The Navigators (organization)

The Navigators is a worldwide Christian para-church organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This article is about the Christian organization. For other organizations, see Navigator (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Navigators USA.
The Navigators
FoundedApril 1933
FounderDawson E. Trotman
TypeChristian discipleship ministry
Location
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Area served
103 countries
Product(NavPress) books and Bible studies
Methodone-to-one mentoring and small groups
International president
Mutua Mahiaini
U.S. president
Marvin Campbell
SubsidiariesNavPress, Glen Eyrie Conference Center, Eagle Lake Camps
Websitehttps://www.navigators.org

Overview

On April 18 2015, Mutua Mahiaini succeeded Michael W. Treneer as the fifth International President of The Navigators. Treneer had been international president for 10 years, after Jerry White.[1] [2][3] Marvin Campbell is Navigators' US president.[4]

History
Glen Eyrie castle was purchased by The Navigators in 1953.

The Navigators was founded in 1933 by the evangelist Dawson Trotman, who mentored United States Navy sailor Lester Spencer aboard USS West Virginia. Due to those efforts, 135 additional sailors on Spencer's ship became Christians before it was sunk at Pearl Harbor. By the end of World War II, thousands of men on ships and bases around the world were learning through The Navigators.

The collegiate ministry of The Navigators was founded in 1951 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This ministry was established by a group of students in the Sigma Nu fraternity house who, along with Trotman, decided to spread their outreach onto the college campus.

Move to Glen Eyrie
The tea room at Glen Eyrie.

In 1953, The Navigators acquired its current headquarters location at Glen Eyrie through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's sale of the then-vacant property to Trotman's organization. The 330-acre Eagle Lake property was included in the purchase, on the condition that it be used for youth work.[5] In 2014, over 4,700 campers participated in Eagle Lake Camps.

The main administrative center for the Navigators is situated towards the northeast region of Glen Eyrie's territory. It serves as the main hub for coordinating their various activities and operations.[6]

MRFF lawsuits
The International Office building on the grounds of Glen Eyrie.

The Navigators organization was cited in a lawsuit[7] against the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) by Michael L. "Mickey" Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) in 2005. The lawsuit alleged that Darren and Gina Lindblom, assigned to the USAFA through The Navigators, were favored by the Air Force to the exclusion of other religious groups in violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. This lawsuit was dismissed. Additional lawsuits by the MRFF have named The Navigators in similar complaints of alleged proselytizing in the military.

In Korea, The Navigators sued six former members of the MRFF for libel in 2011. The case was initially dismissed, and again dismissed on appeal.[8]

Overseas Groups

The Navigators came to the UK through the Billy Graham crusades of the 1950s.[9] They are now based in Southampton, England.

Apart from the US and the UK, the Navigators have missions in 19 other countries, including Brazil, Austria and Eurasia.[10]

References
  1. "Passages". Christianity Today. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. "Mutua Mahiaini Selected as International President". The Navigators. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  3. Earls, Stephanie. "Colorado Springs-based ministry names international president". The Gazette. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  4. "About". The Navigators.
  5. Navigators, The (May 1, 2015). "Did You Know?". The Navigators.
  6. "Contact Us". The Navigators.
  7. Alan Cooperman (2005) Group Trains Air Force Cadets to Proselytize, Washington Post.
  8. Newsnjoy (2011) , NEWS N JOY.
  9. "About Us | Navigators UK". navigators.co.uk.
  10. "Worldwide Missions". The Navigators.
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