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.

Excerpt from Loyce’s Discipleship Story:

Loyce: “I’m reading the Bible and people are praying for me. They’re trying to help me to understand that I’m changing. That’s what my experience looked like after becoming a believer. I had an identity crisis, okay? Eighteen years of my life I had done things a certain way. And I believed this certain way.

I thought the world was a certain way. I thought God and the Bible were ridiculous. A month before I became a believer, I’m having a conversation with my grandmother, who was a believer at this point. I’m saying, yo, quit talking to me about this Jesus and Bible stuff. It’s nonsense.

Then, to be sitting here reading this Bible and talking about Jesus’ life–I’m a believer— What in the world? That’s how I felt. I’m reading the Bible and I’m asking questions: What is this world? What do I do with this? Why is everyone walking around like everything is okay and everything is normal? The world is not okay. I get to the New Testament and see that we’re all in darkness. We’re not aware of the reality of this spiritual fight. I’m in an identity crisis—who am I really and what am I here for?”

In this five-day online Bible study, we’ll see how Jesus invited His friends (the disciples) to follow Him and what this means for us. We’ll provide simple next steps for following Jesus with your friends. Click the link below to begin this Bible study today!

Begin the Discipleship 101: Following Jesus With Friends Bible study!

Listen in on the conversation with Alice Matagora, author of How to Save the World: Disciplemaking Made Simple as she chats with five disciplemakers to hear what disciplemaking looks like in their daily lives.

In this video, Alice and her friends discuss ways they’re reaching neighbors, friends, and coworkers by inviting them to follow Jesus, too.

The Bourkes knew why she had opened up. They have been gently intentional and prayerful about creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere to connect with neighbors in the front yard of their Detroit home.

“Putting a table and chairs in our front yard has helped create an environment of connection,” Ann shared. “We started with the front porch, but I read about how a turquoise table on the lawn can draw attention and offer a place to linger, so we took that step, rather than always being in our backyard.”

Tom will often sit in the front yard in the morning, reading his Bible and praying for neighbors. If someone stops by and asks what he is doing, he tells them. The reaction is always positive.

Going Deeper

Engaging with their neighbors has been a learning process for the Bourkes. They coach others in all walks of life on how to intentionally share their faith. Tom and Ann wanted to connect more deeply with their neighbors, looking for people within their sphere of relationships who might be interested in exploring the teaching of Jesus. They want everything they coach others to do to be something they are practicing in their own lives.

“I don’t consider myself a gifted evangelist,” shares Tom. “I do know that an authentic relationship is key. As we get to know people and build relationships, we go deeper with those who seem open to reading the Bible and interacting with Jesus. We keep it simple. Our Bible reading group started with three young couples, then another couple asked to join after they heard what we were doing. We read a section of Scripture that deals with a common life issue, such as stress (Matthew 6:25-34), then we ask questions and discuss openly.”

Others on the Detroit Navigators city team also use this Bible reading approach. Tom and Roger VanNoord (who, along with Bob Adgate and Denny Williams, developed The Life Issues Series) were on a panel discussion and someone asked, “How many people who read the Bible with a Christian friend will come to faith?” They answered simultaneously, “All of them!” It has been their experience that those who are truly engaged in reading the Bible with a Christian friend will eventually find faith in Jesus, though it might be a process that takes years.

Not Just for Extroverts

When Tom first starting discipling others in how to intentionally share their faith in the workplace, an executive with a large automobile company who was a Christian said, “I’m an introvert, I don’t do evangelism.”

“People often make the erroneous assumption that evangelism is only for extroverts,” Tom says. “It isn’t about being a salesperson, it’s about gentle intentionality and prayerfulness.” He is committed to speaking truth and praying that God will work in others’ lives.

Tom shares the coaching process: “Many people have notebooks full of information they learned at workshops on evangelism and discipleship. In coaching a group of committed disciples, we’re always talking about the very next step that someone is taking, rather than imparting lots of information. One man I’m coaching realized his coworker is ready to hear more specifics about the Good News of Jesus, so during our time together we talked about ways to make the gospel clear. This just-in-time approach makes our coaching relationships relevant and timely. Ultimately, we want those we disciple to be disciplemakers who will then disciple others.”

Prayerful, intentional, Life-to-Life^® discipleship bears fruit over time—in conversation, in relationship, in pointing to Jesus, and in coaching disciplemakers.

*Name changed.

Discipleship Tip:  

Could connecting with those who live nearby be as simple as putting a table and chairs in your front yard? Sometimes being available and approachable is all it takes to create intentional opportunities for spiritual conversations.

