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Discovering Your Design

By Ian McIntosh, Staff Care. Know Yourself. Made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 The need to answer the question: “Who am I, and why am I here?” has always been at the core of our very being. God made us this way for His Purposes. “Men go abroad to wonder at the height of ...

Harvest Discipleship Series

The Australian Navigators are grateful to The Navigators (international) for allowing us the use of this valuable resource: https://www.navigators.org/resource/harvest-film-series/ Harvest is a five-part series of short films on discipleship. These videos focus on casting the vision, reaching ...

Your Questions Answered - Navigator Discipleship

Fran Johnson from our Melbourne Labouring Community answers some of your questions about Navigator discipleship. Why have you enjoyed Navigator discipleship, in group and individual settings? Navigator one-to-one discipleship began my spiritual transformation. I was quite broken spiritually ...

Run the Race: The Intentional Process of Discipleship

Discipleship isn't something that happens overnight. There is a process. It takes time. Time and intention. This video, part of the Harvest Series that explores Discipleship, is by Dave Wirgau, and is useful as a tool in discipling and fanning the flame for disciple-making.  

The shocking call to discipleship

by Colin Duthie, first published in Compass, Spring 1997 Among the most threatening words in the Bible for me are those of Jesus in John 20:21, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." The fact of the commission is clear. The scary bit comes from reflecting on the underlying question, ...

Personal Discipleship

Dear Friend, We live in a time when it is easier than ever to access good content. You can download podcasts or listen to great preachers from our era and previous eras. You can subscribe to great courses and walk through various subjects. YouTube may be a wasteland of cat videos and movie ...

What is the cost of discipleship?

Robin Dennis has been a Christian for 46 years and a Navigator for just as long! In his own words, discipleship is the most exciting journey as well as the saddest. Compass caught up with Robin to ask why living life alongside people is a labour of love that’s truly worth it. What has ...

Leadership, Partnership and Discipleship!

Next Gen Leadership Forum and Staff Finance Seminar By Levi Swartzentruber  We had the privilege of having Chee Hoe and Bit, Mike, and Glen from the Asia Pacific (AP) leadership team join us for a weekend of learning about “Leading Like Jesus”. We heard examples of other leaders in ...

What or who is a Disciple?

By Robin Dennis Discipleship is nothing new. We find the concept of a disciple – that is, a person following a master – among Plato, Socrates and Herodotus; in ancient Hebrew culture, Elisha (2 Kings 4:38), Isaiah (8:16), Samuel (1 Sam 10:5), then we know that John the Baptist had ...

Beyond the Age of Reason: Western Culture 5

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,  Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts". Isaiah 55:8-9 Western culture has made a sharp distinction between ...

Get To Know Clint and Leigh Ann Trebesh

Clint and Leigh Ann have served on staff with The Navigators since 2004. They have worked in camp and conference ministry, led disciple-making work among university students, and laboured with multiple city teams, before moving to Melbourne earlier this year. This is the unabridged version of their ...

Cries of the Soul

By Bruce Clarke, first printed in Compass, Spring 2015 All of us will experience suffering or adversity at some point in our lives. Some fall away when God does not deal with them in a way that they desire. But it is also true that many come to faith when adversity strikes. Adversity can ...

Relational Resilience

By Ian McIntosh We can see relational conflict all around the world and throughout history. These conflicts have resulted in wars. We see this in the news today. These wars take place on a much larger scale, but I think I can say all of us have experienced relational conflict on a smaller scale. ...

Living the Mission

By Owen Dibden, Sydney Labouring Community On an ordinary workday, I was sent to do final touches on a bathroom renovation. My friend Faran*, the glazier who installs our shower screens, rocks up. Fortunately, we were able to do our work in side-by-side rooms so we could chat. I hadn’t seen ...

An Alien View of God: Western Culture 1

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now ...

Get to Know Dustyn and Hannah McLaren

Dustyn and Hannah are from our South East Queensland Labouring Community. Dustyn joined our Staff last year. We interviewed him for our Compass Newsletter Autumn 2023 issue. How did you come into relationship with Jesus? At the ripe age of five in October of 1987 I remember contemplating a ...

Mark Bible Study

By Luke Midena, with Scott Brown, for the National Council In our Staff Bible studies this year, we continued to explore how Jesus made disciples in Mark’s gospel. Here are a few insights. Jesus was not simply teaching his disciples but training them, and a core focus of their training was ...

