We aspire to be a global mentoring community of Jesus followers — active in workplaces, communities, and schools.

Our vision is to grow a worldwide learning community who:

1. Make their work or occupation an expression of worship to God.
    
2. Embrace their priestly and emissary roles in their homes, communities, and workplaces.
    
3. Team up with others to see new, vibrant communities of Jesus followers multiplied in every corner of society.
    

Most mission organizations today operate from a recruiting model that sounds like:

“Give up your job and join us!”
 

For some, that’s the right calling. But this approach immediately excludes thousands of believers who could benefit from the intentionality, camaraderie, accountability, and mentoring that mission organizations offer.

What if there were a new way?

“Keep your job — and we will join you.”
 

Imagine communities with staggered onboarding like historical craft guilds — where you could belong from age 13 to 113, no matter where you live, work, or study.

In today’s globalized and multicultural world, most of us already work and live in diverse environments. Some of us even take job assignments among least-reached peoples in the 10/40 Window.

So what if we created missional communities that resemble Protestant religious orders or guilds — but redesigned for the 21st century?  These would be disciple-making communities for people in the workplace or school, designed to complement (not compete with) local churches, mission agencies, and Christian organizations.

Membership would be voluntary, without employment or control — simply a call to journey together as followers of Jesus in everyday life.

Friends of Aslan communities:

• Require a set of achievable commitments for membership — realistic for believers young or old, blue-collar or white-collar, Global North or South.
   
• Provide a solid foundation for discipleship, serving as an intentional onboarding pathway.
   
• Allow local churches and Christian organizations to act as incubators in the onboarding process — complementing existing ministries, not competing with them.
   
• Encourage members to earn their living in secular workplaces, shifting the paradigm from “Give up your job and join us” to “Keep your job and we’ll join you.”
   
• Celebrate high-quality work that benefits the common good.
   
• Promote intentional discipleship within workplaces, schools, and natural affinity groups.
   
• Operate as sub-communities within other Christian organizations — not employers themselves.
   
• Maintain a decentralized leadership structure — no celebrity leaders or central figureheads.
   
• Build sustainability and multiplication into their culture through simple, reproducible systems.
   
• Affirm the Doctrine of Faith outlined in the Lausanne Covenant.
   

Friends of Aslan communities differ from traditional religious orders.
While Roman Catholic orders often require vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, our members commit to a lifelong journey of living out Jesus’ teachings — especially the Sermon on the Mount.

We are spiritual communities built on two core pillars:

1. The priesthood of all believers
    
2. A biblical theology of work
    

Members focus on:

• Doing good works through their studies, professions, and affinity groups.
   
• Mentoring others to be and make disciples in their workplaces.
   

An affinity group is a circle of people connected by shared interests or goals — the everyday places where discipleship happens.

Examples include:

• Parents of children in the same class
   
• Members of a sports team or hobby group
   

These natural relationships become the soil where community and spiritual growth take root.

In Summary

Friends of Aslan exists to:

• Encourage believers to see their work and study as worship.
   
• Equip Christians to be salt and light in every sphere of society.
   
• Form mentoring communities (Yurts) where people grow together in Christlike character.
   
• Multiply vibrant, missional communities of Jesus followers around the world.

Friends of Aslan exists to inspire and equip believers to live out their calling right where they already are — in workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods around the world.

You don’t have to leave your job to live on mission.
Keep your job — and we’ll join you.

Like The Chronicles of Narnia, we’ve incorporate a few Turkish words into the language of Friends of Aslan.  C.S. Lewis famously used the Turkish word for lion (“Aslan”) as a Christ allegory in his beloved Narnia series. Likewise, we borrow two additional Turkish words — Yoldash  and Yurt — to describe key roles and communities within Friends of Aslan.

Yoldash (yoldaş) is a Turkish word meaning “friend on the road” or “fellow traveler.”  Normally yoldash are people who are traveling in the same direction and thus share the joys and hardships of the journey together.  In Friends of Aslan, a Yoldash is a vetted mentor within our community who are responsible for encouraging, coaching, and verifying candidates’ progress toward full membership.

