The glow of thousands of faces lights up the room, a powerful testament to the spread of the gospel from generation to generation. 

This was one of the many special moments from The Navigators 2023 National Staff Gathering.

Last month, over 1,300 Navigator staff came together in Irving, Texas. The theme of the weekend was Heartbeat: A Vital Movement of the Gospel, focusing on 2 Timothy 2:1-2: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (NIV).

The gathering held five plenary sessions, which were designed to inspire, uplift, and challenge staff attendees to continue the work to which they’ve been called. Staff heard insights on the Lord’s vision for grace, necessary aspects of prayer, and how He works through each and every one of us to reach the nations and spread His mission.  

Staff members also enjoyed times of fun and laughter, along with encouraging ministry stories from new and old friends, breakouts to equip and multiply disciplemakers, precious times of prayer and worship, and motivational messages from fellow Navigators and international leaders. 

For many, the National Staff Gathering was a reminder of why they became Navigators — to be a part of a vital movement of the gospel by connecting, resourcing, and developing everyday disciplemakers. 

Though this conference looked back over the past four years since our last National Staff Gathering, we also took time to look forward to the work that is ahead of us as a ministry. You can partner with us as we continue this work for years to come! 

Pray that the Lord works through The Navigators to reach the unreached and create new disciplemakers. Come alongside us to spread the gospel and disciple those in your circles, from family members to coworkers to neighbors and beyond.

Whether you serve on staff or through your everyday life, we are excited to see how the Lord moves through this next season of ministry!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV).

Discipleship Tip:  

Pull out your phone and find a photo of someone you’re discipling or have discipled. Pray for that person and reach out to offer them encouragement.

While many who have been impacted by The Navigators have come on staff or joined EDGE Corps, (two-year collegiate ministry internship), others have helped carry on our mission right where the Lord has placed them in their everyday callings.

Rick Bereit is one of those longtime everyday disciplemakers.

Years ago, after serving in the military for over 20 years and having impactful relationships with Navigators such as LeRoy Eims, Joe and Pam Holt, John Boyd, Paul Drake, and Harvey Oslund, Rick wondered if it was time to pursue full-time ministry.

When he talked to a Navigator at a couples’ retreat about going on staff, he received a surprising answer: “He said, ‘No! We want you to stay right where you’re at. In the military, you have more access to people than any Navigators staff could have!”

From that point on, Rick had a changed perspective. Going on staff was a precious calling, but it wasn’t the “next step up” as he had thought previously. Learning how to make disciples wherever you’re at is important, and this is something Rick has instilled in those he has discipled for many decades.

Rick remarks, “We want to keep them in their occupations in their locations in their neighborhoods where they’re insiders.”

Discipling New Believers

Rick has a soft spot in his heart for new believers who have never been discipled because that was a part of his personal story. After coming to faith at a Billy Graham crusade in Phoenix, Rick entered the Air Force Academy with a hunger for Life-to-Life Discipleship^®, though he didn’t have the words to express it at the time.

Through the Lord’s guidance, in 1967, Rick met an upperclassman who encouraged him to memorize Scripture through the Topical Memory System (TMS). While serving in the military, he also formed a deep relationship with LeRoy and Virginia Eims.

“I was able to watch his life, his family, and Virginia’s life, and he was the guy that got me started walking with the Lord,” Rick recalls.

Navigators have left deeply formative impressions on Rick’s life that he has passed on to people he has discipled.

“As I look back over my life, and I look at my own habits and how they were developed, I can point to a Navigator that challenged me in that area,” Rick reflects. “I heard Harv speak several times about generously, sacrificially giving… I got to hear Jim Downing talk about meditation on Scripture… a missionary talked about reading through the Bible in a year, so I set up the habit of reading through the Bible every year.”

Over many decades, Rick has followed the Lord’s calling as he’s discipled people from all walks of life. At the Air Force Academy, he knocked on freshmen’s doors and started discipling 14 of them once a week through a Bible study.

Those he discipled went on to become a pastor in New England helping other pastors incorporate disciplemaking in their ministries, an aviation mechanic who took care of airplanes in South America for missionaries, a woman who moved to South Africa to disciple women in college, a couple who regularly practice making disciples in Poland, and so on.

When asked why making disciples is so important today, Rick answered, “I’ve done this for 60 some years, and I can point to people that are walking with God and the impact that those people are having in other people’s lives. I can’t think of anything more exciting than that in the Christian life — to spend a little time with someone and then just see them blossom and flourish and become fruitful themselves.”

