Steve and I have been serving on The Navigators’ U.S. Leadership Team since 2022. I have led our new Strategy and Integration function since 2024. This team ensures the execution of our strategy – watching to make sure we are allocating the needed resources in the right places, and accomplishing all that the Lord has asked us to do.
I (Carol) am part of the Train-Develop-Care team at The Navigators. I give oversight to our Sexual Health and Wholeness initiative, providing discipleship resources to staff in the area of sexuality. I also provide oversight to our Cultural Journey initiative, helping staff understand and apply what God’s Word says about ethnicity.
The Navigators continues to focus on our Calling to advance Jesus’ gospel through spiritual generations of disciplemakers. In the past few years our staff have become increasingly centered on this effort, which requires them to abide deeply with Jesus. They are spending more regular and extended time with the Lord to appreciate their identity as God’s children, and are hearing him speak about what they should do in their ministry responsibilities. And our Calling allows us to eagerly pursue disciplemaking that is passed on to the next generation, while saying no to opportunities that aren’t central to that effort.
There are many areas of ministry where The Navigators is seeing God at work. One in particular is the Collegiate ministry, where we opened 37 new campus ministries last year. This brings us to 199 campus ministries across the country. There is a significant increase in spiritual interest among students, with many more coming to Christ than in past years. Also, many students are sharing the gospel with members of their families, and they also are putting their faith in Christ. The gospel is moving through families and relational networks!
The Navigators have many other stories of impact you can also use if you like. I’d recommend going to https://www.navigators.org/blog/ for a great selection of them.
While The Navigators will continue focusing on generational disciplemaking, we are intentionally trying to empower disciplemakers to gather in communities so they can be more fruitful in making disciples for the long-term. A particular group that could benefit by being in these communities are the alumni of our campus ministries. We are growing the number of these disciplemaking communities – especially in the major cities of the US.
Please pray that our U.S. Leadership Team would clearly hear the Lord’s guidance in determining how we can best support disciplemaking across the country. Pray also that we would display the kind of kingdom culture we would love to see in all our ministries.
Thanks so much for all the support you have shown us over the years. You are a truly valued ministry partner!
Steve and Carol
