By Bill Mowry Forty years is a big gap to bridge. I met Jim when he was nineteen years old and a freshman in college. Jim is now sitting across from me in restaurant as a late middle-aged man with children in college. What a difference forty years make! When I meet...
by Tony Miltenberger Being in vocational ministry has afforded me many opportunities to talk with pastors and church leaders all over the world. Almost always the heart cry of the church leader is the same: they want to see the body of Christ renewed. They...
By Bill Mowry I’m always looking for new pictures to express familiar truths. Here’s a new image to capture disciplemaking: “Disciplemaking is an elevated form of fellowship.” I’ve been pondering this statement from former Navigators U.S. Director Alan Andrews for...
by Dave Holmes As a local pastor seeking to cultivate a robust culture of disciplemaking in my church, I’ve wrestled with describing disciplemaking countless times over the past decade, with varying degrees of success. Most often, I found myself falling short in one...
As summer unfolds, many of us find ourselves with longer days and freer schedules. The relaxed pace creates more time for relationship building, which makes this season a good time to expand our disciplemaking beyond regular meetings. But what could that look like? In...
By Bill Mowry We’ve all seen the headlines: bees are dying! Bees and other pollinators are vital to life. Bees pollinate 80% of flowering plants. They account for $15 billion in agricultural products; bees shape our food chains. The good news is that commercial...
by Bill Mowry Meditation has permeated our culture. Commercials and advertisements feature people in yoga classes practicing meditation. The New York City School System sets aside time at the beginning of the day for students to practice mindfulness and deep...
by Justin Gravitt Why don’t more Christians make disciples? It’s a problem that church leaders have been trying to solve for decades, if not centuries. The problem is straightforward, but the solution is anything but. Despite the efforts of disciple makers a...
by Bill Mowry3 Principles to Age Well This isn’t a promotion for a time-share in Florida; the place where palm trees grow. A palm tree is a biblical picture for successful aging. The Psalmist describes how the godly in old age “will flourish like a palm tree . . ....
by Justin GravittPicture this: You and a friend meet a couple of times a month for lunch, golf, or just to grab coffee. This meeting is a priority for both of you. You both love Jesus and enjoy talking about family, the Bible, and shared interests. Every time you walk...
We Wish You an AWE-full Christmas! The promise of being filled with awe is present every Christmas. This holiday surrounds us with beauty — festive lights, up-lifting music, and the art of the Christmas card. Even in an increasingly faith-less culture, Jesus is...
By Bill Mowry After years of receiving bad haircuts, I decided to entrust my hair to a hair stylist. Nicky was my wife’s stylist so I made an appointment with her. We soon hit it off. It turned out that she was launching a second career as a life coach. While cutting...
by Ron Bennett As we ponder a variety of landscapes that God takes us through in the Christian life, we consider the detour. Can you identify with hitting a detour in your spiritual journey? The dictionary defines a detour this way: to turn aside; a roundabout way, a...
by Bill Mowry Choosing the right playing field for a sport is a no-brainer. We don’t play basketball on a baseball diamond. However, when it comes to the playing field of faith, I think there are two fields we can play on but one field tends to dominate our playing...
by Justin Gravitt “Justin, sit down!” Enraged, I stood for a few beats more. Then I sat down. Sort of. My eyes glared at my supervisor. He was forty years my senior. But it didn’t matter to me. All I could see was his sin (my immaturity blinded me to mine). So, I kept...
By Bill Mowry Have you ever had a picture lodge in your mind that you can’t stop thinking about? No matter where you are or what you’re doing, this picture creeps into your consciousness. Here’s my latest re-occuring picture. In his book The Contemplative Pastor,...
by Bill Mowry A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away . . . I was an art student. In fact, I was once certified to teach art in grades K-12. Why didn’t I pursue this career? A deciding factor was a grade on a watercolor painting. The painting was a collection of...
by Bill Momry I walked into my teacher training class my junior year of college expecting tools for teaching social studies. You know what I received that first day? One question after another. My professor was not interested in content or lecturing but in asking...
by Justin Gravitt What is disciple making, precisely? It’s a question worth slowing down to answer. Because it takes time to be precise, and because the consequence of cloudy thinking is misunderstanding that leads to misnamed, or worse, misaimed ministry. So, what is...
by Bill Mowry Hooray for introverts! Discovering and naming my introverted side was a liberating moment for me. I now know my “sweet spot” preferences and can maximize them for the Great Commission. When I’m asked if introverted people can make disciples, I respond...