Come - Be an Overcomer

A reflection on the 2025 Monash International Student Ministry Conference by Arnetta Wijaya, Melbourne Labouring Community Over the mid-semester break, the Monash Navigators International Student Ministry (ISM) held our annual conference, a time filled with laughter, reflection, growth and, ...

Generational, Relational, Intentional, Personal

By Dustyn McLaren, South-East Queensland Labouring Community It is such a privilege to serve the Lord in the Great Commission and, even more so, to enjoy His friendship. John 15:15 says, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have ...

Q & A with Katherine Halliday

Let's get to know Katherine Halliday, Ministry Apprentice at Macquarie University, Sydney. What is your role with the Navigators? I’m serving as a Ministry Apprentice with the Navigators at Macquarie University. I have committed at least 2022 and 2023 as an apprentice, and I am excited ...

From Grant to You

Dear Friend, Discipleship means many things to many people, and you can’t go to one verse and get the Bible’s definition of discipleship. Its root meaning is follower or pupil, a learner. Today we think of a learner as someone who wants to know what the teacher knows, but a biblical ...

An Appealing Message?

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Is this an appealing message? This was a question asked by a young man in our discipleship training group over dinner recently. In an era where people crave authenticity and evidence of God’s power, Simon*— who has been battling significant ...

Called to Follow the Fruit

By Tim Mapperson, Melbourne Labouring Community It was mid-June. Stepping out into the cold winter night, we closed the door for the last time. We had been meeting at this Community Centre in Carlton for many years as a campus ministry. Tonight was to be our final night. This season was coming ...

Advancing the Kingdom in Indonesia

Indonesia has 259 million people, 86% of them are Muslim and many are poor. Poverty doesn’t just affect the present for these families and children in Indonesia … it affects their entire futures. Many children drop out of school because their families cannot afford for them to go.  The ...

The Dynamic of Reproduction

By Ram Marrero, first published in The Discipler, Issue 21, Winter 2020, used with permission. The strategy is generations of disciples reproducing generations of reproducing disciple-makers. I can remember meeting [with] Jono early in the morning on Coolum Beach. He would bring his surfboard and ...

People of Passion

The early followers of Jesus were called ‘people of the way’. This was long before the term ‘Christian’ was coined. Perhaps it came from Jesus’ words ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life' (John 14:6). People of Passion* is here to help you on your way, following Jesus, The Way. It ...

Sydney Labouring Community Update Summer 2024

By Scott Brown "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:23–24 - If you've kept up ...

So Grateful For Your Generosity Towards Our Nepal Appeal!

Nepal Appeal Update Thank you for your generous and encouraging giving towards our Appeal for Nepal. Your gift enabled us to reach and exceed our goal of $5,000 for Lalita (you gave $6,300) and to reach our goal of $20,000 for the Endowment Fund of the Nepali ministry.          We ...

Get To Know Doug and Geneve Utley

Doug and Geneve Utley are lifelong labourers from our Melbourne community. Doug has served previously as National Director, and he and Geneve have worked with many students and graduates, couples and emerging leaders over the years. He has produced resources such as the Enriching Your Marriage ...

Julie Leads Generations

Dave and Julie McIntosh lead our Navigator work at Macquarie University. This is one story of what God has been doing through Navigators to grow generations of disciples. Julie shares: During my first two years serving at Macquarie University, it felt as though almost all of our female students ...

Who are the Navigators?

The Navigators is a global discipleship movement of people who want to move forward in their relationship with Jesus and impact the world for Him. We invest deeply in people to see their lives transformed. Our heart is to lead wherever God asks so that, together, we can see the Gospel spread and ...

Your Questions Answered! – by Julianne McMaster

By Julianne McMaster, first published in Compass, Summer 2020 Julianne McMaster and her husband, Phil, are involved in the Military Ministry of the Australian Navigators. In particular, Julianne oversees the Solid Rock Ministry. We wanted her thoughts on Teaching and Leadership. “See One, ...

Compass Feature: David Turner

Interview by June Sparks David Turner Reflects on Compass David Turner has been behind the scenes or at the helm of Compass for over 30 years. He’s seen its transition from no colour to two colour to four colour to full colour. Compass has always been about connecting with the Australian ...

New Beginning ... New Opportunities

By Tim Mapperson, Melbourne Labouring Community, Student Ministry. First published in Compass, Autumn 2022. What do you do when your ministry is pulled out from under your feet? When you watch the community that you have strived to build over the years slowly diminish until it vanishes, nothing ...