Since the beginning, The Navigators have been equipping people like Rick on how to make disciples and  impact generations. We can only imagine what the Lord has in store for the years to come.

Discipleship Tip:

Consider where God has positioned you—where you live, work, and play. Have you thought about how to make disciples there?  Who are the people you cross paths within each of these positions? Name one friend in this circle of influence and invite them to hang out.

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Malachi’s eagerness to grow spiritually was soon evident, and he was invited to join a smaller group of Marines who intentionally ministered to others.

“I started listening to these guys talking about specific people they’d shared the gospel with in their circles of influence. That was such a challenge for me,” he says. “That was the beginning of me looking outward instead of just at myself.” The next day, he shared his faith with a guy he worked with at the base. It was a lot easier than he’d thought!

Through the group, Malachi began to understand what laboring looks like: “abiding in Jesus and inviting others into that.”

As Malachi’s time in the Marines neared its end, Navigator staff Zachary Mills invited him to stay in Jacksonville for more training in discipleship. The two began to meet every Thursday for dinner at Zack’s house. Malachi loved the challenge of the questions Zack asked: “Why do you think that? What are you asking God for?” Malachi was struck by how Zack responded to what he shared. He was “quick to listen and slow to respond,” he says.

Malachi believes the deepest impact of their time together was simply observing how Zack interacted with him and his children. “He demonstrated some qualities I’ve always wrestled with,” Malachi says.

Malachi longed to have the same impact on others that Navigators had on him. He saw the power of Life-to-Life^® discipleship, of watching other believers live out their faith. After Malachi left the military in November 2021, he decided to join The Navigators on staff.

Following Zack’s example, Malachi and his housemate open their house to Marines. For some, it’s become a weekend home: a place to hang out, discuss deep life issues, look at Scripture together—and have fun!

Malachi helps facilitate a small group in the Camp Lejeune Bible study and meets with men. He finds joy and purpose in seeing those he is discipling grow in Christ and get excited about reading the Bible together and praying together.

Life in the military can be a hard road, but God is at work even in the hard places. Jesus acknowledged that “in this world you will have trouble” but He promised hope and peace to those who follow Him (John 16:33 NIV).

Through Life-to-Life discipleship, Zack and Malachi share that hope in Jesus with those who serve our country.

Discipleship Tip:  

Find someone who follows Jesus and ask them honest and challenging questions about their relationship with God. For example, “Where are you energized in your relationship with Jesus and where are you struggling?” Then invite them to ask you similar questions.

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When we read the gospels and observe Jesus’ life and ministry we most often notice what he did for the crowds.

He taught them, fed them, healed them, and even John noted that if every work Jesus did while on this earth was written down, the world could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25). There’s no question that Jesus had and still has a heart for the world! 

Because of that, it comes as a surprise to many that amidst all that Jesus did for the masses He spent approximately 85% of His time with just 12 men.

It wasn’t because of a lack of care for the masses that Jesus focused on the few…but rather quite the opposite!

Jesus focused on the few for the sake of the many! His method for reaching the world was through building deeply into a select few and teaching them to do the same.

Jesus loved everyone, helped many, but invested in just a few. If we hope to take the gospel to the ends of the earth His method must also become our method.

“Ask God to give you one.” The same challenge that Dawson Trotman gave to Les Spencer in 1933 that started The Navigators can be our starting point today.

“These men helped me understand what it meant to have accountability and to live out the Great Commission,” says Major Craig. “It was at Lewis-McChord that I started getting up early in the morning to spend time with God. That meant 5 a.m., since we started our work assignments at 6 in the morning. This practice has stayed with me and still is important to my faith life.” 

A subsequent posting at Fort Riley after he got married, gave Major Craig and his wife the opportunity to be discipled by a Navigator couple. This helped his wife share in the vision of what it could look like to have a ministry mindset as part of a military family career. 

Now back at West Point as an instructor, Major Craig is active in spiritually mentoring cadets as the officer-in-charge of Navigators. One of the cadets, Calvin*, is the son of a Navigators Military family whom Major Craig met while he was at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. 

Calvin was asked by Major Craig to lead a Bible study during his junior year. Initially he was unsure about whether he had enough Bible knowledge to lead. “I talked to my father about leading a study,” says Calvin. “He reminded me that teaching is one of the best ways to learn, and that being challenged is a great way to grow in my faith. I decided to step up and lead. Our schedule is pretty intense, but unless I invest in my faith, I won’t keep growing spiritually.” 

PRAY for continued growth and depth among the cadets and faculty involved in Navigators Military at West Point. Pray that cadets will catch the vision for how fulfilling the Great Commission can be part of their daily life in a military career.

