During those trips I learned how to read a state road map. I still carry an old-school atlas with me in the car, just in case. But today we can open an app on our phones or on the car dashboard to provide us with cues for our travels. The GPS tells us when to exit, merge with traffic, and change lanes. It can provide alternate routes based on traffic, suggest the closest coffee shop, or exclaim “Recalculating route!” when you miss your turn.

But what’s the one thing necessary for a GPS system to function as it has been designed?

A Destination.

When it comes to raising disciples, we should set our eyes on the destination.

I believe that one of the reasons parents and caregivers struggle to disciple children well is that we haven’t clearly identified the destination for their discipleship and the directions that guide them toward that goal.

How would you describe a child who is entering adolescence as an active disciple? Would you choose words that describe their character: loving, joyful, obedient, self-controlled? Or would you choose words that describe behaviors: reads the Bible daily, asks spiritual questions, worships God? Perhaps you would choose words that describe their depth of knowledge and understanding about God and His Word.

Public and private education systems have stated objectives when it comes to student expectations. Lists of student learning outcomes articulate the goals for students at the conclusion of each grade level. Each child is unique and develops at their own rate, so there are those who will exceed the expectations and others who will struggle. But teachers begin each year knowing the goals and guiding students along the path toward achievement. Like a GPS, they might have to find alternate paths for some or help others get turned back around, but with a clear goal and markers on the way, teachers are able to guide their young disciples.

This is what we’ve been missing in our homes and churches — a discipleship map that states the goal for raising disciples and provides directions toward that goal.

In some Christian traditions, the goal for children has been a public confession of Christ; in others, submission through the act of baptism. In yet other traditions, it has been the completion of confirmation classes. Regardless of our tradition, our goal for raising disciples should be the same as the goal for all disciples: to become more and more like Christ every day.

For three years, Jesus taught the crowds, His enemies, and political leaders, but most often, He was teaching twelve ordinary men from various backgrounds, vocations, and experiences. When He chose the Twelve, He had a goal in mind. Jesus knew that at the conclusion of His earthly ministry He would redeem the world through His death, return to God the Father, and equip His followers with the Holy Spirit to disciple others. He needed a core group of leaders who would follow Him daily (Luke 9:23), continuing His mission “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

As Jesus prepared to leave the Twelve to continue His mission, He met with them to give them some final encouragements and admonitions. Woven through Jesus’ conversation in the upper room (John 13–17), we find descriptions of what it means to become like Christ:

• Follow His example (John 13:14-15),
• Love others (John 13:34),
• Believe in God (John 14:1),
• Keep God’s commands (John 14:15), and
• Remain in Christ (John 15:4).

These descriptors provide some direction toward the goal for all disciples.

With the destination of becoming like Christ as our goal, we can utilize childhood development information from the fields of social science, learning theory, and psychology to create a map for discipleship from infancy to adolescence.* Beginning at birth, there are seven directional discipleship markers — approximately one for every two years of life — that parallel the biological, cognitive, social, and moral development of children. Just as Jesus discipled the Twelve from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity, we can use this map to raise disciples who become increasingly more like Christ.

Did you like this article? Check out Teresa Roberts’ full book, Raising Disciples, as well as the accompanying free 8-week parenting curriculum today!

Discipleship Tip:

When discipling someone, consider verbally setting discipleship goals. With a destination in mind, you can orchestrate milestones and implement accountability, making sure that you both are progressing forward in their discipleship journey.

*The faith research of James W. Fowler (Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1981) and insights of spiritual development from John H. Westerhoff III (Will Our Children Have Faith?, 3rd. ed., Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 2012) has also informed this discipleship map.

Meet the Author

Teresa Roberts is Professor of Ministry and Christian Formation, Program Director of Children’s Ministry, and a vice president at Ozark Christian College. She is an expert in children’s spiritual formation training with more than 25 years of ministry experience.

Dr. Roberts holds a Master of Arts in Family and Youth Ministry, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry. She serves in children’s ministry at Carterville Christian Church where she attends with her husband and step-daughter. Learn more at discipleshipguides.com/.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery to me, with its three in oneness and its oneness in three, and I can just barely grasp the deep relational nature of how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit touch and spin and dance off each other and with each other. Hospitality — that generous making room for others and giving and receiving to and from each other from our plenty and sometimes from our scarcity but we do it anyway — seems to flow out of that communal and relational and so generous nature of God. Being holy as God is holy, if we can believe it, catapults us into relationship with others and the practice of hospitality. Holiness is relational, and that is why hospitality fits holiness like a soft leather glove.

