Reach Volume 29 Spring 2025

ISSUE 29 | SPRING 2025

REACH

WHERE ARE THE ‘UNREACHED’?

QUESTIONING THE UPG MODEL

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GLOBAL GOSPEL

MANY WORLDS, ONE MISSION INTERVIEW IN THIS ISSUE...

All unattributed photos are either owned by Pioneers or free for public use. The following photos were taken from unsplash.com: Cover - Jorik Kleen; 2 - Amilcar Alvarez Garcia; 3 - JM; 4 - Imleedh Ali; 6 - Manish Tulaskar; 8Kenny Eliason; 10 - Johannes Plenio; 16 - Hans Eisconen; 17 - Jabber Visuals; 18 - Carlos Lozano; 20 - Dorin Seremet; 21 - Kayleigh Harrington & Seema Miah; 22Matteo Vistocco; 24 - Ashkan Forouzani; 25 - Aaron Blanco Tejedor; 26 - Claudio Schwarz; 28 - Arpit Rastogi; 29 - Billy Pasco; 30 - Jay Chen; 31 - Steffan Bertram; 32 - Laura Fuhrman; 34 - Anup Ghag

PEOPLE OF THE Lifted Eyes

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Several years ago, now, the Holy Spirit used Luke 5:4-7 to guide our Director, Stephen, to understand that it was time to begin the merger process with our sister Pioneers office. Luke writes that Jesus commanded Peter and his crew to “put out into deep water” and let down their nets for a catch. When they did, the number of fish in their nets was so great that they had to signal to their partners in the other boat to come and help. That image of two boats has reappeared over and over during our merger process.

Part of the merger process was a series of conversations about rebranding – finding our voice, our look, our new position in the mission world now that we’re not two, but one Mission. A favourite memory of mine from those conversations involved the consultant who was helping us with the rebrand asking the question, “Who are your competitors?”

A quick look around the Zoom windows made it clear that the question did not compute. Competitors? There are no competitors in mission. The task is too great and too important for competition. There is only room for partnership.

At the time this magazine is landing in letter boxes, Pioneers is in the middle of a two-week season of prayer, right around the world, in connection with what’s being called the Deeper Waters goal. (See pages 4-7 for more explanation of Deeper Waters.) The Lord has called the global Pioneers movement to put out into deep water with the promise that as we obey, we will see more and more unreached and unengaged peoples coming to faith in Jesus.

Deeper Waters is a BIG goal for Pioneers. It’s so big, in fact, that we will never ever be able to bring in the catch without signalling to our

partners in the other boat. Partnership is absolutely vital to what God is asking us to do.

This edition of Reach is about exactly that: signalling to our partners in the other boat. It’s about the partnerships we already have – with supporters and churches, with trusts and Bible colleges and like-minded organisations, with the Lord himselfand the partnerships we don’t yet have but are longing to forge. It’s also a plea: Look at what the Lord is doing! Won’t you join us?

You might be thinking something similar to what I thought when I heard about Deeper Waters: “Great idea, but do we not already have enough to do?” For busy people like us, the idea of putting out into deep water to pull in a huge catch can seem overwhelming, especially if, like Peter and the disciples, we’ve been out fishing all night with no results.

But God calls us to lift our eyes. Jesus said to his disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for the harvest” (John 4:35). He was always on the move, looking for one more person to bless: “Let us go on to the next town, that I may preach there also, for that is why I’ve come” (Mark 1:38). The apostle Paul, too, was constantly moving from place to place looking for someone to share the gospel with.

Steve R, the son-in-law of Pioneers’ founders, Ted and Peggy Fletcher, and President of the Pioneers US base, recently recorded a video about the origins of the Deeper Waters goal. In it he said:

“As I reflected on the history of Pioneers and the founders of the various tributaries of our global movement - people like Lilias Trotter, Florence Young, Karl Kumm and others - one common characteristic that they all had, in my observation, was that they were ‘People of the Lifted Eyes’. They were people who, as busy as they were, kept lifting their eyes to the horizon, wondering, ‘What’s over that next ridge? Who else needs to hear the Gospel? Who hasn’t yet had an opportunity to hear?’