A Yoldash is normally connected to a Yurt, but may also serve directly under the Executive Council.

Yoldash typically have additional training and experience in areas such as:

• Coaching and mentoring
   
• Biblical peacemaking
   
• Servant leadership
   
• Church planting movements and multiplication principles
   
• (Optional) Additional Yurt-specific skills or criteria
   

Yurt is a word with Turkish roots referring to a collapsible circular dwelling used by Central Asian nomads for thousands of years.

In Friends of Aslan, a Yurt functions as a chapter — a department or program within a local church or  organization that administers the training, mentoring, and membership onboarding process.

Each Yurt:

• Has at least two Yoldash associated with it.
• May add up to five Yurt-specific criteria to the standard 25 Commitments.
• Operates within existing churches or organizations and thus does not have a separate legal status.
• Is authorized to carry out onboarding and verification.
   

Narnian —  is someone in the candidate process toward full membership in Friends of Aslan.  Each Narnian has a Friend of Aslan and/or a Yoldash serving as their coach or sponsor. The onboarding process may take anywhere from one week to a year or more, depending on each candidate’s starting point. 

Friend of Aslan — A person who has completed all 25 Commitments and is recognized as a full member of Friends of Aslan.
They are expected to mentor others — coaching Narnians and, over time, becoming Yoldash themselves.

A list of Yurts will soon be available on this website. Until then, please contact us directly to get started.

Important Notes:

• Yurts and their mentors (Yoldash) do not charge fees to evaluate or verify a Narnian’s progress toward membership.
   
• Many Yurts operate virtually and are not restricted by geography.
   
• Some candidates may have already fulfilled parts of the 25 Commitments; they can submit evidence for verification by their Yoldash.
   
• Friends of Aslan relies on third-party or Yurt-recognized training programs to fulfill many Commitments; all completions must be verified by a Yoldash connected to an authorized Yurt.
   

Eligibility: Membership is open to men and women aged 13 or older who commit to embracing the 25 Commitments and have them verified by a Yoldash.

In Summary

Friends of Aslan is not a denomination, employer, or mission agency. It’s a fellowship of believers committed to living as disciples of Jesus in everyday life — serving the common good, mentoring others, and advancing God’s kingdom in every workplace and community.

We hold to the Lausanne Covenant and believe every follower of Jesus is set apart as an emissary and priest  — called to bring God’s presence into the world through  work, worship, and witness.

• A Friend of Aslan is someone who has completed the 25 Commitments and is recognized as a full member.
   
• A Narnian is a candidate journeying toward that goal.
   
• A Yoldash (Turkish for “friend on the road”) is a vetted mentor who walks alongside candidates, encouraging and verifying their progress.
   
• A Yurt is a local or virtual chapter — often within a church or Christian organization — that provides training, mentoring, and community life.

If you’re interested in learning more about Friends of Aslan, mentoring others, or joining a Yurt, please reach out to us.

Friends of Aslan® is a registered trademark.

This initial set of 25 common “Commitments” are grouped under five “Rules.”  These serve as both a code of conduct and as the onboarding curriculum.

The Five Rules:

1. Foundations
2. Good Works
3. Sacred Disciplines
4. Stewardships
5. Global Discipleship
    

These were derived from onboarding criteria and competency studies drawn from multiple interdenominational, international mission communities and Christian workplace networks.

“I was created to love and be loved by God.”
Therefore, I purpose to understand and put into practice all the teachings of Jesus for the rest of my life.   (John 14:21; 2 Timothy 3:16–17)
As initial actions toward this Rule, I:

1.  Submit to God and renounce the devil and his works.
 

2.  Have been baptized.
 

3.  Repent and turn away from all known sin.
 

4.  Forgive those who have wronged me and seek reconciliation with those I have wronged.
 

5.  Have a growing understanding of my identity in Christ and the purposes for which I was designed.
 

“I was created to do good works.”
Therefore, I purpose to do works that are ethical, excellent, and beneficial to others throughout my life.   (Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 5:16; Genesis 1:28)    As initial actions toward this Rule, I:

6.  Have had a “Luke 10:1–20 experience” (the sending of the 72). I can personally testify how God has provided for me and used me to bless others.
 