By Bill Mowry One question kept coming up in interview after interview when promoting my book Walk with Me. What was the question? “I’m an introvert. Can I be a disciplemaker?” The first time I heard this question I thought to myself, “Is introversion a kind of...
By Bill Mowry Masking tape was an important household expense when our children were growing up. Peggy and I watched in wonder as our boys created space guns and castles from masking tape, plastic liter bottles, and cardboard. Their imaginations had no limits on what...
These are unprecedented times in our lives, communities, cities, countries and all over the world. The spread of the coronavirus has caused many of the campuses we minister on to switch to online classes and encourage students to return home. Many churches have...
This article was originally written by Peter Trautmann, The Navigators' City Collegiate Director for NYC What can we do with our fears when we face a crisis? After reading many newsfeed articles that drain us, these verses from the Psalms can fill us up. They provide...
Jeff Driediger came to McMaster University to play volleyball and study civil engineering. On his first weekend in Hamilton he met Don Corry, a Navigator staff who was leading the Navigator campus ministry. Jeff and Don met weekly for five years. Jeff endured the ups...
"University isn't a waiting period for the rest of my life!" exclaimed Kaitlin one Friday morning. She and I have been meeting regularly to discuss apprenticeship to Jesus through our joint passions for social justice and missions. We've chosen to work through a Bible...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]“This event is based on a controversial assumption: we can deeply disagree with someone and yet still respect them...we can see the world in profoundly different ways and yet still recognize the other as a fellow human who is...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]My experience at Sanctuary was unlike any other I’ve had. On the weekend of March 26th, my friend Nic and I drove from Kingston to Toronto for an urban mission experience at Sanctuary Church as part of our involvement with The...
In the book of Genesis, God makes a promise to Abraham: “your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Gen. 17:19, NIV) This promise has been a...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Within The Navigators, leaders known as mobile alongsiders faithfully teach and help other leaders work more effectively in their home contexts. These alongsiders look to see what God is doing and how the local leaders are already...
No doubt most of us have moments when our hearts spring up with thanks for God’s goodness. But at times we may also find ourselves in wintry spiritual seasons when our sense of gratitude freezes over. During these seasons, gratefulness is a habit you can cultivate. As...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Felix Koimburi and his wife Mercy are pioneering a Navigator ministry in Mozambique to establish a foundational group of disciplemakers who will advance a gospel movement into the rest of the country. Originally from Kenya, Felix...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tsigereda Yemane Mengistu, also known as Tsige, has dedicated her Navigator ministry to pursuing both her passion and the Lord’s calling on her life to work with people in need. From 2000-2011, Tsige was the national leader for the...
Last spring, I attended The Navigators’ Base Camp training program at the beautiful Snider Mountain Ranch in New Brunswick. When I arrived, I stepped into the main hall and instantly felt at home! There was a cozy, crackling fireplace, a James Taylor album playing...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples and gave them The Great Commission, where he tells them to go and make disciples. This mission of disciplemaking is for all followers of Christ, not only missionaries or...
Growing up in the church, Peter Reynolds* was expected to become a leader. His great-grandfather co-founded the church he and his family attended. His father succeeded his grandfather as the church’s senior pastor. His mother is a pastor’s daughter. With such a...
My vision of what my life as a stay-at-home mom would look like does not match my reality. I had envisioned myself as a mom who would have fun with her toddler while keeping the house clean, feeling put-together, and generally being awesome at this job. While my...
Ron Pagé has been a therapist for 25 years and currently serves with The Navigators as a staff-care and coaching specialist. Ron first encountered The Navigators as a university student. After graduation, he spent three years in France helping start a student ministry...
