What began with one man investing in one sailor became a movement that now reaches lives across the world through personal discipleship, Scripture, prayer, and everyday faithfulness.
A Legacy of Discipleship since 1933
Helping people follow Christ, every day
Our heritage.
What began with one man investing in one sailor became a global movement of Discipleship, Scripture and Prayer
In the early 1930s, Dawson Trotman saw the power of simple, intentional discipleship. What God was doing in his own life, he wanted to pass on to others.
He began meeting with students, teaching them how to study Scripture, pray faithfully, and walk closely with Christ. Soon, that same vision reached sailors in the U.S. Navy, where lives began changing one conversation at a time.
You teach him!
Those Three Words shaped the future of the ministry.
Dawson began teaching high school students and local Sunday school classes these principles. In 1933, he and his friends extended their work to sailors in the U.S. Navy. There, Dawson taught sailor Les Spencer the foundations of Christian growth. They spent many hours together praying, studying the Bible, and memorizing Scripture. When one of Spencer’s shipmates asked him the secret of his changed life, Spencer brought the man to Trotman: “Teach him what you taught me,” he said. “You teach him!” Trotman responded. And the vision in 2 Timothy 2:2 was strengthened.
Why This Matters
Spencer did teach the sailor, and soon the two men were meeting with others. Eventually, 125 men on their ship, the U.S.S. West Virginia, were growing in Christ and actively sharing their faith. By the end of World War II, thousands of men on ships and bases around the world were learning the principles of spiritual multiplication by the person-to-person teaching of God’s word.