7. Have a trade, skill, qualification, or work that serves the common good and provides (or can provide) for my needs and those of others. 

8.  Strive for excellence in my trade, work, or studies and can provide evidence of such.
 

9. Embrace my work (paid or volunteer) as an expression of worship, done wholeheartedly unto God.
 

10.  Team up with other followers of Jesus for service, prayer, encouragement, accountability, counsel, and mutual benefit.
 

“I was created to be holy.”
Therefore, I purpose to love God with all my being and to know Jesus as a friend throughout my life.
(Matthew 6:1–8; 1 Timothy 4:8; John 4:24)   As initial actions toward this Rule, I:

11.  Have memorized Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, and purpose to understand and apply all of Jesus’ teachings.
 

12.  Practice daily rhythms of intercession, confession, thanksgiving, praise, and rest.
 

13.  Practice daily rhythms of listening, reading, study, and meditation.
 

14.  Confess and turn from my ongoing failures rather than hide them. I am appropriately transparent about past and current struggles with materialism, lust, pornography, drugs, alcohol, gambling, and other addictions or harmful habits.
 

15.  Use my words to bless, encourage, and edify others. I strive to speak the truth in love, even when correcting or admonishing others. I refuse to participate in gossip, slander, deception, falsehood, or grumbling.
 

“I was created to be a generous steward of what the Lord has entrusted to me.”  These include creation, my body, mind, time, talents, relationships, and resources.  Therefore, by faith, I will sustain and cultivate what has been entrusted to me. By faith, I will take risks but avoid reckless or careless decisions.
(1 Timothy 6:17–19; 1 Peter 4:10; Luke 16:11)   As initial actions toward this Rule, I submit to God my:

16.  Finances and Possessions — These belong to God. Therefore, I embrace a modest lifestyle and live within my means. I purpose to be both generous and frugal, avoiding consumer debt.
 

17.  Body, Appearance, and Strength — My body belongs to God. I understand it is His temple and therefore pursue healthy habits of eating, exercise, sexual purity, and rest. I discipline my body for self-control and avoid unnecessary harm or risk.
 

18.  Mind and Heart — These belong to God. I guard what enters my mind through my eyes and ears, nurturing it with what is pure, good, noble, and edifying.
 

19.  Time and Opportunities — My time belongs to God. I purpose to make the best use of it, discerning wisely which opportunities come from Him, and avoiding those that lead to sin.
 

20.  The Earth and All Living Things — These belong to God and are entrusted to human care. I purpose to use creation responsibly — to learn from it, care for it, and avoid exploiting or polluting it.
 

“I was created to make disciples.”
Therefore, I purpose to make disciples within all my affinity groups, relational networks, and across all nations — especially among the least reached — as long as I live.   As initial actions toward this Rule, I:

21.  Am or am becoming multilingual, with proficiency in at least one of the seven major trade languages: English, Mandarin, German, Spanish, French, Arabic, or Bengali.
 

22.  Have received intercultural training and have developed awareness of my own cultural lens, adjusting it when appropriate to serve others effectively.
 

23.  Practice biblical peacemaking and can help others do the same.
 

24.  Have been trained in church multiplication principles and practices, including multiple expressions of church, people of peace, Discovery Bible Studies, and other multiplication strategies.
 

25.  Embrace the priorities and values of the Lausanne Covenant.
 

“I was created to _________. Therefore…”
 

A Yurt may add up to five additional biblical commitments specific to its focus or context.
However, these cannot replace, revoke, or alter the five common Rules or 25 Commitments above.

Additional Commitments must:

• Directly relate to commands of the New Testament,
• Be approved by the Executive Council, and
• Highlight specific teachings of Jesus not already emphasized in the common Commitments.
  thin the Stewardships section.