SEMINARS

Holding Fast to the Lord
Enduring the Pressures of Life by Praying the Psalms
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How do you live with peace and power in the midst of hard circumstances? Christian meditation may seem like an unlikely answer, but it’s one of the few lighted paths through the dark turns life takes. Come discover why Christian meditation works and how to practice it.
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Norm Hubbard has served on staff with The Navigators Collegiate ministry for 20 years at Auburn University (AL), University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and University of Illinois. Currently he lives in St Paul, MN and is working with the University of Minnesota team. Norm oversees staff in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan and travels around the country speaking at student conferences. He and his wife, Kristy, have two spouses in Heaven and seven kids as well as a golden retriever on earth.
Ministering to Your LGBTQ+ Friends

Many people struggle with how to love their LGBTQ+ friends.  In this seminar my hope is that you will learn how to love boldly while still holding to Biblical truths, have a solid foundation of what the Scripture says, and come away with a better understanding of what LGBTQ+ are going through

Tim Chamberlain is the Campus Director at Minnesota State University - Mankato.  He graduated from the U of MN and has been on staff with The Navigators for 13 years on two campuses (MSU-Mankato and UW-Whitewater). He is married to his beautiful wife Tara and they have 3 fun loving, full of energy children, Isabelle, Caleb, and Lydia. Tim enjoys remodeling houses, working on engines, fly fishing, camping, golfing...pretty much anything outdoors.
Navigating Finances
Navigating Student Loans and Finances for the Glory of God

The average 2017 college graduate graduated with $26,900 in student loans according to the College Board. In our seminar we will share our story of our college loan experience and the lessons we learned. We will be discussing how to manage student loan debt as well as the basics of monthly budgeting. In Proverbs 22:7 it states in part “…the borrower is slave to the lender.” And our desire is that you will not be a slave to your student loans when you graduate but that you will be free to follow wherever God leads you post college.

Ben Colbenson grew up on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin before going to school at UWEC. Ben has been on staff with the Navigators for six years on five different UW campuses: UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and are now launching a Navigator ministry at UW-River Falls. Danielle also went to UWEC and was involved with a music ministry called “Keynote” before teaching K-12 music in a small town. Ben and Danielle have two boys and another joining the chaos around Christmas time.
Knowing God as Your Father

One amazing transformation that happens when you understand and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that you become a child of God! Being an adopted child of God radically transforms your identity as well as your reality. But how?

​In this workshop, we’ll explore what it means to know and experience God as a Father, how He became your Father, and how the true character of God redefines what a good Father is. This workshop will attempt to answer questions like: what does it mean to have God as a Father? How does that affect me day to day? How can I trust God as a Father if I have a broken relationship with my earthly Father? Is my Heavenly Father pleased with me? How can understanding God’s character as a Father revitalize my walk with Him?  ​

Kelli Ayen served with the Navigators for two years at her Alma Mater: University of Wyoming. Then her and her husband, Zack, moved to Duluth the summer of 2017. They are now in their third year on staff at the University of Minnesota- Duluth. Kelli thoroughly enjoys living in the Midwest and is glad to now call it home. Though she still carries her strong conviction that the University of Wyoming is the best University in the nation. Go Cowboys!
Sharing the Gospel Cross-culturally

​​You may have noticed that your classes are filled with students from all over the world. There are nearly 1 million international students currently studying in the United States, not to mention the fact that neighborhoods all over the country are becoming more and more diverse.  Maybe you're thinking, "How can I share the Gospel in a way that they will truly connect to their heart?" This workshop will focus on equipping you to more confidently and effectively do just that.

Adam Johnson has served with the Navigators at the University of Minnesota for 8 years. Over this time, he got married to his wife Melanie and welcomed their two boys into the world, Gabriel and Ezra. Their dream is to be missionary hobby farmers. Until then you can find them gardening, chasing around their 2 boys and 2 bunnies in the backyard while living and ministering among the 8,000 international students and scholars at the University of Minnesota where they serve as Directors of the International Student Ministry.
Mining the Riches of God's Word

Bible study is rolling up your sleeves to dig into the delicious, life-giving, soul-refreshing riches of God’s Word. In this workshop learn to cultivate the skills to become a correct handler of the Scriptures.

Bill Teten ​is the Upper Midwest Regional Leader and North-Central Divisional Leader for Navigator collegiate ministries. He lives with his wife, Nancy, in Cloquet, MN. He enjoys dates with his wife, fishing and hunting.
Gospel-centered Disciplemaking
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Do you wrestle with trying to overcome your own sin? Does it seem like you are doing the right things but the change doesn't seem to come? Do you ever feel unmotivated in the Christian life? Are you discipling someone where you feel like you're doing everything you can to help them grow and overcome sin and yet they seem stuck? Have you every discipled someone where it seems like they don't really want to grow, serve others, to reach the lost, or to disciple others? Maybe you struggle with the same lack of motivation?