Hospitality involves the holy practice of gratitude.

All of this is made easier alongside the holy practice of gratitude. I have this place, this food, this book; please take it and enjoy it as well. We try to believe that everything we have comes from God, and so it is ours not to own but to share. So hospitality is almost always best when it is gratitude adjacent. However, the discipline of hospitality can happen also while you are still a grouchy, miserly mess. Disciplines take discipline. Not everything is easy or feels good right away, but that might mean it’s even more worth doing, and not less.

Hospitality invites humility.

In Luke 14:12-14, Jesus tells us how to throw a dinner party. Dinner parties are, after all, what most of us think of first when we think about hospitality: “‘When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,’ he said, ‘don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you’” (NLT). In Luke 14:8-10, He even discusses seating plans: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor … Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table” (NLT).

Jesus knows me so well. He predicts my thirst for status. When we practice hospitality as part of our holiness, we will come face-to-face with our desire to invite first our friends, the people we especially like or those whom we want to especially like us, along with the relatives we are most comfortable with, and, of course, our rich neighbors. We might strut around like a peacock in our own dining room and not even realize we are doing it. Again, our intentional moves toward holiness will show us how far we have yet to travel. Our efforts to do good on the outside will show us how far we are from good on the inside, and in that gap, we learn again of our need for the forgiving, restoring love of God in our own lives and hearts, and how much we need him, even when we are serving macaroni to friends.

We learn something about ourselves — and therefore move deeper into our holiness journeys — when we pay attention to whom we want to welcome in and how we want to welcome them to our homes, our tables, and our lives.

Hospitality helps us to examine our hidden motivations.

As we consider ourselves, we can confess ourselves to God and ask for help. Why am I making this so fancy? we can ask our inner hostess, in an examination of motivation that is a daily part of pushing into our holiness. What is my motivation? Also, Why am I talking about myself so much? And why can’t I stop?

Our honest answers do not bring the dinner party, the coffee date, or the open house to a screeching halt, but instead provide us another opportunity to be honest with ourselves and with God — who is the ultimate and gracious host of heaven and earth now and the new earth that is to come. Make me holy in my hospitality, we might pray. Kill off my show-off-ness, we might ask. Help me listen more than I speak, as my blunt spouse has said I need to work on.

Help me not to be so needy, I can pray as I juice blood oranges for udon noodles with fried tofu and orange nam jim from my expensive hardcover Ottolenghi Flavour cookbook propped open on the counter. Perhaps for a little while, as part of our own healing, we will make a simple spaghetti Bolognese, accept the offer of our guest to bring store-bought garlic bread and let Maureen help with the cleanup, like she always wants to do. We will resist the temptation to offer our guests a tour of our new barbeque and satisfy our thirst for thanks by turning it outward to gratitude to God. What if whenever we yearn for someone to say, “Thank you, you are marvelous for all you have done,” we accept that as a prompt to whisper, “Thank You. You are marvelous for all You have done.”

Hospitality exercises a variety of spiritual disciplines.

Food is just one expression of hospitality. Conversation is another. When we practice holiness through hospitality, we create a space in which other pursuits of holiness can be practiced, such as listening well and not interrupting, putting others first, and offering encouragement and companionship to the person God has placed and we have invited in front of us. From the way Jesus tells us to invite, and the humility presumed in His recommended seating plan, we can assume that we don’t invite people to our table so we can imprison them to hear all and only about us. We don’t tie them to their chairs with our story and our glory.

We can stretch our ability to put others first, and to forgive.

We can practice patience, a fruit of the Spirit we get to work with, toward friends who arrive late (or even worse, early) and those who stay too long. We practice not biting off the heads of those with whom we disagree. If we do bite their heads off at dinner, we can practice the art of unequivocal apology. Apologizing is a holy act. I’m sorry are holy, healing words. Through hospitality’s gift of space opened up and time slowed down, we can “be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep,” which Paul told us to do only two verses after he reminded us to “always be eager to practice hospitality” in Romans 12:13-15.

Discipleship Tip:

Hospitality isn’t about impressing others — it’s about making space for them. This week, invite someone into your home or life with gratitude and humility, focusing on listening and encouraging rather than showcasing. Ask the Lord for opportunities to be hospitable in your community in order to point others to Jesus.

