Robert Coleman’s classic, The Master Plan of Evangelism, highlights the central strategy of Jesus’ disciplemaking: He invested in the lives of a few to reach the many. Coleman writes, “Jesus’ concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with people whom the multitudes would follow.”
The key to Jesus’ investment in His disciples was that they would be able to do the same with other people, creating a ripple effect that grew incrementally outward.
In 2019, The Navigators’ leadership community launched a 2030 God-sized aspiration to reach and equip 1 million multiplying disciplemakers in the next 10 years.
This National Strategy and God-sized goal is not about boasting in numbers, but about joining God in His purposes for us as Navigators. We desire to see His glory spread to more of the lost and broken hearts in need of redemption all over the world!
Joining our faith with the faith of Navigators who have prayed Isaiah 54:2-3 for eight decades, our united goal is to see a multitude making disciples as an expression of God’s compassion for our world.
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”
Notice, the central phrase of our Navigator Calling statement is: To advance the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost. This describes our contribution and plan for gospel saturation—the raising up of generations of disciplemakers for the glory of His name!
Abiding in Christ remains the foundation and power source for all outward activity, especially as we lean into subsequent goals of igniting communities of disciplemakers and learning what it will take to multiply a million equipped people into the harvest.
Let’s continue to pray for power and depend on the Holy Spirit as we build relationships in communities and neighborhoods across the globe. As we engage heart-to-heart with Jesus and one another, we are building our capacity for the growth we are trusting Him to bring in the next 10 years—all by His power and for His glory!
For more from Doug Nuenke, visit his blog at makingwaves.navigators.org.
Gerald, sure love your thoughts here. As you say – if we only shoot for short term results – we can have “disciples” who are living out the mission of Jesus in the short-term, but don’t have staying power, and the ability to continue to make disciples in the various seasons of life. Your final comments make me think of the importance of ongoing coaching and mentoring needed to help people stay active. Thanks for sharing.
I agree and disagree. If we have no results then we need to evaluate. We can have what may appear as results in the short term but are negligible in the long run. It is easy to reach people in college for just a few years but when they go into the real world of work and children so often they fit into the existing culture and cease to do what they have been taught. I also believe many have been told to make disciples. I would contend we are making disciples by our example but the question is are we making the kind of disciples Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19, 20. The command is make disciples which is modified by go, baptizing, and teaching. The command “make disciples” is preceded by the action of “go”. The command “make disciples” is modified by baptizing and teaching. When one was baptized they confessed Jesus as Lord which meant the person remounced the ruler as lord and that ruler could have had the person executed. Teaching them to observe all Jesus commanded is done by instruction and practice. It is not just an emphasis on practice or instruction but both. There are those who give out what they call discipleship materials but the person does not know how to reach their neighbor or someone where they work. They rely on a church or a group to attract people.
The Harvest is plentiful but the labores are few …
I love your attitude! – and your work : simply, making Disciples of all nations.
Seems like I read that somewhere!! (LOL)
Keep after it!!!
I have been discipling for 50 years now (Discipled in 1970 by some Navigators in Laredo Texas while I was in the Air Force. I hate to differ with your goal or mindset but,, I leave the counting up to God; my job is not to measure results – just seek out and walk beside guys – work thru issues with them as God leads. I will wait till I get to heaven to see what the Holy Spirit did with my efforts!
I am so grateful to work towards the Great Commission alongside faithful and humble disciplemakers like you! What a testimony to sowing the seeds and letting the Lord reap the harvest. There are many places in the Bible where the Lord holds the importance of numbers and details so, it is out of much prayer we put a number as a goal that we are striving towards by humble obedience—asking the Lord to change hearts which only He can do. If we don’t have a goal, we can’t measure progress and adapt where needed as a body of believers. Our prayer is to simply do our part in the Great Commission and stretch ourselves by asking out of faith and trusting in His will.
Joyfully, Doug
Great comment. He (Christ) must increase, I must decrease.
Nice goal Doug–is it tracking so far? Arthur
Hi Arthur, thanks for your comment. We are making progress and are establishing ways to effectively report on it this year. Stay tuned!