“What’s over that next ridge? Who else needs to hear the Gospel?”

“Ted Fletcher was that kind of person. Ted was called home to heaven in 2003, and his bag has been left pretty much in the same condition, with the same things in it that he had when he died. One of the few things in his bag is a folder that he called ‘The Banda Ligbi Tribe’. This is a tribe in the northwest part of Ghana. Ted had a passion to see unreached people groups reached for the Gospel, and he adopted different groups in different seasons. This season he was praying and raising money and encouraging our friends in Pioneers Africa in their effort to reach the Banda Ligbi people. It’s a reminder for me that no matter how many unreached people groups Pioneers was already engaging back in the early 2000s, Ted was constantly thinking, ‘What’s the next horizon? Who else can we bless?’”

From Christ himself to Paul, right down the ages to Karl and Lucy Kumm, Lilias Trotter, and Ted and Peggy Fletcher, our heritage at Pioneers is that of the People of the Lifted Eyes. Lifting our eyes is not always easy, nor does it always make sense to us, with our limited understanding, to put out into deep water. But the Lord is calling us to obedience, and obedience is the only option.

Over the next few pages, you’ll learn about the Deeper Waters goal and the many ways we are already in partnership to reach it. My challenge to you, however, is not to look from the outside in. Look for yourself in these pages. How can you partner with God’s people to reach the goal the Lord has set for us? We are headed out into deeper waters. Are you in?

Anchors aweigh!

Deeper Waters Deeper Waters

In October 2023, Pioneers’ international leadership gathered to pray, discuss important matters for the year ahead and develop strategies for greater effectiveness in the Great Commission. During those meetings, they began to discern – and feel challenged by the Lord to “push out into deep water” - to trust Him for a “double portion” among the unreached, a goal to see an increase in the number of unreached peoples and places which our teams are engaging over the next decade.

The following article has been adapted from the “Deeper Waters” paper, which Dr Mark Syn, our International Director, and our International Leadership Team used to share this goal with the Pioneers fellowship.

Although originally written to challenge and encourage the Pioneers global family, we believe your partnership as individual Christians and churches here in Britain is vital to seeing this goal realised. We share it with you here to encourage and inspire you toward deeper involvement in the Great Commission and as an invitation to partner with us in this.

DEEPER WATERS

Last October, during our international leadership meetings, we sensed the Lord leading us to embrace a vision for a goal for a double blessing — a doubling of our engagement with unreached people groups (UPGs) over the next decade. As we have continued to ponder this call and expand the conversation through all our different leadership bodies, it has continued to grow like a prophetic call to our hearts for this next season. We have come to call this the “UPG Deeper Waters Goal” – a tangible goal that makes our call to continue to be a pioneering movement amongst the unreached specific and actionable.

The Deeper Waters name comes from the way we have been inspired by the story in Luke 5, where the Lord commands Peter to push out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. The disciples by the Lake of Gennesaret were exhausted after fishing all night without a catch. In so many ways, working amongst the toughest harvest fields in the world can be an experience of fishing all night without a “catch”. This does not mean we do not go to these people and places. The Lord has not forgotten these people, which is why the Lord has raised up organisations like Pioneers to serve alongside the church to send labourers into such harvest fields.

In the story in the book of Luke, we are inspired by our Lord’s command to the disciples to cast their nets into another part of the lake where the Lord was guiding them for a fresh catch. We have been ignited by the phrase, “push out into deep water.” The passage tells of the result of the disciples’ obedience in spite of their tiredness from having fished all night:

When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch ... When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:4, 6-7 (KJV and NIV)

Isn’t that the way the Lord works? It’s not always convenient when the Lord speaks; we don’t always feel ready. There are so many ways the Lord is calling his people to be a blessing around the world. But what if the call comes when we don’t feel we have enough resources and time? What if we’re feeling tired at the time? What if? What if?