About the Author

Karen Stiller is a senior editor of Faith Today magazine and writes frequently for magazines like Reader’s Digest, Ekstasis, In Trust, and other publications across North America. Stiller is a three-time winner of the prestigious A.C. Forrest Memorial Award from the Canadian Church Press for excellence in socially conscious religious journalism. She is author of The Minister’s Wife (2020, Tyndale Momentum); co-author of Craft, Cost & Call (2019), Shifting Stats Shaking the Church (2015) and Going Missional (2010); editor of The Lord’s Prayer (2015) and coeditor of Evangelicals Around the World (2015). She lives in Ottawa and has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction from University of King’s College, Dalhousie.

This article was originally published on the DiscipleMaker Blog by NavPress. You can also hear more from Karen Stiller through her book Holiness Here and NavPress’ new podcast, “Good Books, Big Questions,” where Karen hosts bold, loving, and sensible conversations about faith.

Now, 15 years later, that ministry has grown, not only at the collegiate level, but across the community. From workplaces to neighborhoods to campuses, everyday disciplemakers are rising up across Jacksonville, spreading the gospel with a holistic vision for the entire city.

“What we long to see are people that will make disciples for the rest of their lives,” John says, who is now the Navigators Collegiate Southeast Division Director. “Our calling is a long-term vision, even if that looks a little different through the seasons of life.”

Three such disciplemakers — Brian, Ahmani, and Steven — are creating impact in the unique circles that God has placed them in, making the most of their gifts and callings right where they are in Jacksonville. Their stories are just a small glimpse into the bigger picture of how God is moving in Jacksonville — one faithful disciple at a time.

Answered Prayers on Campus

When John first arrived at UNF, there was no Navigator presence. He remembers praying for eight men to show up in Bible study that first year. Now, the ministry at UNF is not only growing, but thriving, with a couple hundred students involved.

“Each of those people represents someone who could help someone else, who then could help someone else,” John says. “So I’m thrilled with what God’s doing at UNF right now.”

Today, the ministry at UNF is directed by Navigator Brian Incontrera. Brian first met The Navigators when he was a freshman in college at the University of South Florida when he passed by one of their table booths and was invited to a Bible study. Though he was a Christian, he didn’t really know how to grow in his own faith until he started getting discipled by a Navigator named Luke.

As a college student, Brian watched as discipleship transformed his walk with the Lord. Now as a Navigator, he passes on what he learned to students at UNF, and he’s watching as the spirit of disciplemaking is taking flight on campus.

“On campus, our students are really focusing on their relationship with the Lord and learning how to make their faith a priority,” Brian says. “Then that will affect them in their walk with the Lord when they graduate and go off in the world. When they have families, jobs, whatever ministry they are doing — they will know how to make Jesus a priority, as well as continue to make disciples wherever they go.”

From the beginning, the collegiate ministry at UNF has been a result of prayer and dedication to the Lord’s work on campus, for John and Brian alike.

“John came and prayed and started something here,” Brian says. “Now, coming all this way, I’m the director. And it’s been really cool to see God continue to answer those prayers.”

Sharing Hope in the Workplace

For Ahmani Joseph, being a therapist and social worker is a calling the Lord put on her heart from a young age.

Growing up, she watched her dad as he did outreach in the city. Working at an urban clothing store in downtown Jacksonville, he started hosting Bible studies in that space for youth in the community.

“They would tell him things that were going on in their lives, and he was able to provide hope for them,” Ahmani remembers. “So I was younger and seeing this, and was like, man, this is something that I want to do. It’s interesting how God places things on your heart when He has a purpose for you.”

Ahmani started getting involved with The Navigators when she was a student at the University of Central Florida. However, her journey as a disciplemaker really kicked off when she decided to join Navigators staff for Edge Corps at Florida A&M University. Now as a therapist for kids in foster care in Jacksonville, she takes what she learned and shares the hope of Christ in the midst of hard situations.

“I see some of the most broken situations and places, and it can be pretty overwhelming,” she says. “But my time involved with The Navigators — that experience really taught me how to disciple people, how to walk alongside people, and ways to pass this along to the next generation.”

Through her job, Ahmani’s role is to show compassion, care, and intentionally pray for those God has placed in her path.

“These kids don’t have people who are praying over them by name, so I do,” she says. “I pray for them that they would feel God pursuing them.”

Faithfulness in the Neighborhood

Going into college at UNF, Steven Weatherford didn’t know how to interact with other Christians, share the gospel, or pray. He felt lonely, and he prayed that God would send him someone to lead and teach him about faith. Through The Navigators, God answered his prayer.

“I was taught by The Navigators and being discipled in the collegiate ministry,” Steven remembers. “I was shown deep care, and my life has been transformed through that. Now I make disciples at my church, my work, and my neighborhood because of what I was taught.”

