Getting to know you

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One of the questions I began asking myself when I stepped into the ID’s role was, ‘What does the Lord want from Pioneers in this generation?’ The world in which we serve continues to change. The harvest presents new challenges, generational shifts shape how we mobilise people, and some of the traditional ways we have gained access to the mission field are becoming increasingly difficult or closing altogether.

Pioneers has a highly decentralised structure, so my role is less about directing a large organisation from the centre and more about helping a diverse global movement work together around a shared vision, while responding to local realities. Our members come from more than eighty passport countries, bringing a tremendous richness of culture, experience and perspective to our global fellowship. This diversity is one of our great strengths. The challenge – and opportunity – is seeing our shared vision take shape across fifteen regions and hundreds of ministry teams serving in vastly different contexts.

I vividly remember the Lord speaking to my heart as Ruth and I were returning from one of the first conferences I attended after becoming ID. When our plane broke down, we found ourselves with fifteen hours to fill at the airport. I decided to use some of that time to read our founder Ted Fletcher’s book, When God Comes Calling.

I never had the privilege of meeting Ted personally, but through his writing I have often felt something of his heartbeat. At times, it almost feels as though he was writing with future generations of Pioneers in mind, passing on the convictions and vision that shaped the movement from its beginnings.

I read these words: ‘For Pioneers to be true to its name and heritage, wherever we are in our history should always be just the beginning – the beginning to challenge new frontiers, seek new impossibilities, undertake giant ventures for God, discover and penetrate new unreached people groups with the message of Christ’s love.’

The words ‘be true to our name’ struck me deeply. I remember scribbling in my journal, perhaps a little cynically, ‘We need to remain a pioneering movement. If we’re not going to be pioneers, we might as well change our name.’

The conviction that we should not become comfortable or risk-averse, or simply settle for the low-hanging fruit, took root in my heart. It began to shape conversations with our leaders and, over time, was expressed to our whole fellowship through the Keep Pioneering Vision paper.

We use the word pioneer in two ways – noun and verb – and both capture something important about who we are. As a noun, a pioneer is someone who is among the first to go to a new place. That has always been central to our calling: sending people to the frontiers of the harvest, where there is little or no access to the gospel.

But pioneer is also a verb. To pioneer is to explore new ways of doing things – to venture into what has not been tried before, develop new approaches, and create pathways others can follow. This pioneering spirit has always been part of our ethos and is reflected in our Core Value of Innovation and Flexibility.

In this season, we need a willingness to keep going to the frontiers of the harvest, and to keep finding new ways to get there. We need a mindset that continually asks how we can adapt and find new ways to advance God’s mission.

A year later, our International Leadership Team (ILT) met in Orlando, where Pioneers-USA is based. The Pioneers-USA team had been reflecting on the Keep Pioneering paper and asking, ‘What is our role in contributing to this pioneering work?’ Steve Richardson, President of Pioneers-USA, shared some of what they sensed the Lord had been saying to them. One idea in particular had captured their imagination: what if, over the next ten years, we aimed to double the number of Unreached People Groups (UPGs) we are engaging? I was immediately captivated by the vision and asked Steve to share it with the ILT later that week.

Steve had worked alongside Ted in the early days of Pioneers, so it was deeply moving to hear him speak of Ted’s heart for the lost and how his eyes were always looking towards those who still needed the gospel. There was a sense that this same pioneering vision was being carried forward into a new generation.

As Steve shared and we reflected together, the ILT sensed a remarkable unity around this vision. It eventually became what we now call Deeper Waters: a desire to double the number of Unreached People Groups we are engaging with over the next ten years.

Pioneering will look different in each of our contexts. It may mean clearing rocks from hard ground before a team can even begin to sow; it may mean planting the first seeds; it may mean trusting God to see ten churches become a hundred; it may mean seeing churches that are a hundred years old find fresh vitality and a renewed passion to reach those around them. The journey towards planting churches may look very different from one context to another, but our commitment to seeing churches planted among the unreached remains at the heart of who we are.

If Jesus is calling us into deeper waters, ultimately it is a matter of obedience. Deeper Waters is not simply a tagline or an ambitious organisational goal; we sensed that God was speaking to us, and so we step forward in faith, trusting him for fruitfulness.

I believe partnership will be essential. In many places around the world, the environment is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity and any foreign involvement, so meaningful partnership with local believers and churches will be essential. In other places, we may need to take the lead because the church has not yet been mobilised to reach those beyond it. The approach will vary from place to place. We begin by looking at the needs of the harvest and asking how God is calling us to respond.

Wherever the harvest field may be, God is still calling his people to go, to serve and to pioneer. The world around us is changing, and the way we engage in mission will continue to change with it. But the harvest remains, the Great Commission remains, and our calling remains. That is why I remain excited about what lies ahead – for Pioneers and for the Church around the world. May we continue to be true to our name and keep pioneering.