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A heart for prayer and disciplemaking grew during Doug’s time at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Doug intentionally sought out Ron Koehler, Navigators Military, and asked to be discipled by him. While the Academy has a number of different Christian ministries, including The Navigators, the midshipmen are pressed for time, so unless a midshipman is committed to investing in spiritual growth, it can easily fall by the wayside. 

“While at the Academy, the Lord made it clear that if I really wanted to keep growing closer to Him, I should spend time with mentors who really know Him,” says Doug. “I looked for a man who had walked closely with God through his life and reflected the fruit of that kind of life. I knew if I wanted to be more like Jesus, I would need to learn from a man who reflected His love and power. The best way to learn from a man like Ron was to consistently walk through life with him.”

Ron and Marleen Koehler (Navigators Military) have served at the Naval Academy for 21 years. Prior to that they were in Africa and Eastern Europe. As he serves midshipmen, Ron describes his focus, “God has impressed on me the importance of convictions and connections. When I am meeting with a midshipman, I ask the harder and deeper questions, to get to the convictions of their heart. I am listening and coaching, not telling them what to do, but helping them study God’s Word and listen to the Spirit. Also, I want to build connections with them while they are here and connect them to Navigators Military at their next duty station. To be lifelong disciplemakers they need to stay connected to a like-hearted community. When we were serving in Africa, we had the luxury of time to build relationships. Here I have learned to be quick, because they have so many demands on their time.”

In the same way that Doug sought out Ron to learn as a disciple, Marines are seeking out Doug for growth and encouragement. One Marine asked if he could read a psalm together with Doug each day. They are using the time together to read a psalm, pray together (using the sequence of prayer- ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) and then talk about the psalm.

Life-to-Life^® Discipleship is more than a Bible Study

The weekly Bible study among the Marines in Okinawa has been growing as people invite their friends to the study. Along with studying the Bible together, they are catching the vision of sharing life together as well. Marines are sharing Scripture with one another at different points during their workday, in person or by text.

Most of the transformational ministry work Doug, Dean, and Ken partake in revolves around daily life—in the workplace, the chow hall, and recreation. This is the meat of the ministry—walking together through the highs and lows of everyday life just as Christ walks with them. The goal is for men to see that the Christian life involves all of life.

The heart for relationships is evident. Doug shares, “Each of us has grown in disciplemaking. We see our time in prayer and Bible study as part of being the hands and feet of Christ throughout our normal days. So our relationship with Christ is not isolated to Bible study time. As we’ve invited men to events on the weekend—exploring Okinawa, playing soccer or volleyball—we are impacting men who may never step into a church without having real relationships with us. Dean and Ken have taken young Marines under their wings and shown them the love of Christ through Christian brotherhood. They are available to the movement of God in our squadron.”

Going deeper in relationships means being sensitive to the pace of God’s work in someone’s life, and their willingness to engage. It’s being together in life at the pace the Marine needs at the time—walking, crawling, or running.

Walking Together Through Hard Places

Many Marines are dealing with difficult situations in their current lives, or from their past. Many of the men in the Bible study are actively showing the love of Christ to brothers in the squadron who are experiencing trials most young adults would never imagine facing. The everyday encouragement is making a difference in their lives and work. This is an example of the Marines who are willing to go deeper in relationship with those around them.  

Ken shares this assessment of the needs: “Please pray for some who are struggling with depression and even suicidal thoughts. For many in our squadron this isolation on their first deployment, surrounded by a dark culture of heavy drinking, vulgarity, porn, long hours at work, and harsh attitudes has made some increasingly desperate for a greater hope. It’s this realization of depravity that I think the Lord can use to reach many!”

As a result of the community of disciplemakers in this squadron of Marines, many who knew God in the past are turning back to Him. God has restored their desire to know Christ and walk in increased obedience. Others have no past experience with God but are refreshed by the love of Christ they experience in the community and are drawn to know more. 

Join These Marines in Prayer

Although you may be miles away, you can pray along with Doug, Dean, Ken and other Marines for a rich harvest among those serving in Okinawa. 

• Pray for those who are not yet following Jesus, that they will see the love of God and hope for life reflected in these faithful Marines and they will choose to follow Jesus. 

• Pray for the leaders of the Bible study, that they will be faithful to serve and invest deeply in disciplemaking relationships. 

• Pray for the continued ability to meet and grow as the body of Christ despite time constraints and shift crews on different schedules.

• In the midst of changing assignments and frequent moves, pray that God’s Word will take root deeply and these Marines will be disciplemakers for life, regardless of their surroundings.

