A Short History of
The Navigators in Britain

Small Beginnings - 1950s

American Navigator missionaries discipled men and women, especially in Manchester and London but it is the Billy Graham Crusade of 1954 in Harringay which starts the ball rolling.  The Navigators had been asked by Billy Graham to handle the counsellor training and follow up and, in 1955, Joyce Turner started to distribute the Topical Memory System to new Christians. 

Shortly afterwards Ed and Ruth Reis moved to the UK and with Joyce developed a significant work with individuals, primarily in Greater London.

In the early 1960's the office relocated to premises above a menswear shop in Wimbledon.

University Ministry Begins - 1960s

In the autumn of 1966, The Navigators started to work with University Students.  Initially, this was in four locations: Manchester (led by Gordy and Margaret Nordstrom), Loughborough (led by Robb and Meg Powrie-Smith), Reading (led by Roy and Susan Rimmer). and Salford (led by Gene and Edie Soderberg).

God confirmed this decision by giving much fruit in evangelism.  Also, many who were already committed Christians were strengthened in the faith as they began to study the Bible together.

A generation of young Christian leaders began to emerge.

Growth and Missionaries - 1970s

Many of the emerging young leaders became full-time workers with The Navigators and, under Robb Powrie-Smith's leadership, there was rapid growth.

God blessed the faith of many and several went overseas as missionaries.

There was a sense of excitement, a clear direction, a momentum and lots of hard work!

Questions - 1980s

As is often the case after a period of growth, questions follow in its wake.  Someone once described these years as 'adolescent struggles'.  The excitement and simplicity of faith gave way to a re-evaluation of calling and conviction.

Although this was a difficult time for many full-time workers and lay leaders, out of it came a renewed vision and commitment to the work God had given us.

There was also a growing awareness of the need to make the gospel relevant to a society whose values and beliefs were changing rapidly.

Unity in Diversity - 1990s

The 1990s saw diversity in ministry and changes in organisational structure.  This was sometimes the catalyst for disagreement and misunderstanding.  However, God continued to hold us together as a movement through strong relationships, our emphasis on personal ministry and on the power of God's Word to give direction and change lives. 

We continued to have a fruitful Student Ministry.  New young full-time workers were innovative in communicating the gospel to the student world.

The Connect Programme gave graduates the opportunity to get some full-time training for one year.

The 'Revelation Team', a group of creative young Navigators with a vision for using multi-media to communicate the gospel, operated in the student ministries.

A Church Discipleship Ministry has seen a growing number of Christians being helped in their faith by doing The 2:7 Series course. 

We have a developing  network of Business and Professional  people seeking to take the gospel into the 'market places' of Britain.

Missionary initiatives have been taken within our own country to reach an increasingly secular, 'unchurched' and ethnic population.

A team of gifted and experienced Navigators in Birmingham launched DISC (Developing In Service Course).  This was designed to give one year of intensive training in biblical history and interpretation, counselling and discipleship.  Leeds University now validates a part of this course with a Certificate in Evangelism.

A Central Services Team was established and works efficiently in the areas of administration and communication.

Millenium Moments

The advent of the new millennium brought more diversity to our nation. We are attempting to meet the challenge of communicating the gospel to this culture by adapting and diversifying, yet without compromising the core truths of the Christian faith and what it means to be Christ's disciple.

We continue to train men and women who have a heart to take the gospel overseas through International Missions, often to places of the world which are most resistant to it.

Some of the initiatives mentioned above have been adapted or shelved, while other initiatives such as a ministry to International Students studying in the UK and developing small group ministry within churches have been created and are flourishing.

Business & Professional changed its name to Workplace Network and tried to support lay men and women in a variety of working environments.  The Navigator Church Network did something similar, but in the context of helping people who have been involved with The Navigators in the past to continue to live out that vision of 'knowing Christ and making him known' in their churches.  A national prayer initiative was launched and gathered momentum.

We restructured our organisational framework and leadership with a view to having a strategy that seeks to meet the need of a vibrant, changing - if a somewhat directionless - culture.

Committed to the Core

In the summer of 2005, under the leadership of resigning National Director, Martin Cooper, we celebrated our Golden Jubilee (see archive section for information), 50 years of making disciples in the UK .

British Navigators, Mike Treneer and Bernie Dodd are appointed to International leadership positions – Mike as International Director and Bernie as Europe Director.

Under Dirk van Zuylen’s Directorship a larger National Leadership Team (UKLT) and an increased Board of Directors under Peter Butler’s chairmanship teamed together and began to craft new procedures and a ministry strategy driven by the internationally created and endorsed CORE. The Core is a collective name for the calling, vision, mission and values of The Navigators. It is synergistic internationally, but is also adaptable so that it can ‘make sense’ in the culture of the country.

You can read the Core elsewhere on this website.

Knock on affects in the various ministry departments saw increased missionary activity both overseas and among those of overseas or ethnic origins in the UK . The student ministry developed a national training programme for its leaders and a new leadership structure. Workplace Network and The Church Ministries Team combined and became Life Discipling Ministries (LDM), with a wider brief to make disciples ‘in all of life, for the rest of life and from life to life.’

As we move steadily towards the end of the first decade of the 21^st Century,  these ministry initiatives are being honed and developed and are continually evolving in their contexts to meet the challenge of communicating the gospel in the contemporary world, yet maintaining a solid direction that sees a link back over 50 years to a time when a handful of men and women built steadily into the lives of new believers.

The lesson for the future, we believe, is 'don't get too settled!'

Our core values and mission, firmly based on the Bible, remain steadfast.  How we reach out to people and minister within a fast changing world needs to adapt with it.

With God's grace and leading, your prayers and financial support, and in humility, we are ready to play our part to further God's kingdom in the future.