like a natural connection,” Isaac says. “Navigators 20s isn’t a youth group for young professionals — it’s a space for emboldening, encouraging, and giving them opportunities to actually serve and disciple others. So I knew that offering them a chance to disciple college students would be a ‘hand in glove’ type of situation.”

Presenting his idea and need for help at a Navigators 20s meeting, Isaac asked if anyone would be willing to volunteer to disciple students. Suddenly, he had a team of seven volunteers — all full-time workers who were ready and excited to give their time to mentor those younger than them. This was the beginning of the Disciplemaking Volunteer (DMV) group at Belmont University.

The Disciplemaking Volunteers’ Impact

This past year, Isaac paired up his DMV team with individual students and watched as the Lord grew their relationships with each other and their faith. Each DMV volunteer is paired and meets with at least one student, and then the group comes together once a month to gather and share how their disciplemaking journey is going.

For one volunteer, Jaden, the DMV has been an opportunity to not just disciple one student, but two. A young professional with an 8-5 corporate job, Jaden has been intentionally pursuing Jack and Zach in the midst of a busy work schedule, meeting with each guy every other week.

Over the course of a year, Jaden has walked both students through the book of Titus, and he has watched as their lives have been transformed by the gospel. Jack and Zach have each caught a vision for discipleship, becoming more involved with the campus ministry and developing a heart for passing on their faith to others. Zach has even taken the additional step to join The Navigators leadership team at Belmont, accepting the challenge to disciple someone else.

Jaden’s story is just one example of how the Lord has worked through the DMV group at Belmont, and it is a glimpse into the bigger picture of how young professionals can have disciplemaking impact in spaces where there is a need — on college campuses and workplaces alike.

As the DMV team moves into their second year, Isaac and Justin McCoy (the director of Navigators 20s in Nashville) is looking to recruit 20 more young professional volunteers to disciple college students, expanding the impact at Belmont.

“We might only ever have 10 volunteers — but if we have 10 every year, we’re teaching disciples to make disciples,” Isaac says. “That’s how God’s Kingdom grows exponentially. And just think — if other cities did this … what would it look like to have a ministry of 200 young professionals connected with 200 college students?”

Navigators 20s: Merging Community and Calling

The Navigators 20s ministry in Nashville shows what it looks like to merge community and calling, giving young professionals a space to develop alongside others and learn what it means to pursue Christ in real-world environments.

“I love the idea of starting these little fires that spread in different directions, catalyzing everyday people to minister where they live, work, play, worship, and study,” Dave says. “People tend to come to the 20s ministry with a felt need for community and connection, and we provide that, but we are also calling them to a higher purpose and mission.”

Join us in praying for the DMV ministry in Nashville as 20-somethings are discipling college students, as well as the Navigators 20s ministry across the country as they encourage, inspire, and equip young professionals to spread the gospel right where they are.

Discipleship Tip:

Isaac was able to rally volunteers to help disciple college students not only because college students needed mentors, but because 20-somethings needed a place to serve. Is there anyone around you that would be willing and interested to be more involved in ministry or discipleship, but are seeking an opportunity? Think about how you can bring others into your mission field, inviting and equipping them to make a difference.