Praying Through Your Neighborhood

Starting conversations with and praying for those who live on your street, in your apartment building, or even a few miles down the road, is not always easy. This is why we created the Praying Through Your Neighborhood eBook. 

We want to give you simple and intentional ways to pray for your neighbors. Our Praying Through Your Neighborhood eBook includes three practical resources to transform 30 days and even your neighborhood walks into an ongoing conversation with the Lord about His heart for those who live nearby!

Find out more and get access to the Praying Through Your Neighborhood eBook by clicking the link below.

Start praying for your neighborhood »

Lesley and her family live in a largely white neighborhood near the University of Alabama campus, where she served on Collegiate staff. When it was time to send their son, Graham, to kindergarten, she and her husband discovered that none of their neighbors’ children attended the local school, which was zoned to include neighborhoods with a high percentage of ethnic minorities.

As the Wolfes began investigating, they found the local school had a lot to offer. They decided to enroll Graham in kindergarten there and apply to a magnet school later.

After both his kindergarten and first-grade years, Graham was not accepted into the magnet school. The Wolfes needed to decide whether to apply again or to put down roots where they were.

Graham loved his local school, and his experience there had been positive. The school received a good rating for academic performance and has a strong STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) focus. Lesley realized the only reason to leave would be that her son would be in the racial minority. They decided to stay.

Then the campus ministry where Lesley had been serving shut down.

“I had to start thinking, Where’s my ministry?” Lesley says.

At the same time, the local school was in danger of closing. As she began working with others to keep the school open, she grew to know more people in her neighborhood. It became clear that this was where God wanted her—serving the school as best she could.

She ended up serving as PTA president, discovering a passion to support teachers. She organized a teacher appreciation week and worked with others to make the teachers breakfast every day.

Graham’s younger brother, Evan, is now attending the neighborhood school. Most of Lesley’s neighbors are now also sending their children to kindergarten there. Recently, as she was pulling up in the carpool lane, she was suddenly overcome with emotion.

“Had we gone to the ‘expected’ school, I wouldn’t be seeing the diversity of colors and cultures, hearing up to 13 languages spoken,” she says. “The sense of acceptance and belonging we have felt is hard to describe. We have been loved well at our school.”

Lesley has seen building bonds and putting down roots in her community bear fruit—and so far, she has seen God work most dramatically in her own heart.

“I could never have known parts of myself or God without the people there,” Lesley says. “It was the Kingdom I had never seen, the good news I needed to hear, and goodness I needed to taste.”

Discipleship Tip:  

Take one small step this week to build relationships in your community. It could be as simple as a conversation with someone in your neighborhood.

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.

“We were very specific in the demographic we chose—newlywed couples in their 20s, before kids,” Paul says. “Even though we’ve gotten older, we are still going back to these young couples because that’s such a critical time. If God can use us to get ahold of their hearts at that juncture, it will impact the rest of their lives. We stay six to 12 years with these couples, and coach them through starting their own ministries, discipling them to be reproducers.”

The Watsons discipled Rick and Debbie Yorgey about 40 years ago. Now in their 60s, the Yorgeys are disciplemaking with The Navigators in Washington, D.C. Because the Watsons walked Life-to-Life^® with the Yorgeys, the Yorgeys felt prompted to make a similar mark on others’ lives.

“Paul and Susan shared not only the gospel but their very lives with us,” Debbie says. “We ate and cooked together, vacationed together, did home renovations together. They taught us how to start a neighborhood Bible study. When we saw people sitting in our living room and reading the Bible for the first time, we were hooked. We said, ‘We can do this!’ and we have been inviting people into a relationship with Jesus ever since. When we saw the first couple decide to follow Jesus, it was an amazing feeling. That couple is still walking with God today. Their friends and children are the third generation of disciples, and we don’t even know how far out it goes.”

Since their beginnings in ministry, the Yorgeys have invested in generations of people from all walks of life living in Washington, D.C., where they have now served for 30 years.

“We were blessed to see many people come to Christ in each of these environments and many have gone on to disciple others,” Debbie says.
One unique aspect of the Watsons’ discipleship approach is the way they include whole families, welcoming parents to bring their young children and put them down to sleep at their house during Bible studies.

“It can be done,” Susan says. “We love involving kids in the ministry. Our children are our best disciples.”

Jibu and Priya Abraham met the Watsons one year into their marriage and are currently being mentored as they endeavor to serve God in their mid-30s.

