Ministry Update
6 minute 34 second read time
From Philippe, Communications Director of AWM-Pioneers
The history of His wonders in the past is a constant succession of new things and He is not at the end of His resources yet.
Lilias Trotter, pioneer to North Africa
This year is a landmark year in the history of the mission, as AWM-Pioneers formally and legally joined together with Pioneers UK for the sake of the gospel.
The two mission agencies have partnered together over many years, working together in mobilisation since AWM-Pioneers joined the Pioneers International mission family in 2011. But there was a fresh momentum injected when both National Directors felt a stirring from the Lord in 2020 as they prayed and discussed the future of their respective organisations. This vision to pursue a full integration – a merger of two equals – followed a time of 40 days of prayer across the movement.
Fast-forward four years and the two historic missions have now been brought together to make Christ known among the nations. At a summer conference, hosted in Shropshire, there was a special sense of fellowship as two staff teams worked together to serve mission workers sent out and cared for by both offices.
Four days of sung worship, bible teaching, seminars, fun and laughter (even an evening cèilidh!), provided an ideal environment to bond together and make new connections. It was a time set apart to celebrate God and recognise the ongoing call to pioneer together among the unreached, while honouring the unique stories and experiences of decades of faithful service in the Arab world (as AWM-Pioneers, formerly Arab World Ministries, formerly North African Mission), in Africa and beyond (as Pioneers UK, formerly Action-Partners, formerly Sudan United Mission).
From Phil E, National Director of AWM-Pioneers
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43: 18-19 (NIV)
In the summer of 2020, Stephen and I sensed a great leading of the Lord as the respective UK National Directors at the time to pursue a closer union and joining together for the UK.
As we walked and talked very openly together, we sensed something of a re-imagining, a re-purposing of our strategic direction as organisations. We sensed a collective desire to pursue a joining together so that we could more fully mobilise ministry among Arab peoples, African peoples and unreached peoples globally by becoming one Pioneers base in the UK.
As we discussed with the Chairs of Trustees for each board at the time, Rev Ian Farley (Chair of AWM-Pioneers’ board) and Dr Julie Hickson (Chair of Pioneers UK’s board), we wondered what might be possible in our serving of God’s global plans for His Kingdom mission. We were keen to continue to serve the UK Church and His global body well in this pursuit.
In the run up to this time, the Lord had very much laid Isaiah 43:18-19 on my heart.
As well as opening the door for the start of my service as National Director, I sensed that this Bible reference was something of this Horizon Vision that was upon us and the spiritual fruit that God would bring about as we pursued His vision.
Our God is eternal and as He calls us into new things, He still reminds us that He cares deeply about our pasts and our histories. Indeed, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to the people of God earlier in chapter 43. This is the God we can trust. Even if His plans are hard to understand or discern, He asks us to trust Him. He speaks into our context today, in this season of life and ministry and says:
‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing.’
One of the strategic objectives for 2021-2024 was to see the launch of the following:
One Pioneers Gateway in and for the UK, mobilising to unreached peoples of the whole world and which commits to honour and strengthen the distinctive of mobilising to unreached peoples of the (i) African and (ii) Arab worlds.
These values have determined how we worked towards full integration – a merger of equals – in a way that honoured the histories and passions of both mission agencies.
✓ Attentive to God
✓ Attentive to each other
✓ Attentive to our purpose
✓ Attentive to a new creation
From Stephen C, National Director of Pioneers UK
Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:4-5 (NIV)
Everywhere I turned in the summer of 2020, it seemed that the Lord was saying the same thing over and over. A fellow mission director shared a paper on “Collaboration between mission agencies”; a webinar speaker talked of “pivoting”, asserting that “if you want the new, you have to start fresh”; I had an unbidden memory of a friend’s reference to the “two boats” of Luke 5:1-11 as a picture of partnership in the gospel and was stirred to dig into it!
Jesus had asked Simon to put out into deep water and throw out the nets for a catch. Throwing the nets out at this time of the day was nonsensical, humanly ill-advised, a waste of further effort and resources… but they did it anyway. Why? Simply because Jesus said so.
By obeying Jesus’ invitation, Simon and crew ended up catching such a huge number of fish that the nets began to break! Without having to think about it, they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help. Thank God, the partners came and they ended up filling both boats so full that they were both overwhelmed!
Luke chooses koinonoi when he refers to Simon’s partners in the boat (v.10) – sharers, companions, partners. It’s a term which speaks of someone who stands side by side with you. Shoulder to shoulder, mind to mind, heart to heart.
I sensed God speaking very clearly to me: it is time to merge.
I wrote in my journal at that special season of prayer:
I believe the expression of this togetherness between Pioneers UK and AWM-Pioneers is of a different kind to the togetherness that should exist between evangelical mission agencies in the UK. Something more, something deeper is required here. We need to go deeper and further than mere ‘collaboration’. We are, together, Pioneers-in-the-UK. Can we somehow come together in a fellowship which is maybe better defined as a ‘marriage’ of two equals who are joined together and become in effect one flesh?
Four years have passed since I asked myself that question and I dare believe that God’s resounding answer has been, ‘Yes! Call your partners in the other boat. Bring in the catch together, with my strength and to my glory.’
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Gardeners often express different opinions about what elements make for a good garden, but most will agree that a good garden takes both patience and time! We have certainly learned patience over the last decade, but we are very pleased that after more than 10 years of waiting, talking and, most of all, praying, the Lord’s timing has finally arrived. On 1 July 2024, AWM-Pioneers and Pioneers UK were legally merged.
Our two staff teams have been working together this year as a unified team in preparation for being legally merged. Now that this milestone is behind us, we are hard at work trying to refine our operational processes, systems, internal communication practices, and our working relationships with one another to reflect this new merged reality. It’s a complex process, but it is a privilege to witness God’s goodness in bringing us together – and we anticipate that the process will carry on for some time yet.
So, what’s different and what will stay the same?
Members on the field won’t notice much of a difference! Finances will still be administered, ministry projects will still be funded and supported, and field structure will stay the same. Members will benefit from a combined member care team, meaning even more support available from the one sending office.
The personnel from both offices has stayed the same, albeit with some shifting and fine-tuning of roles and responsibilities.
We are committed to strengthening ministry to our historic areas of both Africa and the Arab world. We will continue to mobilise and provide specialist training for people called to the Arab world and will continue to pursue special partnerships with African and Afro-Diaspora churches and organisations to help mobilise Global South Christians for ministry in the UK and around the world. Alongside this, our passion and ability to mobilise to the whole world will continue to grow to match our new increased capacity.
Any gardener knows that a good garden needs time. We also need time – but with the Lord’s help, in the midst of all the changes, navigations and newness, we will continue to boldly mobilise from the UK and Ireland to Africa, the Arab world, and the whole globe. We will continue to trust Him, as we’ve always done, for much fruitfulness as we pioneer together for God’s glory.