A high school math teacher, Steven intentionally lives out his faith by meeting with coworkers for Bible study and being available to answer students’ questions about life and God. Beyond the school building, Steven has a passion for showing God’s love to his neighbors through acts of kindness or hospitality, opening the door to deeper discussions about faith. From hosting monthly barbecues in his front yard to inviting neighbors into Bible study at his church, he is investing in relationships.

“In my neighborhood, it seems like everybody’s from a different country,” he says. “It’s amazing. After I graduated college, the Lord had broken my heart for the nations, and I prayed the Lord would bring me to a neighborhood where there were lots of people from different neighborhoods. After we started talking to our neighbors, I realized that the Lord had answered that prayer to have intentional relationships with people from different backgrounds.”

Holistic City Discipleship

Over the past 15 years, God has nurtured the seeds of faithful prayer and intentional discipleship in Jacksonville through dedicated disciplemakers across the city, each of whom are leaning into the spaces God has placed them to build relationships and live lives that point to Christ.

“Whether you are Brian or Ahmani or Steven or me and Melissa, the idea is that all of us can make disciples,” John says. “All of us can be good neighbors, love others, and help people know Christ and make Him known.”

Join us in praying over the city of Jacksonville, that believers continue to rise up and work together to make disciples, exactly where they are.

Larry was alone the day Christ saved him. He had gone to church one Sunday morning, and as he later drove away from church by his university, he thought, “God, look at me — what a sinful man I am. Would you please take away the guilt for all of my sin?” He felt a shift in his heart that he couldn’t explain — but he began thinking about God and praying to Him fervently every night for the next several days.

Without a strong religious background, all Larry had was a Bible and a newly formed prayer life, neither of which he fully understood. Without someone to guide him in his new Christian faith, Larry began to wander. He moved to Kansas a few months later, and for two and a half years, he lived a mostly fleshly life before the Lord turned him on a different path.

Larry felt the hunger for a spiritual mentor, but didn’t know where to find one. At the time, he lived with roommates, and one of them would meet with an older Christian once a week at their home for one-on-one Bible study. Curious, Larry would sit at the top of the stairs and listen in to their meetings.

“I thought, ‘I need that,’” Larry remembers. “‘I need somebody to walk alongside me, teach me the Bible, and help me understand how to live the Christian life.’ I didn’t know where to go to find someone that would help … until I met Don.”

Don Henry, a Navigator, was teaching a Scripture memorization class that Larry was in. Knowing that Don was an active disciplemaker, Larry asked Don if he would be willing to meet and disciple him. Once the class was finished, they began to meet one-on-one, and Don encouraged Larry to continue having daily quiet time with the Lord and sharing his faith with others.

Equipping disciples in everyday life

Through discipleship, God helped Larry establish a foundation for his faith, learning how to walk and move forward in his Christian life. But his journey did not stop there. Since then, Larry has devoted the past 40 years of his life in Wichita, Kansas to meeting one-on-one and in small groups with men and passing on what he has learned, helping them grow as disciples of Christ and share their faith with others.

“I will never leave another orphan behind,” Larry says. “If I know somebody is new in their faith, and I see their need, I’ll adopt them. I understand the cost of not having someone come alongside you.”

Larry began meeting men wherever he could to help establish them in their walk with Christ and equip them to do the Lord’s work in everyday life, whether that was in his work in the aircraft manufacturing business, his church, or his neighborhood. He remembers how when he and his wife moved into a new home in the 1990s, they met a couple down the road. “I told my wife that it doesn’t get more obvious than this — they were deliberately dumped in our laps,” he says. He and his wife started meeting with the couple individually to do one-on-one Bible studies, and the Lord saved his wife; the husband was already a Christian, but very young in his faith. Now, the Becks and the next door couple are still close friends, serving in church together.

Reaching the Next Generation

Sometimes, Larry has had the pleasure of seeing multiple generations of believers come out of those he has discipled. One such man is Carson, a young man Larry met through church. Carson was expressing dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the ministries he was involved in, so Larry started to disciple him over his summer break home from university. Larry passed on the knowledge that Don taught him years before through Life-to-Life^® discipleship, and encouraged Carson to share what he was learning with others.

The next school year, Carson started to meet with another student, Russ, to help Russ grow as a disciple of Jesus. Carson was already meeting with a small group of other students and asked Russ to join them. Together, Carson, Russ and the small group began developing deeper relationships with Christ and sharing the gospel with their classmates. Even though Carson has now graduated and moved back home, the ministry he kicked off by investing in Russ continues today on that campus.

“Faithful men may be hard to find,” says Larry, “but the investment you make in them will go on when you are no longer there. And that makes it all worth it to give ourselves to raising up lifelong everyday disciplemakers for Jesus.”