As Peter and his crew responded in obedience to Jesus’ command to push out into deep water, a huge haul of fish strained the nets past capacity, to the point that they had to wave to their partners in the other boat to come and help. They had a capacity problem in their boat, but as the other boat helped to bring in the catch, the two boats were nearly filled, nearly swamping them with the catch. They had a double blessing. Don’t we dream of the time when the catch is so big that our boat feels swamped?

We have often seen in history that when revival comes, it may not be at the most convenient time. The catch can disrupt the regular rhythms of our ministry and life but we dream that the Lord may use us in this way amongst the unreached and we should embrace the season of harvest when it comes.

DEFINING THE GOAL

As we have discussed the Deeper Waters goal over the last year, a question was raised about the relevance of the UPG strategic idea in the current context.

The UPG idea 1 has been a primary missiological lens which was introduced by Ralph Winter at the Lausanne 1974 Congress. It is easily communicated and understood, but we recognise that the harvest dynamics have always been complex – and they are getting more complex in light of things such as urbanisation, globalisation, increased migration, the diaspora and digital strategies. As Dave Datema said at a recent MissioNexus conference, “There is the theory and the reality – and the reality is messy”.

Urban cultural melting pots are being shaped by migration (including the movement of refugees, students and professionals),

modernity and hybridity. These trends do, however, provide fresh opportunities for engaging with the unreached in ways that may not be possible in their homelands.

Len Bartlotti shared similar sentiments in 2022 when he wrote, “Static categories fail to convey the dynamism and fluidity of UPGs… In an interconnected, urbanized, globalized, mobile and changing world, we need to re-envision our approach.”

As we began reflecting on the UPG question, we were pleased to realise that the questions we were asking - and the conclusions we were coming to - were very similar to the conversation in the broader global missions movement. 2

Our language about UPGs is not redundant, but we believe it should be enlarged. Many mission teams now find it useful to think strategically about “unreached people and places”, the latter being defined as geographical regions with significant

“In an interconnected, urbanized, globalized, mobile and changing world, we need to re-envision our approach.”

1 The Joshua Project defines an unreached people group as "a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelise this people group without outside assistance." This usually refers to ethnolinguistic groups whose population has less than 5% Christian adherence and less than 2% evangelical adherence. 2 For more on the UPG discussion in our changing world, see Where are the ‘Unreached’? on pages 16-19.

populations without the gospel and insufficient numbers of vibrant local churches that can evangelise those who live there. In many cases, these are diaspora communities and urban cultural melting pots where mission teams and local churches may engage with multiple people groups simultaneously.

By enlarging our strategic focus for UPGs to include “places”, we recognise that “a nation or a city may be home to many different people groups, and reaching one of them does not mean that the work in a country or city is done. Every place in a nation must have a reproducing body of believers who can embody the love of Christ in that specific context.” 3

PARTNERSHIP IS VITAL

The priority for reaching UPGs has been in Pioneers’ DNA, Core Values and Mission Statement since our earliest days. Trusting God for a double blessing is not about numbers. We do not want to be fixated on the numbers and metrics - our engagement in some of the hardest harvest fields in the world means that there is no low-hanging fruit. However, a Holy Spirit-inspired goal can raise our expectations and, in turn, stimulate creative thinking and catalyse the emergence of new ways of doing things.

Our commitment to continue to be pioneers (people who exhibit a pioneering spirit) drives us to engage UPGs in places where numerical progress may not be evidenced for decades. As we walk in this UPG goal together, we will be celebrating all sorts of stories, including early breakthroughs and tenacious engagement in the absence of visible fruit, as well as numerical increase.

We would hope that this larger goal will test the limits of what may be possible, challenge our faith, and make us reassess current paradigms. The Deeper Waters goal may be beyond what a single organisation can achieve, and we see that this will encourage us to lean into Kingdom Partnerships with international and national partners who align with Pioneers’ ethos, values, and Mission Statement. It will encourage us toward prayer and partnership with others in the task. We hope it will also inspire our church partners and donors toward greater involvement.