“When we joined the Watsons’ group, we got together weekly—four couples, all in same stage of life together,” Priya says. “The Watsons’ mission is to train us to be disciplemakers. When we became pregnant with our first daughter, we thought it would be a challenge to continue in the small group with a newborn. The Watsons invited us to bring the baby, stressing that kids are part of the mission God has for our lives in spiritual generations.”

Jibu appreciates the Watsons’ holistic approach, and Paul’s intentionality with him. Once struggling to figure out how he could minister to others, Jibu was torn, trying many different options, and having a hard time deciding on one.

“Paul sat down with me and started reviewing his extensive notes he had taken about me,” Jibu says. “This is the kind of care that he has for people. He told me to try doing one thing for three months. That one thing was starting our own group for young families, which we began four and a half years ago and which continues to this day. We are currently discipling a multi-ethnic group composed of three couples and their 10 kids. The group understands that we’re doing life in the hurricane, not waiting for the hurricane to pass.”

Priya loves that they get to set an example for their children so early in their lives.

“The kids are seeing that we value sharing our lives with others and being intentional with the talents God entrusts us with,” Priya says. “At times discipleship can be uncomfortable and it calls us to embrace vulnerability. We are trusting God to move every day. These are things our children are seeing and getting to be a part of from birth.”

The Yorgeys were in the Watsons’ second discipleship group four decades ago. This fruitful and faithful ministry is now in its ninth group, which includes the Abrahams.

“There’s definitely a feeling of spiritual legacy,” Susan says. “The transformation isn’t going to stop with us.”

Pray for the Watsons, Yorgeys, and Abrahams as they continue to invest in spiritual generations. Ask the Lord who He might have for you to take under your spiritual wing this year.

“Back in 2012, Nate and I came to the University of Massachusetts to relaunch the Collegiate ministry,” Caroline says. “We had two EDGErs, Joanne* and Mary, joining us, and we knew only five students on campus.” 

Generations began with simple lawn games that led to genuine spiritual conversation.

“A freshman named Ana stopped by and talked with us for more than an hour,” Caroline says. “Through church connections we also met Jill*, a Christian freshman, who became a key leader. We also met a few other women—Joanne, Ana, and Mary. Jill became a key friend for Ana, who became a Christian in 2015 on our Spring Break trip. Ana went on to lead our ministry on campus before passing the reins to Laura*. Laura met with Kristin and they co-led a Bible study. As a grad student, Kristin took Susan* under her wing and helped her grow her faith as a freshman college student. Susan went on to be a student leader at the University of Massachusetts. It’s Life-to-Life^® discipleship, intentionally investing spiritually from life to life … to life!”

The Damans have a front row seat to the transformation God continues to bring to countless lives.

“I get so excited thinking about Mary now leading the ministry at University of Maine, married and as a young mom, her kids almost exactly the age mine were when we all arrived at the University of Massachusetts,” Caroline says. “She got an up close and personal look at what it was like to minister as a mom. Ana’s continued walk with the Lord after college graduation is also a great encouragement to me. And most recently, Laura helped Kristin get connected with a church near Boston, where she is discipling a small group of teen girls while she also begins her career. I love seeing her continue in her faith while also pouring into other young women.”

Mary continues to see her experience with Life-to-Life discipleship bearing fruit.

“Life-to-Life discipleship is what Jesus used to initially draw me into relationship with Him, and what He used to call me to work with The Navigators,” Mary says. “Women have invested in me by not only reading Scripture and praying with me, but also telling me about their struggles, teaching me how to make friends, inviting me for a spontaneous lunch after church, and teaching me to drive stick shift, giving me a full and beautiful picture of living with Jesus in the context of community. Becoming a disciplemaker myself was a big realization that God could use me. The girls that I have met with while on staff have become family.”

Ana calls her discipleship experience with Caroline “one of the most meaningful relationships of my college and adult life.”

“Caroline watched me accept Jesus as my Savior,” Ana says. “She spent years pouring into me, praying for me, and showing me what it looks like to be a child of God. I was now her sister in Christ. I went from hearing about how God was working in Caroline’s life to sharing experiences of God working in both of our lives. God brought Caroline and me together eight years ago, and we’ve always stayed in touch. Life-to-Life discipleship looks very different post-college, but our relationship has been strengthened by God and I am thankful.”  

Kristin also treasures the gift of discipleship with Caroline.

“Caroline has been with me through my darkest days and best days,” Kristin says. “Life-to-Life discipleship has led to places I could have never dreamt of, friends I would have never met, and milestones and accomplishments I would have never thought possible.”

While the Damans stepped down as campus directors in 2019, and are now Navigators Neighbors staff in Amherst, Massachusetts, they watch with joy as the generations continue to multiply.