Adopting others into God’s kingdom

Larry is the epitome of an everyday disciplemaker: someone who dedicates their life to raising up disciples, no matter where they are. Larry has never worked on Navigator staff, and yet, through living faithfully in his everyday life, he has adopted a multitude of spiritual orphans into God’s kingdom, one relationship at a time.

“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” 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV).

Discipleship Tip:

Look around you. Do you see anyone who is new to their faith, who might need someone to come alongside them? Seek “spiritual orphans” in your life and consider how you can adopt them as a disciple.

It was August of 1990 when Tyler was dropped off at Miami University to begin his freshman year. He was nervous about what college would look like, and was seeking to get involved with a Christian community when someone introduced him to Ward Ballard — a Navigator on campus. Ward was about 10 years older than Tyler, and he had a way of making people feel at ease — exactly what Tyler needed at the time.

Ward began to invite Tyler to Navigator events, and soon they formed a compassionate, brotherly sort of friendship. Tyler was drawn to Ward’s authentic, candid pursuit of Jesus — where he didn’t shy away from doubts or hard conversations — and he was surprised that Ward seemed to not expect anything from him beyond a friendship.

“Before long, I learned that my encounter with Ward was a rare opportunity to see the Christian faith in one of its most simple, but profound, forms,” Tyler remembers. “It was as if he offered me friendship with no strings attached, like a gift someone leaves on one’s doorstep. You could accept the gift, ignore it, throw it away — it’s your choice.”

As Tyler graduated and left college, he found that not only did his relationship with Ward continue for years to come, but the impact of how Ward treated him stuck with him as well. “I had the idea that maybe I should be the same way: able to be happy when others succeed and find their way in life, and also to offer friendship to those I come across without the expectation of something in return,” Tyler recalls.

The Gift of Relationship

Several years later, Tyler was traveling to Philadelphia on a trip with his father when he unexpectedly met another Navigator named James*. Not only did James take Tyler and his father out to coffee, but he gave them a tour of some of Philadelphia’s highlights.

When Tyler received a job offer in the Philadelphia area four years later, he reconnected with James. James helped Tyler find an apartment and offered to continue to meet for coffee at the same pastry shop where they had met previously with his father. “Just as Ward had offered me friendship without strings attached, James was doing the same,” Tyler remembers.

Tyler and James were still meeting up regularly at the same pastry shop in March of 2007 when James unexpectedly passed away in a biking accident, only a few days after grabbing coffee with Tyler. Tyler remembers the memorial service being packed with hundreds of people, all of whom James had shaped, invested in, or helped to find peace and faith with Jesus.

James’ sudden death hit Tyler hard. “For me, I had given this man nothing … I was too needy at the time to give anything back,” Tyler recalls.

The Secret Chain of Generational Discipleship

After the memorial, Tyler talked with Ward about James’ passing. Ward shared that he actually knew James well — in fact, James had mentored Ward before he even met Tyler at Miami University, greatly helping him gain outreach and ministry skills. Tyler was shocked — he never knew that the two men who loved him so well were connected until that moment, forming a chain of generational discipleship.

Now, every time Tyler passes the pastry shop where he used to meet James, he remembers and reflects on the lessons that James passed on to Ward, and in turn, Ward passed on to him. He had learned from Ward and James that there is no greater purpose than to be there for those who are in need and follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

“Both James and Ward lived and obeyed the biblical command to love one’s neighbor — irrespective of whether it profits us somehow or not,” Tyler says. “I cannot think of a higher calling, and I am grateful to have known these two inspiring men.”

*Name changed for privacy.

Tyler submitted his story to The Navigators to share how Ward and James impacted his life. At The Navigators, we are so encouraged by hearing personal stories of how the Lord has used this ministry to impact others’ lives. If you have a story about how your experience with The Navigators impacted you, please share here – My Navigators Story.

Discipleship Tip:

Tyler was greatly impacted by how Ward and James offered selfless friendship, expecting nothing in return during times when he was in need. Look around at the people in your life. Who can you be stretching out a hand to? How can you be offering the gift of intentional friendship to someone else?

It was New Year’s Eve of 2016 when Navigator Craig Parker first stepped foot in the Suffolk County Jail in downtown Boston to help lead an inmate Bible study. The jail was about 300 yards from TD Garden, the arena where the Boston Celtics play. As he walked past the busy sports arena, he remembers hearing the distant sounds of another basketball game — the inmates playing within the caged jail next door.

