{"id":256886,"date":"2023-02-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navigators.org\/?p=256886"},"modified":"2023-08-08T11:27:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T17:27:54","slug":"being-ministry-minded-while-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navigators.org\/blog\/frontlines\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope on the Front Lines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our nation\u2019s first responders\u2014firefighters, police, and emergency medical providers\u2014face extraordinary challenges. Former SWAT team commander Tony Kollias describes the pressure on those in law enforcement: \u201cIn this line of work you don\u2019t know who to trust most of the time. You have to [stay alert] because somebody might kill you at any minute.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left to right: Chris Green & Tony Kollias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spending working hours constantly responding to crisis or emergency situations can lead to problems at home, he says. \u201cFirst responders come home depressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcoholism is high. Many police officers are on their third marriage by the time they retire.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sort of reaction is a coping mechanism to numb the pain or deal with the stress. Without God, they have no hope. But many are finding the hope they desperately need through The Navigators First Responders Ministry.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intentionally Reaching Those You Work With<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chris Green<\/a>, who was serving as a reserve police officer in the Portland, Oregon, area, was grieved by the brokenness he saw in his colleagues. God prompted him to do something about it. In 2012 he launched The Navigators First Responder Ministry<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry addressed a unique challenge of working with first responders: \u201cIf we want to reach them with the gospel, we\u2019re going to have to use insiders,\u201d Chris says. \u201cOutsiders are not going to reach this culture.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Chris recruited SWAT commander Tony Kollias to begin encouraging the people around him that there was a better way to deal with the stress\u2014through God. Tony, too, understood the importance of the insider in this ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn law enforcement we don\u2019t trust people,\u201d he explains. Bringing in someone from outside, who\u2019s not part of the culture,  would not be effective. \u201cBut to have one of those trusted people who\u2019s a Christ follower share Christ on the inside of the culture, that works. God wanted to use me in the community where He had placed me\u2014inside the Sheriff\u2019s Office.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris reports, \u201cJust in his own agency, I bet Tony has impacted 50 people. He\u2019s led numerous people to Jesus, he\u2019s discipled many, many people, and he\u2019s challenged people to disciple.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Change Your Work Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tony began inviting first responders to his home for Bible studies. He made one of the objectives clear from the beginning. \u201cThe goal is, to go and do likewise. If you\u2019ve been changed through this, then go and start your own group.\u201d And that\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As people encountered Christ, the whole culture of his team began to change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of using drinking and other vices to cope many turned towards God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur SWAT parties used to be centered on drinking,\u201d he says. \u201cNow they\u2019re family parties\u2014we invite them to bring their kids.\u201d Each month the First Responders Ministry in Portland hosts a get-together for those on the team and invites their families. They share a biblical message to both kids and their parents\u2014helping to bring families together, not tear  them apart.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tony felt called to retire from the SWAT team and is now ministering full-time with The Navigators. Because insiders are so effective in ministry, Chris is recruiting other retired first responders who have been discipled by Navigators to join in the work. As with Tony, their firsthand experience of the intense challenges these men and women face daily can open doors for the gospel of hope to transform lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pray for The Navigators First Responders Ministry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, 4.6 million first responders serve, rescue, and protect us. These men and women need the hope found in the gospel! The Navigators First Responders Ministry now reaches and serves 18 different regions throughout the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you can pray:<\/p>\n\n\n\n