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After many years of marriage and ministry to military personnel, God had already impressed on Mike and Pam (his wife) that their family legacy was the spiritual children they had among the Marines and their spouses whom they had discipled, since they had no physical children of their own. 

Now, as the years passed, Mike realized that the children of their spiritual children were also part of their legacy. While he had been praying for his sons in the faith, now he added prayers for their children. Along with praying for these grandchildren in the faith, he intentionally engages with these children to help their parents train them up in the ways of the Lord.

“There are three things I talk to kids about,” shares Mike. “Their vision for their life, how to make decisions, and how to speak like a mature person. For example, I might ask a 15-year-old boy what he would like his life to look like in 10 years, when he is 25. This helps him consider where he is headed and how he might get there, not just his life right now.”

One night Mike was scheduled to meet with Thomas*. The two spend man-to-man discipleship time together each week. Thomas called and asked if he could also bring his teenage son, Daniel*, along with him, “We are struggling in our relationship and at each other’s throats.”

Mike invited them both into conversation. He knew that Daniel had spent many of his growing up years with Thomas deployed. Now, as Thomas is retiring from the Navy as a Corpsman, he is home more, and they are trying to figure out how to relate to each other. After asking some questions and observing, Mike offered a suggestion for them to try in resolving conflict, “Think about establishing some rules of engagement for when you fight.”

Thomas and Daniel went home that night with an assignment from Mike, and also the knowledge that someone cared deeply about their father-son relationship and would keep walking with them for the long haul.

The extended family of spiritual relationships is evident in Mike’s walks around his neighborhood. Years ago, his vision was that as much as possible, he would invite the people he was training and equipping to live within walking distance in their neighborhood. He was aware that for military personnel, part of the sacrifice of service was leaving behind family. So establishing a spiritual extended family ministers to their need for community: “God sets the lonely in families,” Psalm 68:6.   

Now, Mike can walk a few minutes from his home and see Silas and his dad, Jon Martin (Navigators Military), working on an addition to their home. Mike has spent time training Silas in construction skills, as part of Silas’ home school curriculum. Now Silas is putting those skills into practice, along with his dad, on their family home. The Martin family shares the vision of being in an extended spiritual family and will use their new space to host a former Marine as she will go into ministry outreach for women who serve in the Marines.

Praise God that He meets needs for connection and family, along with growing generations of disciplemakers, through Navigators Military. Do you have an extended spiritual family? Who has God placed in your sphere of influence for you to pray for and disciple?

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Now a drill sergeant, Jason trains civilians into U.S. Army soldiers—but he exclaims, “Ministry is my job!” What he means is that as a soldier, he is bringing the gospel and discipleship into everyday places. From the moment he hit the ground at Fort Benning with his trainees, he applied his Navigator training: praying for and seizing opportunities to model and share Christ with them.

One day he overheard some trainees talking among themselves about Jesus. Here was his opportunity! He asked, “What are you guys talking about?”

This exchange opened the door for Jason to talk about his faith, and he took the opportunity to share a Scripture verse he’d memorized and what it meant to him. To Jason’s surprise, his trainees began asking him for the “word of the day,” so day after day he would share another verse with them.

Several weeks later, the chaplain announced there would be a baptism event down at the river. God allowed the seeds of the gospel to grow through faithful steps of sharing the Good News. Jason, the trainees, and the chaplain partnered together—resulting in 180 trainees in the battalion wanting to be baptized and start following Jesus! Since so many needed to be baptized, the chaplain asked for volunteers to help. Jason jumped into the river to help with the baptisms that day. He got to take off his drill sergeant hat and rank and baptize many. Twenty-seven trainees who were in his direct care (half of his platoon) became his brothers in Christ that day!

Directly afterward, Jason was able to invite those soldiers to join him in an on-the-spot “spiritual instruction” class in the company area. Now, whenever it’s his turn to stay overnight in the company area with the trainees, he offers a voluntary discipleship class in which he presents a Navigator illustration such as The Wheel or The Word Hand and opens up the time for questions. He has the opportunity to share with soldiers how to be a Christ-follower in the Army.

When Jason is back at home, he spends time with his wife and children, teaming up with Haley to lead a gathering of believers on Sunday nights for fellowship and training. They dig into the Scriptures, worship, and pray together. They also discuss how to share Christ and disciple others!

God is igniting the next generation of disciplemakers to reach and equip those serving our country. This is only one example of many! Rejoice with us and be encouraged to keep praying for, looking for, investing in, and sending more “spiritual drill sergeants” like Jason.

