Advancing the Gospel Through Work and Witness
BY EDDIE BROUSSARD
When Jesus said, “This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14), He entrusted His mission to ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God. Throughout history, the Lord has advanced His Kingdom through a wide range of laborers, each faithful to the place and work God has given them.
Within The Navigators, we often describe this as being “laborers for the Kingdom next door to everywhere.” Some are supported through gift income, trusting God to provide through partnerships. Others step into classrooms, clinics, offices, and businesses each day, carrying the light of Christ into their workplaces. While the source of income may differ—fundraising or salary—God remains the Provider. His redemptive workforce includes both those funded by ministry support and those whose employment covers their livelihood.
The Global Landscape of Calling
As I’ve listened to leaders across the world, one theme consistently emerges: the Gospel is advancing through believers who live out their calling in diverse ways. In some regions, full-time Navigator staff serve as shepherds and catalysts, equipping others for ministry. In many others, the work is primarily carried by conventional-income people (CIPs)—believers whose income comes through traditional employment.
After nearly three years of global research on the Great Commission, Lausanne CEO Michael Oh observed that “the work remaining to complete the Great Commission will be done by the 99% of believers who are not professional Christian workers.” These men and women see their workplaces and communities as mission fields. Rather than separating “ministry” from “work,” they are discovering how both can serve the same calling: to know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same.
This emphasis does not diminish the vital role of full-time missionaries. Instead, the two depend on one another. Missionaries and staff often serve as coaches and trainers, helping CIPs integrate faith and work with clarity and purpose. At the same time, CIPs bring credibility, access, creativity, and resources into spaces often closed to traditional ministry.
Latin America: Faith Lived at Work
Photo courtesy of Roberto Huczek
In Latin America, this vision is especially visible. More than 90 percent of Navigators in the region are CIPs, and in many cities the work is led and sustained by believers whose primary ministry context is the workplace. Entrepreneurs, teachers, engineers, and professionals increasingly see their daily labor as central to God’s mission.
At a recent gathering of Navigator leaders from across the region, seasoned business leaders and young professionals wrestled together with what it means to lead ethically, steward profit responsibly, and view employees as image-bearers of God. For many, the shift was profound: ministry was no longer something that happened after work, but within it. Businesses became places where lives were discipled, Scripture was studied, and Christ was made known.
As this vision for missional enterprise grows, it remains deeply rooted in the Navigator calling—to make disciples who make disciples, wherever God places them.
Eurasia: Creative Platforms for the Gospel
In parts of Eurasia, missional enterprise is not only a strategy but a necessity. In regions where traditional ministry faces restrictions, creative business platforms provide both livelihood and access. Language schools, educational initiatives, and small businesses serve local communities while quietly creating space for redemptive relationships.
In Russia and Central Asia, long-term faithfulness has borne fruit through education and enterprise. Over time, teachers, business owners, and employees have come to faith and begun discipling others. Faith is shared naturally through daily work, honest relationships, and acts of generosity. In these contexts, full-time missionaries and CIPs often labor side by side—some offering spiritual care and disciplemaking expertise, others bringing business acumen and mentorship. Together, they pursue a “triple bottom line”: businesses that are profitable, that benefit the community, and that extend God’s Kingdom.
One Calling, Many Pathways
Across the Worldwide Partnership, we recognize there is no single pathway to fulfilling the Great Commission. God calls some into cross-cultural ministry and others into the marketplace, education, healthcare, or enterprise. What unites us is not our job title but our shared vision—to advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom through spiritual generations of laborers living among the lost.
In an increasingly complex world, the integration of faith, work, and mission is essential. As Navigators, we celebrate the diversity of God’s callings, confident that the same Spirit is at work—multiplying laborers for the harvest, next door to everywhere.
