Who are the Fischers?

                                          Jean and R J Fischer

Our passion is to help others "To know Christ and to make Him known."
I am R.J. Fischer. Along with my wife Jean, I serve as a representative with The Navigators Metro Missions. Most of our work is with adult leaders and the parents of Boy Scouts.  Most of our work is in Alabama andt he southeastern United States. We are based in Birmingham where I have been a volunteer Scoutmaster for more than 28 years. This gives me a base from which to operate as I speak to other Scouters.

As a Navigators our calling is:
As an "Insider" in the Boy Scouts, living out this calling is as natural as can be. Many of the fathers have never had a teenager before, but we have. We've been working with these fathers for quite a while and are able to come alongside them and just be there when they need us.

Our spiritual background
My wife and I came to Christ early in life. Jean was led to Christ by her Sunday school teacher at the age of nine.  I came to Christ at the age of nineteen. We were married in 1965. We became involved with The Navigators in 1972 while serving in the United States Navy.

We both received discipleship training from Darrell and Vollie Sanders, who were working in a nearby college ministry with The Navigators. Soon we were asked to lead The Navigators military ministry at the naval base while continuing to learn from the Sanders.

When we left the military in 1976, and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, we met long-time Navigators, Vern and Elsie Betsch, with whom we have had a wonderful co-laboring relationship. We felt that God was going to give us a new ministry through our children, and He did just that.

From military base to Boy Scout ministry
One evening our son Larry came home after his Boy Scout meeting and announced that the Scoutmaster was going to be stepping down and that they were looking for someone to be the new Scoutmaster. That was when Larry said, "My dad will do it!" As they say, the rest is history.

 I have served as a Scoutmaster for one of the largest troops in the state of Alabama for more than twenty years. This has given me a great base from which to learn. Over time, many pastors and friends urged me to take what I had learned and to go into full-time ministry.

After much prayer and consideration, I also felt that God was calling me to full-time ministry with The Navigators to reach men for Christ. The vehicle for this ministry was the Boy Scout movement, teaching men how to lead Christ-centered Boy Scout troops.

What our ministry looks like
Many people are familiar with Navigator ministries on military bases and college campuses. Our ministry is not much different; we just work with those in the Scouting movement. A verse that God has laid on my heart is Malachi 4:6a (KJV):

We are building a ministry to reach fathers and their sons through the Scouting movement, and ultimately reach their families for Christ. To build this ministry, we develop natural relationships in many settings, and in many ways.

We have small-group meetings for Bible study as well as Scouting activities at the crack of dawn. But it's using the ordinary activities of life, like business or school lunches, ball games, hikes, camping, school activities, and church to get involved in others' lives, and minister to their needs.

All this involves accepting people wherever they are in their spiritual journey. Through these genuine relationships, believers and nonbelievers alike are challenged to follow Jesus Christ.

As Navigators, we help Scoutmasters and fathers to "navigate" spiritually. One-on-one, life-on-life, we come alongside these men as they learn to search the Word of God, and we help them in charting their lives. Our model for this is Jesus Christ. We pattern our relational style of evangelism and discipleship from Him, helping others grow strong in biblical disciplines such as Bible study, Scripture memory, and prayer.

Part of our teaching involves sharing the difference that Jesus makes in everyday life, and what He's building into the lives of other believers. In all these relationships, we help people examine how God can impact every situation in life.

We spend hours, months, and even years helping believers grow strong in Christ. This involves helping them work through life's issues, their daily priorities, as well as present and past relationships.

We also get to witness God's power at work in other people's lives. It's very rewarding to see God shape and sharpen the character of believers as they begin to follow His desires rather than their own.

You don't have to be a spiritual superman to pass on something from your life to another person.  Second Timothy 2:2 (KJV) says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
Life-on-life discipleship—that's what Navigator ministry is all about. This type of ministry can happen anywhere—in churches and communities, on military bases or college campuses, and even in the Boy Scouts.

A child is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He is going to sit where you are sitting, and when you are gone, attend to those things which you think are important. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out depends on him. He will assume control of your cities, states, and nation. He is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, and organizations. The fate of humanity is in his hands.—Abraham Lincoln

If you'd like to give a donation to help support our ministry, you may donate online, or  call 866-568-7827 or 719-594-2327 (donations only).

Learn more about The Navigators Metro Ministry.