A Focus On Scripture Memory

By Sharon Yong, Melbourne Labouring Community (International Student Ministry, Monash), first published in Compass Winter 2023 As Navigators, we have a focus on the basics. In our Monash Uni ISM, we use the acronym POWER (ie. Prayer-Outreach-Word-Equipping-Relationships) to help keep our focus. ...

Discipling Men

By Thomas Bielenberg, Canberra Labouring Community Here's what's been happening in the ADFA/RMC Community recently: Caleb is discipling Eddy and leading a Bible study Caleb* will be discipling Eddy* this week while I’m away. We have been meeting Eddy together most weeks as I hand him over ...

Mark's Gospel

By Luke Midena and Frank Mapperson, for the National Council The National Council takes seriously the need to keep God’s Word central. Together, we studied the first eight chapters of Mark’s gospel. Mark draws on the first-hand experience of Peter, and his Gospel is a fast-paced account of ...

You are Needed for the Journey

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community It’s full speed ahead, and I’m not sure if we’ve filled up the tank with enough fuel! The train tracks: Monash University, and open for service; the Train: Monash Navs, and it has begun its journey. “ALL ABOARD!” was called at our first ...

Get To Know Sarah Vernon

Sarah has been part of our Australian Navigators family for several years and recently joined one of our Short-Term Mission Trips. We interviewed her for the Winter 2025 Issue of Compass, our newsletter, where an abridged version of her interview was first published. How did you come into ...

Halfway There

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community Here we are, midway through 2025, reflecting on all the good the Lord has done, but also looking ahead in faith for what is to come. It has been a number of months since I was able to give a comprehensive update on all that's been happening! So ...

Your Questions Answered about Mutua

Mutua Mahiaini is our current International President and was scheduled to be our keynote speaker at the upcoming National Conference in October. (While the conference itself has been cancelled, Mutua is still preparing to send us his messages.) But ... Who is Mutua Mahiaini? Prior to joining ...

Worldwide Partnership Day of Prayer

Every year, the Navigators set aside one day for prayer as a worldwide partnership. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to work together and fellowship with colleagues across our international partnership.  This year, our Worldwide Partnership Day of Prayer will be on Saturday, March 18. ...

Our Navigator Family in the UK

By Jeanette Dibden Grant and I lived in England in 1989 and on the way there we travelled to Kenya. We were going to go on a safari camping trip but found ourselves in Nairobi and unable to hire a sleeping bag. Grant’s solution was to ring the Navigators (listed in the phone book – remember ...

Expecting God to Work!

By Levi and Lindsey Swartzentruber, Canberra Labouring Community Our new team members, JT and Laine, have only been in the country with us for two months now but already their contribution to God’s work at the ANU is showing… For years we have struggled to gain interest from the students in ...

Theresa Leads a New Generation Closer to Jesus

Theresa works full time as a nurse for Red Cross and is also leading groups of disciples in the Navigators’ International Student Ministry. This is her story. I grew up as a Buddhist. My family worshipped many gods, each god representing a different aspect of life. To me, religion was just a ...

How is Navigators supported?

How is the Navigators funded? The Navigators is funded by gifts from individuals, churches and businesses. The impact of this ministry is significantly made possible by your financial generosity, prayers and sacrifice of time. Thank you! How can I support Navigators’ work? You can ...

Mission to the Philippines

Together with you, we’re committed to going wherever God leads … and doing whatever He asks to move people closer to Jesus and impact the world.  Now, God is leading us to break new spiritual ground in the Philippines – through a mission trip to train new leaders how to grow students into ...

Q&A with Scott Brown - Navigator Leader for Sydney

How did you come into relationship with Jesus? My maternal grandmother played a significant role in me developing a relationship with Christ. Not only did she model a deep and abiding love for Jesus which flowed over to others, but she also prayed for me (and all her grandkids) ...

Connected for Life

By Bruce Clarke The New Testament gives us a few tantalizing details of a married couple named Priscilla and Aquila. They were living in Rome working with leather, making tents (Acts 18:1-4). Then Caesar Claudius decided that the Jews were undesirable and forced them to flee Rome. They arrive at ...

Lessons on Renewal

By James Broad, first printed in "The Compass", May 1987 Renewal is something God does at conversion (Titus 3:5). Renewal is something that is also to happen on a daily basis; something we are to participate in (Ephesians 4:22-24). Renewal is something which Jesus Christ is working at ...

Shaping Our Faith Directions

By Grant Dibden "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 Jeanette and I, along with 85 ...

Thank you for investing in generations!