Time and time again, as we’ve pondered the implications of this new UPG goal - if it’s truly a prophetic picture of the part the Lord wants the Pioneers boat to play in the harvest. We’ve been dreaming about this: What if the Pioneers boat has the privilege of being called alongside other movements, other boats, to colabour for greater shared fruitfulness? What if we join hands with other church and agency partners to see breakthroughs in places where the church has not yet been planted? We dream of the catch all over the world — church planting movements, 4 breakthroughs, and new frontiers opening up. Will you join us as we push out into deeper waters?

In his memoir, When God Comes Calling, Pioneers’ founder Ted Fletcher wrote these words, which now give fresh inspiration to us:

“God has given us open doors, and we need to go through them as fast as we can. I encourage you to step outside what is known and comfortable, to press ahead in spite of objections, to think outside the box and off the beaten path. If you can’t see very far ahead, go as far as you can see. This is the time to leave the harbor, to be a pioneer.”

3 “Saturation Church Planting: A Call to Collaboration”. Lausanne Movement Church Planting Issue Network. p5

4 A church planting movement is a rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment.

THE CHURCH IS Central

By Chris B, Pioneers’ Church Development Co-ordinator

Seven years ago, Stephen was appointed as the Director of Pioneers UK. He recently said that, as he was asked to prayerfully consider applying for the role, “I was really grabbed by Pioneers’ purpose statement to seek to plant the church of Jesus amongst unreached peoples and places across the world. One of Pioneers’ eight Core Values is partnership with the local church wherever possible. If it was not there I don’t think I would have applied For me partnership with the local church, the sending church in the UK and Ireland, and also the receiving national, indigenous churches across the world is hugely important.”

This importance of the local church was echoed in a recent article by Simon, National Director of Pioneers Australia. He wrote, “Everything we do relates to the local church – from the sending of workers to the planting of churches to partnering with churches.”

A parachurch organisation, according to Wikipedia, “seeks to come alongside the church and specialises in things that individual churches may not be able to specialise in by themselves.” In Pioneers’ case, the focus, the speciality, is church planting among unreached people groups - something in which not many churches ‘specialise.’

Stephen went on to say, “In my opinion, the mission of God belongs first of all to the church, not to the mission agency.” The

local church has the biblical mandate to send; Pioneers has the role to partner with them, as they plant churches among unreached people groups. A lovely partnership. It is the local church that is central to God’s mission thrust.

Steve is on the International Leadership team at Pioneers. Asked what partnership with the local church meant to him, he said, “Two things, really. The first being that when that Core Value was penned in the early 1980s, we were in a model of ministry that was the West sending workers to the rest of the unreached world. So ‘the local church’ at the time of our founding only meant the sending church. That in itself is a strong core value, because when you have a missionary, a church planter on the field, that person has three lines of accountability: to the local leader, to the mobilisation base and to the sending church. I find that, especially when you have a conflict or an unfortunate event, having a three-pronged approach like that makes caring for people much more effective. If people don’t have a sending church – maybe the church has changed or folded, or no longer supports them - it’s much harder to get that person to a place of health if they don’t have the spiritual involvement of their sending church.”

So one key aspect of partnership with the local church is that of caring for those who are sent by the local church. But it is far

more than that. I was talking to the pastor of a sending church and he said to me, “It is definitely the right thing to do, sending a mission partner out to the field through a mission organisation. I’m currently witnessing a situation where this wasn’t the case and the church has sent directly – and it’s a mess.