Now, over seven years later, leading prison ministry initiatives has become one of the core passions of Craig’s life and ministry. This has included hosting an online micro church every Sunday on incarceration and injustice and launching the Boston Reentry Collaborative — a network of churches serving those affected by incarceration as they reenter society.

The Navigator City Director for Boston and part of the Navigators I:58 (Isaiah 58) Prison Ministry Network, Craig has seen firsthand how mentoring inmates can be transformative, having walked with men in the highs and lows of their journeys and personal walks with the Lord — both in and out of prison.

One of the men Craig meets with is Michael, a believer who spreads the gospel in prison as he serves his life sentence in MCI-Shirley, a state prison in Massachusetts.

A Passion for Discipleship in Prison

When Michael was 21-years-old, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Incarcerated for the first time in his life, he felt hopeless and was planning to take his own life when another inmate invited him to attend a church service. In the service, the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” started to play, and it struck a chord in Michael’s heart.

“I started weeping bitterly,” Michael recounts. “It was at that point that God intervened in my life, and he filled me with a peace that I can’t explain. So my faith is something that literally saved my life.” 

That church service in December of 1991 started a faith journey for Michael that has carried him throughout his 32 years in prison. Today, Michael is a core leader of MCI-Shirley’s chapel community and discipleship groups. He has dedicated his life to sharing the gospel and discipling other inmates, often building relationships through the prison workout program he teaches called “Transforming the Temple.”

“I love meeting with these men one on one, where I can really spend time with them, disciple them, and build the things of God into their life,” Michael says. “God has used the fitness arena for me to reach guys I normally wouldn’t be able to reach.”

Michael originally met Craig a year and a half ago when Craig’s church was attending a chapel at MCI-Shirley. Since then, Michael and Craig interact weekly through phone calls, letters, and visits. While Michael never had someone disciple him at the beginning of his faith, Craig now diligently walks alongside him in mentorship, supplying him with spiritual encouragement and Navigator resources to help Michael disciple other inmates more effectively.

“I often wonder what I have to do to improve how I disciple these men,” Michael says, “so having the information I’m getting from The Navigators is helping me to become better in the ministry God has called me to do. I told Craig I want to be the first person in prison to be a Navigator.”

Having a man like Craig support and invest in him from the outside has had a meaningful impact on Michael’s life and ministry. “I’m really thankful that God placed Craig in my life,” he says. “He’s done tremendous work in my life, and he’s helped me grow in my walk with Christ and feel value again.”

How Outside Support Impacts Inmates

Michael is just one of over 1.8 million people who are incarcerated in the U.S. Though 90 percent of inmates will be released at some point in their lives, most are likely to return to prison if they lack a support system in the outside world.

“In our state alone, there are 13,000 people incarcerated, and about 2,000 of them are released into the Boston area every year,” Craig explains. “The question is, what kind of citizens do we want them to be — and how can we walk alongside them? Our vision is to mobilize more volunteers to walk alongside those who are incarcerated — to awaken, educate, and engage the church on a wider scale.”

Whether it’s something as small as writing letters to inmates or as large as committing to be a consistent mentor, Craig encourages churches to meet inmates while they are incarcerated and continue to support them as they reenter into society, connecting them to service providers as well as a community of believers.

Craig has lived this example through his mentorship of a man named Daniel, whom Craig met in prison and helped get into a Christian residential program for his parole called Place of Promise. “I’ve seen Daniel take pride in who he is and his work for the first time,” Craig explains. “This is a man who has been in prison for 31 years, and I’ve seen true transformation happening.”

For Michael, who has watched numerous inmates be released and return to prison over the years, the work Craig is doing isn’t just important — it’s vital in order for these men and women to successfully leave the prison system once and for all. “To know that there’s a community of people who love you and find value in you, who say, ‘We’re family, we’re here for you, we’re here with you,’ is so important,” he says.

How the Gospel Transforms Lives

For many, prison is a place that is entirely devoid of hope. “I’ve seen men who are absolutely broken at their worst,” Craig explains. “Their hope is completely stripped away from them.”

However, through men like Michael, prison can be a place where the light of the gospel can shine with brilliant clarity. “You’ve never heard the gospel proclaimed until you’ve heard it from someone like Michael,” Craig reflects, “who can say, ‘I was convicted of murder a long time ago. But that’s not who I am. And I want to tell you about God’s love and forgiveness and care.’ It puts the gospel in a whole different light for me.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Through supportive believers like Craig and dedicated disciplemakers like Michael, the hope of the gospel is alive and making new hearts in the darkest of prison systems. Join us in praying for the prison ministry in Boston, that the Lord will continue to transform the lives of inmates and inspire believers to come alongside those who are incarcerated to fight with them for a better life.