Thanks for investing in generations of labourers! Jesus’ ministry was primarily focused on intentional personal discipleship. He spent the vast majority of His time and ministry intentionally investing in 12 men; far more time than He spent with the rest of the world put together! Jesus walked ...

The Need of the Hour

By Frank and Tim Mapperson, first published in Compass, Summer 2020 As Navigators, we stand for life-on-life discipleship, living among the lost, leading all closer to Jesus and a Jesus-centred lifestyle. COVID-19 has made this both harder and more fruitful. Light shines brightest in ...

Get to Know – David and June Sparks

Dave and June Sparks serve on staff with the Navigators in Sydney where they are involved in many different aspects of discipleship in their community including discipling businessmen and others from their church, doing neighbourhood outreach, and looking after the national website and software ...

Go And Make Disciples

By Grant Dibden Looking at the spiritual condition of our nation it’s easy to see a picture similar to that described in Matthew 9: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The ...

Summer Mission Trip: 2018

A Trip to Nepal *a great part of this post is an extract and edited version of one of our mission teams' Ministry Update, first printed in Compass, Winter 2015. In late 2014, a small team led a short-term mission trip to ministries in Nepal. This was followed by a trek to Ama Dablam Base Camp ...

Special Feature: God Bless You, Karen!

Our Time With Karen ... “Good morning, The Australian Navigators. Karen speaking!” For the last 35 years, Karen Woolley has been the face and the voice of The Australian Navigators. Like the Queen of England who has seen her nation through many Prime Ministers, Karen has worked with ...

Labourers for Life

By Mike Johnson, first published in Compass, Winter 2020 edition. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20: 24 The apostle Paul ...

Remembering Harvey Soderholm

Compiled by June Sparks, first published in Compass, Winter 2020 edition. Remembering Harvey Soderholm: A link in the Chain Harvey Soderholm was a lifelong labourer who served the Lord with The Navigators from the 1950s. He passed away on 11 June 2019, after suffering a cardiac arrest the ...

Your Questions Answered - The Word Hand

Robin Dennis, one of our lifelong labourers and disciple-makers, is doing a series this year on how to use some of the 'discipleship tools' we have available. This article first appeared in the Compass newsletter, Autumn 2023 issue. The Word Hand Illustration I don’t think one can go past ...

Learning Godliness

By Sergio Echegoyen, Southeast Queensland Labouring Community, first published in Compass Summer 2023 issue My name is Sergio. I’m originally from Mexico and it is a privilege to have been in this beautiful country for the last few years. I was raised in a Christian family as my parents are ...

Jordan got baptised!

By Andrew Oldfield, Canberra Labouring Community. One of the highlights of this year's ministry at ADFA was seeing one of the cadets, Jordan, get baptised. I’d met Jordan for the first time at the start of the year as I started with Navigators at ADFA. Before this he had met with Thomas, ...

Dustyn McLaren joins Navs

By Dustyn McLaren It is exciting to have joined the Navigators in response to the Lord’s call and leading to fulltime discipleship ministry, working one-to-one with faithful, available, teachable men who will be able to teach others also. Since meeting Ram [Marrero] and being introduced to ...

Living with Christ as Lord

By Scott Brown, Sydney City Leader (first published in Compass Autumn 2023) From the earliest days of the Navigators, Dawson Trotman’s Wheel Illustration highlighted the importance of living with Christ as Lord, or as he termed it, with Christ the Centre. Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 ...

Christlikeness, Day by Day

By Mike Johnson, Melbourne Labouring Community, first published in Compass Winter issue 2023 If the Spirit of God lives in a person, change is inevitable. How could it not be so? He is the Spirit of truth,1 God’s agent of transformation.2 God loves and wants the best for His children, so He ...

Life's Unpredictability

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community There have been many ups and downs to start the year, but God is clearly working in the midst of it all. Let me share about two events impacting the student ministry at the ANU. In February, Levi, who runs the ANU ministry, was involved in a ...

Insights from the Global Church

By Luke Midena The past few months have been unusually full of travel. While it’s been exciting, I’m looking forward to being home with family for the next while. I wanted to share some highlights from one of these recent trips. I had the privilege of attending the Lausanne Gathering in ...

Foundations for Life

By Levi Swatzentruber, Canberra Labouring Community University students are at a pivotal time of life, they are forming convictions, making life-direction choices and often forming what they believe for the first time. Yet, one opportunity which God has given me has reminded me that there is ...

The Good Life: Western Culture 8

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s ...