Jerry White

Military career White entered the Air Force in 1959 as a graduate of the University of Washington Reserve Officer Training Corps program. White took over leadership of the Navigator organization from Lorne Sanny in 1986. Sanny had served as president of The Navigators since the death of the ministry's founder, Dawson Trotman, in 1956. On January 1, 2005, White was succeeded by Michael W. Treneer. Lauren Libby, vice-president of the Navigators, commented to the Christian Examiner that: “Jerry White’s contributions to the worldwide ministry of The Navigators are deeply significant,” Libby said. “When I consider the global changes that have occurred over the past 18 years, we are blessed to have Jerry’s prayerful and thoughtful leadership. We are adapting to an ever-changing world without compromising our values or our beliefs. Jerry’s integrity and commitment to God—and his commitment to the vision of The Navigators—certainly propelled this.”

Author White has been a prolific author, co-authoring a textbook on astrodynamics as well as several Christian books about discipleship, self-help, and masculinity.

Personal life White was born in Iowa, but grew up in Spokane, Washington. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Washington and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959,then completed a Master of Science in astronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1964. He is married to Mary Ann and had 4 children and 11 grandchildren.

In April 1990 the Whites' son, Stephen, was murdered. In an interview prior to the release of his 2002 book Making Peace with Reality: Ordering Your Life In A Chaotic World, White reflected on his son's death: It caused us to re-examine everything. We, personally, had significant depth in the Word, having done Bible study for many years. But especially in the areas of God’s sovereignty and God’s love, we had to re-examine and “come to peace with the reality” that God is sovereign and that good will come out of this. It was quite difficult, but it was a true testament of our beliefs. I’m so grateful that both Mary and I had deep spiritual roots. Those roots deepened much through this time. I now had to live in a new reality.

Books Fundamentals of Astrodynamics with Roger R. Bate and Donald D. Mueller (Dover Publications, 1971) Honesty, Morality, and Conscience (NavPress, 1979) The Church and the parachurch: an uneasy marriage (Multnomah, 1983) The Power of Commitment (NavPress, 1987) Dangers Men Face (NavPress, 1997) Making Peace with Reality: Ordering Your Life in a Chaotic World (NavPress, 2001) The Joseph Road: Choices That Determine Your Destiny (NavPress, 2010) Unfinished: How to Approach Life's Detours, Do-Overs, and Disappointments (NavPress, 2012) Rules to Live By: 52 principles for a better life (NavPress, 2014)