Praise God for those who reach out to and disciple active-duty military personnel and their families. Pray that generations of disciplemakers will have an eternal impact on those serving our country.

_{*Names changed.}

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Today men and women are being trained in all the military branches and are serving as active duty disciplemakers, faithfully following Jesus in every place our military is stationed. Some disciplemakers who have retired from the military choose to live near a military installation, offering their availability to reach and disciple active-duty troops and enjoy the benefits of access to the base.

Navigator Associate Rabi Singh is one such retiree. He became involved with The Navigators at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During his time on active duty with the Army, Doug Cote (then an active duty disciplemaker) discipled him. Later, Navigator staff Cecil Bean trained him to make disciples. Throughout his entire 21-year military career, Rabi sought out Navigator mentors and younger men to pass on what he was learning in his walk with Christ.

After retirement, Rabi, his wife, and their four children moved to Jacksonville, Florida, near Naval Air Station Jax. Since then, he has been praying for faithful sailors to pass on what he has been taught. In addition to praying, he regularly scours the base, initiating conversations with those he comes across, looking for anyone who is curious about Jesus, wanting to grow in Jesus, or wanting to learn how to make disciples of Jesus.

Last summer, he met Isaac*, a Navy corpsman, who was interested in a Navigators Bible study in his barracks. A couple months later, Philip*, another corpsman, saw them studying the Bible and joined in. Ever since, Rabi has been intentionally building into these men, and others like them, through prayer, reading the Bible, living everyday Life-to-Life^®—the rich disciplines that grow mature disciplemakers. They, in turn, are sharing the Good News with those around them and inviting others who are already believers to a Bible study that Rabi leads.

Recently, all three came to visit us in Savannah, Georgia. We enjoyed touring Savannah together. Even more so, we had a great time focusing on what it means to raise up the next generation, to be like Jesus, to ignite disciplemaking communities, and the Navigator role in this mission. Rabi shared his heart to see this Bible study develop into a disciplemaking community, where these sailors can meet other men and women who, like them, are being discipled and growing in the practice of making disciples.

Rabi is a great example of a local leader—a regular person, working a regular job while living out our shared vision of “making disciples next door to” the military.

Praise God for those who reach out to and disciple active-duty military personnel. Pray that generations of disciplemakers will have an eternal impact on those serving our country.

^{For more information on Navigators Military go to navigators.org/ministry/navigators-military}

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“I had gone to church back home, so I decided to show up to this Bible study,” Calvin says. “They all seemed to know a lot about the Bible and were kind of intense. I was ready to run out the door at the end, but a couple of guys met me and kept inviting me to connect. As I continued in Bible study, I understood the why of faith—that reading the Bible was about growing in relationship with Jesus.”

After Calvin’s small group leader deployed, he started meeting with Seth every morning before work.

“As a private in the infantry, my day started very early,” Calvin says. “We would meet at 5:00 a.m. in Seth’s truck and have a quiet time together. I felt like Christ was speaking directly to me about real issues in my life. One morning I realized that Jesus wasn’t just fire insurance, but I committed to Him as Lord of my life.”

Seth was also encouraged by their daily meetings. “I remember one morning specifically, when Calvin was so excited about God’s Word and how it applied to his life,” Seth says. “I realized that God used Calvin as part of the process for me to catch the vision of making disciples. What I had learned from Mike Chong (Navigators Military) and others wasn’t just for me but was so I could help someone else understand how to make disciples.”

Since that time of daily discipleship six years ago, both Seth and Calvin have continued to grow the next generation of disciplemakers. Seth has completed his Army service and is living with the Chong family near Lewis-McChord while he attends college. He is continuing to disciple soldiers both on the base and in the ROTC program at college.

Calvin is now on his third re-enlistment, newly married, and stationed at Fort Bragg, where he is part of Navigators Military ministry. “God’s call to me is to stay in the military and intentionally invest in young soldiers who are 18-20 years old,” says Calvin. “I can call these young men toward a life of following Christ.”

The model of deeply investing in discipleship through having soldiers live in their home is based on how Mike and Liz Chong were discipled. As a 17-year-old Army private, Mike attended a Navigators Bible study at Fort Carson, Colorado. He decided to follow Jesus and was discipled by a Navigator couple in their home before he was reassigned to a base in Germany. Liz also lived with a couple as a young adult. For nearly 10 years, they have been investing in soldiers from their home near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where they live out 1 Thessalonians 2:8—Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

Praise God for the network of Navigators Military and their commitment to discipling young soldiers so they can make a difference for eternity.

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