Discipleship Tip:

Michael seeks opportunities to disciple the men that are already around him. Look around — who is currently in your circles that you can disciple? Think about how you can intentionally deepen your relationships or spark a conversation with someone new!

Then God surprised them with an amazing opportunity. Their school principal asked Ernie to teach a Bible club after school because two young Christian middle school students asked for one.

Following God’s call, Ernie gave the principal a lesson plan, Bible, and copy of the NavPress Bible study Design for Discipleship Book 1. The principal made a presentation to the Board of Education, and it was approved. In 2003, their public school Bible club ministry was born!

Sharing the Gospel in Public Schools

Since then, everyday disciplemakers from other churches have expressed interest in teaching after-school Bible clubs in more schools. With the help of The Navigators Corporate Affairs and Risk Management (CARM) department to develop and implement a vetting process and child protection training, these partnering churches have been able to effectively onboard volunteers. All of the Bible club teachers are trained to share the gospel and morning devotions, as well as teach students how to memorize Scripture, pray, witness, and study the Bible in ways that are engaging and relevant for grades K-12.

Ernie is especially passionate for this ministry because of the research from Barna Group and the National Association of Evangelicals, which states that 85 percent of people who have put their trust in Christ did so when they were between the ages of 4 and 16. This is a testament to Jesus’ special care for children when He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14 (NIV).

After seeing hundreds of children come to Christ through Bible clubs over 22 years, Ernie sees this ministry as essential for reaching generations for Christ, laying foundations of faith to prepare the youth to be everyday disciplemakers in school, work, family, and life as they grow up.

In addition, Ernie is excited about the fact that the ministry has been grassroots and community-led. Partnering churches love the community impact of the Bible clubs, and church-going parents are thrilled their children are learning the Word of God in their public school setting, not just at church. Children are being transformed by the love of Jesus through the gospel, and the impact is rippling out to families and school staff.

A Growing Ministry for Children

Ernie has devoted much of his time to train churches around the nation to start up Bible clubs in their own local public schools with hopes of expanding and multiplying spiritual generations. As more and more churches reach out to Ernie, he continues to help them navigate the logistics of setting up Bible clubs, leading them with Navigator principles.

Pray for the children that The Navigators Bible club ministry will reach and disciple in public schools. Consider ways you may be able to partner locally to help reach children in public schools near you. For more information, contact Ernie Scalabrin at ernie.scalabrin@navigators.org.

Discipleship Tip:

Judy and Ernie were already involved in the public school system through his kids when he started the Bible Club ministry, using it as an opportunity to disciple children at his local schools. Look around — where are you already involved that you could disciple others? Whether it’s your workplace, neighborhood, school, or community, you might be surprised to see who you could reach in your networks!

“I believe your mood reflects your decision making,” Matt recalls. “And my mind frame was pain. So I was seeking out pain, and you often attract what you are in this world.”

When Jon met Matt through a mutual friend, Matt was living out of his car. Though he sought freedom from addiction, there were deeper aspects of Matt’s life that remained unfulfilled, and he lacked a personal relationship with God.

Knowing that Matt needed the love and redeeming hope of Jesus to transform his life, Jon started to read the Bible with him over the phone. However, Matt was initially resistant. “To be honest, most of our conversations were him being angry at God and mad at Christians for the hurt he had experienced in his life,” Jon says. “He would say that God doesn’t exist, and he was really broken.”

Despite Matt’s initial lack of interest in God, Jon kept calling. He continued to build a relationship with Matt, even trying to help him find work and housing. After numerous spiritual conversations, Jon began to feel discouraged. Though Matt’s heart showed signs of softening, he wasn’t ready to surrender his life to Christ. Knowing that there wasn’t much else he could do, Jon entrusted Matt’s life to the Lord and continued to pray over him.

And then, after two years, something finally clicked.

“I remember that for years, Jon would call and reach out to me about God,” Matt says. “For a long time, I wasn’t trying to hear it. But Jon never stopped. He never gave up on me. And it changed my life.”

How God Transforms Lives

Just before Thanksgiving 2022, Matt called Jon and ended up joining Jon’s family for the holiday weekend. Before church that Sunday, Jon got breakfast with Matt.

“I told him, ‘Listen, man. I know you don’t know what to do,”’ Jon recalls. “‘My encouragement is to ask God for direction. But if you are going to do this, you can’t do it alone. You need God in your life. You need to invite him in and surrender your life.’ And then we prayed that the message at our church would speak to him.”

