I have been around The Navigators since 1967, and I am forever grateful that they taught me:

• The priority of daily time with God in the word and prayer
• The power of personal attention in one-to-one disciple-making
• The privilege of passing on what I am learning to others

In other words, as our motto says, “To know Christ, make him known, and help others do the same.”

June and I came on staff formally in 2001, and here’s what I’ve observed. A strength of The Navigators is that we are always assessing how we’re doing and thinking about how to do our ministry better. A weakness of The Navigators is that we are always assessing how we’re doing and thinking about how to do our ministry better! (This is my unofficial observation!)

The result has been a seemingly ever-increasing list of emphases, goals, areas of concern, etc. Therefore, I really appreciate what fellow-Navigator Terry Wichert, newly installed director of The Navigators’ Military Ministry, wrote to those serving in the Military Ministry. Here’s a sample:

Where will we focus? If you have had your ear to the ground these past many months, you have heard and sensed some things that are receiving increased attention throughout our Navigator work. [He lists a few of those things.] All of these are right and necessary, and we will indeed aggressively pursue these things, and others, at the appropriate time and in mission appropriate ways.

Still, that hardly answers the question—Where will we focus? 

Let me state plainly and unapologetically that our main thing will be what it has always been: raising up, training, developing, resourcing, empowering, and releasing passionate, committed, reproducing, military, first responder, and ROTC disciple-makers who will do the same for others. – Terry Wichert, Director of Military Ministry for The Navigators (emphasis his)  

Amen. With leadership like that The Navigators organization is still headed in the right direction! I will close with the scriptures that Terry opened and closed his letter with.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18 – 20, NIV)

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. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)