The Navigators’ Mission Immersion Project spanned 4 months and ended with an international trip to Ghana that gave our team a vast amount of learning, experience, and adventure. I want to take you on a deep and intimate journey of my experience on this trip. Future of...
Late on a Saturday evening in Accra, Ghana, kids who live on the street gather together for the night. At the same time, volunteers from an organization called Future of Africa (FOA) regularly go out to be with these kids, hand out dinner and attend to any cuts and...
Every summer a group of Navigator students and recent grads descend upon The Navigators’ headquarters at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs for two months to participate in the Global Student Program (GSP). They come from across the world to focus intently on Jesus, His...
I like helping people. It’s not an uncommon sentiment, but as I prepared to graduate from university and find a job, it became clear to me my passion was, and is, to help people grow in their spiritual journey and walk with Jesus more closely. This desire led to...
It’s evening. The day is nearly done and the world is winding down for the night. You’re safe at home but suddenly you start to feel panicked. It’s somehow a little bit harder to breathe. Increasingly, you lose your grip on the situation. You start crying so hard you...
This article was originally published on June 8 on Dan McIver's ministry blog It looked so innocent on the itinerary. Go to the farm to experience a day in the life of our hosts, Omar and Lucy. I’ve known them for five years, but this was my first introduction to...
Orientation Week at the University of Calgary is a festive affair. Every year, 5,000 first-year students parade along the manicured lawns of the South Courtyard, checking out the various booths of more than 300 campus clubs. This is where I met Marvin Hannemann last...
Every university and college student wants to do well in their studies, graduate with as little debt as possible and get a good job they can build their future around. Within these years, however, is the temptation for students to focus all their time on studying and...
Hey everyone, I got back from The Navigators’ BaseCamp week on Friday (May 5) and it was awesome! I met lots of new people, went on some great hikes and learned a lot of things. Paul [Tan] asked me to share some of what we learned, which you’ll find below. But before...
When I asked J what he appreciates from our team chapels, he said “I like the fact that no matter what, there’s someone who’s got my back.” This is now my fourth year with the Saint Mary’s University basketball team as their team chaplain. Each year, I feel more and...
Every week for the past six years, Colleen Wardell and a team of eight volunteers from Sunshine Ridge Baptist Church in Surrey, B.C. have been bringing bread to people in need as a way of tangibly expressing God’s love. Every Tuesday night, Colleen and her team head...
In the third week of February, a group of university students from Ottawa, Kingston and Waterloo traveled to Toronto to visit with and learn from the community of Sanctuary Toronto. These students were all brought together through their involvement in The Mission...
What would it look like if followers of Jesus led surprising and intriguing lives? This is the question Michael Frost addresses in the opening pages of Surprise the World. He talks about a communication theory called ‘high predictability, low impact.’ This theory...
When we think of leaving a legacy, we often think in terms of death and how we will be remembered. However, it also applies to times of change. Whether it’s moving to a new place or parting ways with a close friend, what we did and the way people remember us is the...
This past June, I received an email asking if I’d be interested in reuniting with a bible study group I had been part of at Carleton University. I accepted, and before long I was in possession of a Bible study that essentially said “read the New Testament and answer...
Throughout history, navigators have been crucial to the success of human exploration at sea. When you find yourself in the middle of the ocean, with no clear signs or pre-determined routes, the ability to navigate, or the presence of a navigator, can be the difference...
If you have ever attended a Navigator event, talked at length with a Navigator or read some kind of Navigator literature, it’s likely you’ve come across the term ‘coming alongside’ or being an ‘alongsider,’ accompanied by either ‘someone’, ‘people’, ‘another ministry’...
As soon as you enter the maze of tables at Clubsfest, you know it won’t be easy getting out. You’re surrounded by a sea of people ambling and shuffling along slowly as they investigate the signs, banners and poster boards of nearly every group on campus. Every five...
Do you know the power of discipleship? It lies within the individual, regular people like you who have a desire to help others grow in their faith. As you faithfully spend your time and energy to help others grow in their spiritual life, they begin passing what they...
This year, 40 university students from around the world arrived at The Navigators’ international headquarters in Colorado Springs for the annual Global Student Program. This intensive, two-month experience trains and equips participants to help others grow in their...