“I get excited about reaching women in New England—Massachusetts specifically,” Caroline says. “The Northeast can be a spiritually dark place. By reaching the students here we can impact Massachusetts as a whole. We, and the generations God births through us, are a light in that darkness. God has used the little I have given to have a much further reach than I could have dreamed.”

Please pray for our Navigators Collegiate staff across the country as they disciple the next generation of light-bearers. Pray for a spiritual awakening in the Northeast, and across our nation, as generations of disciplemakers are born.

*Names changed

They bought the house as a business decision, without even seeing it. At the time, James was finishing up his military service in Germany and he planned to fix up the house and flip it as a money-making venture. When they arrived in Portland, they lived in the house while he cleaned it up, he also started school, and Sheryl continued her work as a nurse. The moment to make money on the house passed in a market downturn.

About the same time, James connected with some Navigators and started taking what he was studying in the Bible seriously in his daily life. This process transformed his perspective on life in his neighborhood and helped him see that God had a purpose in how he and his family were present in their home.

One of James’ entrepreneurial ventures is a coffee roasting business, selling through farmers’ markets in the area. Early in 2020, he was preparing to create a mobile espresso bar for markets and events, and then the pandemic hit. The markets were still open, with restrictions, but an espresso bar wasn’t going to work in that setting.

Eyes to See the Place

While Portland has many thriving neighborhoods, the area near their home was neglected and overlooked, not flourishing. “Two blocks from my house is a little ratty looking retail storefront,” James says. “The kind of derelict building where you have to be careful not to step on heroin needles, trash, or human feces. The parking lot across the street from the storefront is mostly vacant and a target for graffiti or dumping trash. My neighborhood is a place that is messy, often desecrated, and forgotten. A place that many people have abandoned. I asked myself, ‘If God is active everywhere, all the time … what is He doing here?’”

James looked around his neighborhood for unused space to rent for the espresso bar since he already had the equipment. He decided to call the Pentecostal church that rented space in the ratty storefront. The church had gathered there for many years, as part of the largest African American denomination in the United States. While they wanted to invest in the community around the church, they hadn’t found a way to put that hope into action. The space was unused except for Sundays, and during the pandemic, they were not meeting in person at all.

Once James connected with the pastor of the church, which was having trouble paying their rent due to the pandemic, the coffee shop plan moved quickly. Starting small, his family and a few partners cleared half the space, built a simple partition, and moved the equipment into the shop. They decided to be open Monday through Saturday to leave space for the church once they start meeting in person again. Within three weeks, they opened for business.

Weaving Hopes and Dreams Together

They didn’t plan a big grand opening because they didn’t want to put neighbors at risk in the midst of the pandemic. But since James has been active in the neighborhood, word spread through relational networks, and on opening day a socially distanced line of people extended into the parking lot. Over time neighbors showed up with gifts welcoming the espresso bar into the community, including plants, flowers, and art. People were coming for a good cup of coffee, but also for more—for a place to connect and build community.

Over time, regulars have invested in the place and the people. During a conversation with one neighborhood regular, James mentioned that he was thinking about building a cork board for people to post their “hopes and dreams.” Soon, this man built the board and mounted it on the wall of the coffee shop. Now it serves as a visible reminder, inviting people to hope and dream for their neighborhood, to work together to create community.

On any given day, James is also weaving people together. “The coffee shop is thick with relational possibilities,” he says. “I may see two people in the shop who don’t know each other, but I know that they have shared interests, so I make the introduction and help them connect. I try to make time to pause and join into conversations. For example, I will sit and talk with the Monday morning group of construction guys who come before work, and sometimes the conversations turn to spiritual topics. One regular told me recently, ‘I have a counselor, but you are my other guy.’”

Looking Forward

The coffee shop business has grown month-over-month since they opened, with most of the customers coming from the neighborhood. Since the purpose of opening the coffee shop wasn’t just to have a coffee shop, but to provide a relational space, James and his partners are thinking beyond the day-to-day.

“We are seeing this place being made new, redeemed,” James says. “Now we have a space in the neighborhood where people feel comfortable to create and share life together. We are making improvements in the rest of the space which will benefit the church when they start meeting again, with a stage and improved flooring. But we also hope that this space can become more of a community hub when we can be more open to gatherings of people.”

Praise God that He is alive and active, even in “forgotten” corners of our cities. Pray that relationships and community networks will continue to grow, in neighborhoods around the country, pointing people to the hope of Jesus for their everyday lives.

Look around your own neighborhood or town. Where are the connecting points? Are there neglected corners? How might God want to use you in His redemptive process with the people and place He has you for this season?