When they went to church later that day, something remarkable happened. The sermon seemed to be perfectly tailored to what Matt was going through, and it shifted something within him. During the altar call at the end of service, Matt prayed to receive Jesus, completely surrendering his life to Christ!

“I think God was trying to tell me that I have two options,” Matt says. “I knew I was either going to die, or I could change. And God opened the doorway for me.”

Matt was ready for God to transform his life, and Jon and a community of dedicated believers rallied around him in support as he learned a new way of life. They met daily for prayer and to study the Bible, encouraging Matt to attend disciplemaking and Navigators Workplace events.

Now, Matt is connected with the Navigators Detroit city team, and he’s joined a men’s ministry house where his housemates all participate in a weekly Bible study. Matt has secured a steady job and he actively engages in different Bible studies — including one with Jon.

“He’s working so hard,” Jon says. “He’s being faithful and obedient in so many different areas of his life, from sharing his faith with his brother who hurt him in the past to posting Bible verses on Facebook to encourage others.”

Offering the Power of Second Chances Through Disciplemaking

For Matt, Jon has not only been a constant support system over the past couple of years, but he has also exemplified what a godly man looks like — one who truly lives out his faith. By having a Life-to-life® relationship with Jon, Matt learned what it meant to be a lifelong disciple of Jesus.

“I would watch what Jon was doing, and he’s just so dedicated,” Matt says. “Every day he wakes up and he really lives it. I have had many people in my life I can’t trust. But I know I can count on Jon.”

While Matt still faces challenges that require the Holy Spirit’s guidance — like we all do — he is seeking to obey Christ and continue on the right path. His newfound faith has been an encouragement to Jon in his ministry, as well as a light to the community around him.

“God kept pointing me to 1 Corinthians 13, where it writes that love never fails,” Jon says. “It never gives up, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God’s love continuously pours out. So when we deal with resistance, we have to keep raising the standard — to love others as Jesus would.”

Matt’s story reminds us that everyone deserves a second chance and that transformation is possible with the love of God and the dedication of a compassionate community — no matter how long it takes.

“I’ve been in a constant war since I got into this world,” Matt shares. “But now, I finally have peace.”

Pray for peace in your life. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John 14:27 (NIV).

Discipleship Tip:  

Don’t let proximity stop you from inviting someone to read the Bible with you. If connecting in person isn’t an option, then invite them to read the Bible with you over the phone or through a video chat. God can still work powerfully!

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.

Editor’s Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. 

I’m Vicki Gatchell and I’m with The Navigators Church Ministries, which is part of Disciplemakers For Life. I live in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. 

However, I grew up on a farm in northwest Ohio where I raised sheep. I was in 4-H and I didn’t come from a big family, so often in the summer if I wasn’t in school you would see me outside in the sheep pen playing and leading my sheep. I really enjoyed being a shepherdess growing up.

In high school, I came to Christ through Youth for Christ and then when I was in college someone recommended I get in touch with The Navigators. My meeting with The Navigators turned out to be a meeting that changed my life. 

The equipping and learning I did during my time in Navigators Collegiate is really what I’ve built the rest of my spiritual life on over the years. In fact, the other day I got out my first Bible from a bookshelf at home, I opened it up, and near the back was my first attempt at drawing The Navigators Wheel illustration.

The Wheel illustration is one of our primary tools used to understand disciplemaking. Christ is at the center, our relationship with God being the vertical spokes of The Wheel and our relationship with others being the horizontal spokes. The rim represents being obedient to Christ. It was really fun to find that from my college days! 

I started to look back and think about my time in Navigators Collegiate. During that time, a fellow student of mine gave a presentation on having a heart for people. Until then, I had thought, I’m going to do veterinary medicine! I want to work with animals all my life. 

The more I grew to know and love the Lord and identified with having a heart for people, I realized I’d much rather be shepherding people. 

What Shepherding People is Like

Over time, I realized that the most important work of my life came in those spiritual conversations. The thing I loved most was seeing people grow! God has allowed me to know, love, walk, and shepherd so many people. Shepherding people has been the joy of my life. 

I began to pray and think about what it is I really love. I realized that shepherding people was what I wanted to give the rest of my life to. 

Long story short, in 2020 I onboarded with The Navigators working with Navigators Church Ministries—helping bring every church to help everyday disciplemakers transform their everywhere. 

Discipleship Tip:  

Regardless of how long you’ve been following Christ, can you recall something you initially learned that helped you grow spiritually? Step out in faith and share this discipleship resource with someone you’re discipling. Can’t decide what to share? Check out these Navigators Discipleship Resources.