Peter's Navigator experience began over a cup of coffee with Dan McIver, leader for the Kingston Navigators. This initial investment began a relationship that Peter says transformed his view of his faith. Dan's continuing influence and the Navigator community he...
Bill C-14, known as the medical assistance in dying bill, is currently working its way through the legislative process en route to becoming law by June 6, the deadline given to the federal government by the Supreme Court of Canada. The debate over this piece of...
During the week of May 1-7, Navigator students from across Canada came together at Snider Mountain Ranch in New Brunswick to learn more about deepening their faith in Jesus. Throughout the week, the students heard from veteran Navigator staff on such topics as...
On May 5, a group of friends and I decided, at 7:00pm, to try and catch a 7:20pm advance screening of Captain America: Civil War, one day before the official release. Against the odds, there were enough tickets still available. Against even further odds, we only...
Across Canada and the United States, Christian student groups on university and college campuses have historically operated from one generally-accepted model. Looking at The Navigators, Power to Change, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship and Cru, this model usually...
On September 11, 1973, Chile experienced a coup d’état when the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown and replaced with a military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet. This regime enacted a severe policy of persecution and...
A welcoming environment is one of the most critical characteristics a community can have. The Navigators strive to create spaces where people can ask questions about and wrestle with issues of faith, wherever they're at on their spiritual journey. This kind of...
If you asked *Nancy’s friends to describe her, they might tell you about her endearing sense of humour. For certain they would mention her willingness to help others, and likely have many anecdotes proving their point. They might even go so far as to tell you how...
Mike* was a typical university student. As a fourth-year English literature student at Aleppo University in Syria, life was busy, full of classes and late night work on assignments and papers. It was the usual hectic schedule common to students on campuses across the...
Since 2006, the Speidel children have served as residence advisors during their time at the University of British Columbia, following in their father’s footsteps to positively influence the culture on campus. This informal dynasty began in the early 2000s, when the...
On November 10 and 11, Dan McIver and the Kingston Navigators, in partnership with nightlight and Geneva House, invited Greg Paul to visit the city and give two talks on his experiences with inner-city ministry. Greg has been involved in this type of ministry since...
It’s easy to get nervous when you book a speaker to deliver a lecture in the largest meeting space on campus. Will the sound system work ok? Will the speaker connect with students? Will anyone even show up? These were some questions our planning team confronted when...
The demographics of university fascinate me. Though to a first year student it seems like graduation is a lifetime away, the 4-5 years fly by. Only 6 years ago I was a first year, excitedly joining The Navigators' ministry. The Navigators immediately felt like home to...
Ever wonder what the Navigators are up to in your community? One of the many ways we are involved is through discipling the students at Universities and Colleges in 17 cities across Canada. As the school year comes to a close for students, we wanted to look back and...
Since February 2015, Denice Marr, a home economics teacher from Kamloops, B.C., has been battling stage four ovarian cancer, yet through her faith in God, she has experienced a peace that would be otherwise impossible. When she was a little girl, Denice says death was...
Ever wonder what the Navigators are up to in your community? One of the many ways we are involved is through discipling the students at Universities and Colleges in 13 cities across Canada. As the school year comes to a close for students, we wanted to look back and...
Every year, Navigator ministries offer graduating students the opportunity to join a ministry team as an intern. Internships typically last anywhere from one to two years and can be done either in a full or part-time capacity. The aim of these internships is to train...
For the past 3 years, the Carleton Navigator student group in Ottawa, ON has regularly hosted an event called Curiosity, Respect and Engagement, often shortened to CRAE. While the name may sound non-definitive and abstract, it communicates the essence of what...
JD Sherman, a recent industrial design graduate from Carleton University, spent this past year interning with The Navigators at the University of Guelph. His assignment has been to re-open the campus ministry there and pioneer a new beginning. In the early 1960s the...
How do you know when the right time is to share your faith with someone else? Is it five minutes after meeting them? Is it when you’d identify them as a friend? Do you wait until after you’ve known them for a few years? These kinds of questions can often be crippling...