In this seminar we will seek to discover together how each of these challenges, and many more, are all actually "gospel issues." We will seek to discover in Scripture God's bigger picture of what the gospel is and what that means for how we follow Jesus and make disciplemakers. We will seek to grow together in what it means to live a gospel-centered life.

Matt Kinnick is the Associate Campus Director and the Staff Trainer at the University of Minnesota ministry. He has been on staff with The Navigators for 13 years on 5 different campuses (UMD, UVM, Cornell, NDSU, and UMN). He is married to the lovely Lindsay Kinnick and they have 1 naughty cat, 5 crazy chickens, and 4 adorbes (they're not biased) children, Evelyn, Jack, Eleanor, and Juniper. Matt enjoys the outdoors, camping, gear, knives, coffee, leather, notebooks, pens, and building stuff.
Having Hard Conversations in Disciplemaking

Discipleship done right mean you encounter the brokenness and sin of those you disciple. You can gloss over it all and stick to the easy stuff, or you can ask the good questions and move into hard conversations where real growth can happen. Learn skills and tools to help you move into those tough conversations. We'll observe how Jesus did it, share stories and have a time to ask questions.

Tara Chamberlain has been on staff for 13 years with her husband Tim where they have served at UW-Whitewater and MSU-Mankato. She is a mother of three and passionate about disciplemaking and helping people experience God's love. She loves cooking, natural beauty and gardening.
Leveraged, Addicted, or Enslaved:  Is Technology A Tool or Your Master?

The jury is in, it’s clear technology can be pretty awesome. But many Christ-followers are recognizing the shadow technology usage (physical like devices or virtual like social media) can cast on a healthy and meaningful spiritual life – impeding authentic friendships, meaningful outreach, time with the Lord, and even our own spiritual transformation.
 
Therefore this workshop will ask the hard questions about your personal technology usage. We’ll examine ways one can discern whether their tech usage is trending towards moderation or imbalance, and explore suggestions for healthy boundaries. Don’t worry, we won’t take your phones away, or tell you the solution is to become a luddite who goes all Office Space on computers, routers, and TV’s. 
 
Jeff Wiegel  apologizes for that 1999 Office Space reference. FYI he isn’t anti-technology (for goodness sake, he has a wireless lock on his front door he can control from anywhere and sweet LED lights above the dining room hutch that flash in sync with his jams). However, in his own life he’s also seen how an unthoughtful approach to technology usage quickly lead to trading:  
- meaningful spiritual friendships for fake friendships in fantasy football leagues
- daily quiet times with facebook instead of God’s Word
- comfort from the Lord with the shallowness and emptiness of Netflix binging
- God’s gift of life, breathe, and time for the emptiness found in (endless) hours of YouTube rabbit trails featuring cat videos from every corner of the world wide hyperspaces.
 
He’s worked for the Navigators for almost as long as Twitter has been a thing.
Getting God's Heart for the Nations on Your Heart

John Piper calls missions the “second greatest human activity in the world.” (Worship of Jesus is the greatest.) Come learn how you can grow in your effectiveness in spreading the glory and worship of God to all nations.

Shannon Sandquist has lived and ministered in Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado and Asia and loves relating to people of many cultures. He and his wife Lisa led the Global Student Program for 5 years where they had the opportunity to minister to over 200 young leaders from over 40 countries. Shannon is currently the Director of International Collegiate Initiatives for the Navigators.
A Deeper Look into the Truth of the Gospel
Exposing common misconceptions and stereotypes in Christianity

"Positive Vibes? I am the captain of my own fate? Stay in your lane and I'll stay in mine? We ain't perfect so ... ? I keep doing the same sin's over and over ... maybe I'm not really saved? If we get more people, then the amount of disciples goes up, right?"

We have heard statements like these all the time in church, on campus, and even in our own heads. For me a lot of these thoughts have left me confused. It's like on the one hand, I get that we aren't perfect; we will mess up. But on the other hand, does that mean that I should be okay with my "sometimes" or "small" sins. Then to make matters more complex, if i keep doing the same habitual sin, how can I claim I have victory over sin? Am I really saved or what? The goal of this workshop is to expose these different misconceptions and stereotypes that leave us drained and confused about who we are in Christ, and to use the truth of the gospel to bring clarity and demolish the arguments that are not of God.

​Jimmy Ham is on EDGE Corps at Bowie State University alongside our conference speaker, Osaze Murray.