On February 9, members of Business as Mission and Transformation: South Georgian Bay invited The Navigators to Collingwood, ON to host the fourth Disciple! conference and help catalyze the process of discipleship in the area. The conference attracted more than 100...
It is a joy and privilege to announce that Mutua Mahiaini has been selected as the next International President and General Director of The Navigators. After three days of deliberations bathed in prayer, our Selection Council, comprising about 40 men and women from...
In December 2014, The Navigators announced a plan to establish city ministry teams in 15 cities across the country over the next three years. These teams, comprised of Navigator employees and volunteers within each city, will increase The Navigators’ capacity to serve...
Throughout the month of January, Navigator campus ministries across the country took a weekend to get away from the busyness of student life and recharge for the upcoming semester. Surrounded by God's creation, the students had the opportunity to grow and be...
This past September and October, Tim Ernst led a Meetup group in Vancouver, B.C. called Live Like U Mean It, a series devoted to helping individuals live their lives the way they’re meant to. Meetup, the website Tim used to host this series, works to bring...
As the fall semester comes to a close for university and college students, here’s a look-back at what happened in Navigator campus groups across the country: Queen’s University, with Dan McIver Throughout the semester we have seen encouraging signs of transformation....
When the Christmas season rolls around every year, the advertisements, posters and jingles want you to buy into the idea that you need to get as much stuff as you can, as fast as you can. In 2013, the average Canadian and American consumer expected to spend anywhere...
What do you think of when you hear the words ‘marginalized,’ ‘oppressed,’ or ‘vulnerable’? Is it starving children in Africa? Refugees living in a camp? Orphans and widows in the developing world? It's easy to associate these words to these groups of people because...
On June 15, 2014, armed gunmen entered Mpeketoni, a small community of approximately 1,000 people southwest of Lamu, Kenya. The attackers torched businesses, homes and vehicles and killed approximately 60 people, mostly men. A smaller attack occurred in July where the...
On September 1, 2014, The Navigators bid a fond farewell to Eric Stolte as our President and National Director. It was a joyous and emotional farewell, with many across the country having felt Eric’s impact on their lives at one time or another. In one smooth...
The Holden family has lived and worked among the people of Lubango, the capital city of the southern Huila province of Angola for over 30 years. They have focused on training and teaching emerging leaders to be examples of Jesus’ love to those around them. Jim and...
The Navigators of Canada are people committed to the goal of “advancing the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among all people.” Some of these people work for the Navigators as...
We are all familiar with the story of how Jesus selected his band of disciples, lived his life with them and invited them to discover their destiny. This life-on-life approach to ministry continues to this day and the Navigators are seeing generations of people...
“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps” (Prov. 16:9, NRSV). Each of us makes many plans throughout our lives. Some are everyday decisions while others might be life-altering. However, sometimes plans change with very little warning. Carlos...
In the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to get caught up in activities. Sometimes we sacrifice spending time with others so we can tick off those last few boxes. In the post-secondary environment, where students face intense pressure to succeed, this is especially...
Josh Davis always knew he would end up in mining. His birthday, August 17, is the same day gold was first discovered in the Yukon. His passion continued to grow when his grandfather gave him a coin from the first gold poured when one of his mines went into production....
Forging genuine connections with other people begins with building a foundation on the common ground we share. We usually start with safe topics, such as their reaction to the weather, where they might work, or what they thought of that new movie that just came out....
Every year, student leaders from Navigator ministries across the world come to The Navigators' headquarters at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, Colorado for an intensive two-month leadership course called the Global Student Program (GSP). During this time, participants...
This past November, a group of men led by Navigator staff Tim Ernst and Irv Augustine met together over the course of a weekend to figure out the impact they want to have on the next generation. This weekend is known as Moonshot, and the idea for it came when Irv...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In February 2014, a group of Navigator students from Kingston, Ottawa and Waterloo came together to do Mission Immersion, a four-month program designed to explore different ways in which service to others can become a daily...
When Allan and Caulene Bussard moved from Canada to Yugoslavia in 1975, it was during the heyday of the Soviet Union and tensions between the West and East were in a fine-feathered frenzy. In the midst of this they began working with university students and so...