“But I don’t think I can articulate well what our partnership with Pioneers actually means to us as a church. That may sound strange but I know partnership is a good thing to have! When I joined the church our mission partners were already on the field, and I know Pioneers were involved with discerning and questioning whether this was the right thing for them, training, joining a team and things like that – but I didn’t share that experience. I do know Pioneers are involved with those sent from our church in a big way, and there’s a security in knowing that. Pioneers look after the mission partner, and if there is a problem they bring support on the field. Pioneers also provide lots of practical support and assistance. They are able to bring mission partners together for regional conferences, which are really special. And on top of that, they have an understanding about thirdculture kids, and bring help in this area. Lots of things which we as a local church would not have the capacity to do. And they probably do lots of other things that I’m not aware of…”

Africa with the gospel. On the field, we may be the people that could be considered to be on the front line, but there is a wealth of support behind us, partnering with us. We need prayer more than anything. And when churches and individuals read prayer updates and pray, then churches and individuals are actively involved in reaching people in North Africa.” That’s another aspect of partnership with the local church. He finished by saying, “So don’t count yourself out just because you’re not here; you’re as big a part of it as we are.”

DON’T COUNT YOURSELF OUT JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT HERE; YOU’RE AS A PART OF IT AS WE ARE. BIG

But not every church with whom Pioneers are in partnership has sent workers to the field. There are many churches – and individuals – who partner with Pioneers financially and prayerfully without necessarily sending a worker to the field.

A Pioneers worker in North Africa put it like this: “I would like to share about the impact that people at home can have in all manner of ways. And I’m not just talking about financial support. If you get down on your knees in your church prayer meeting or before you go to bed tonight and you pray for North Africa, you are actively involved in reaching the people of North

Steve said that partnership with the local church meant two things to him. This is the second thing: “With seventeen gateways worldwide, most of the countries we work in have a local church, even though in most countries it is relatively small. But I feel there’s a spiritual discipline that, as church planters, we need to seek out the local churchwhether it’s one or two believers, a group of nearcultural believers, or just people we can fellowship with as we do the task - so we’re not alone, and we’re fitting into what God is doing in that place. Even in some of the most unreached places, where there are no Christians anywhere in sight, you’d be surprised if God hasn’t been working there in the last 2000 years, since Jesus. I feel it’s our responsibility to honour that work. It doesn’t mean we need to join arms and become the local church, but we definitely need to honour the local church. Romans 12:10, says, ‘Outdo one another in showing honour’ (RSV). And we need to be people that honour not only what God’s doing in our own ranks, but what God’s doing in and through other agencies or through the local church.’

Partnership with the local church – whether the sending church or local, indigenous fellowship – is so important.

Fancy learning more about how your church can get involved? Connect with Chris at ChrisB@pioneers.org.uk.

Good Bite MORE THAN A

By Stephen C, National Director of Pioneers UK & Ireland

“Peter, sorry but I really don’t get it! You’re going to sit here all night and be happy if you just get a good bite at your bait – even if you don’t actually catch anything?!”

“Yes,” Peter confirmed with a wide smile.

Peter is my brother-in-law, and he was settling in at the side of a Scottish loch for a whole night’s fishing for pike, swathed head-to-toe (literally) in his antimidge outfit. I discovered, to my quiet astonishment, that he didn’t expect to catch more than one pike – if any at all – even after eight hours of patient fishing. It seemed that he would be quite happy to simply get a ‘good bite’ from one! It confirmed my opinion that fishermen are a … unique breed.

Missionaries are a unique breed as well!

The global Mission family that is Pioneers has launched out on a ten-year (2025-2035) vision to double the number of unreached peoples and places with which we are presently engaged. Together we’re calling it the Deeper Waters vision.

It’s based on the events of Luke 5, where we read that Jesus disturbed Simon’s normal, tried and tested, strategicallyproven, and professionally-honed fishing routine. “Peter, I full well know that you and your team have been hard at work fishing all night and have caught nothing, but I’d like to invite you to get back into your boat and go back to the same deep waters where you were fishing … and throw the nets out again … and to do it in broad daylight!”

I can well imagine Peter (and his teammates) looking at Jesus askance. Everything in them would know that there was just too much stacked against anything like this working. It would be a waste of time, effort and resources.

Sixty-seven years ago, my parents were medical missionaries in Borno State in the far north-east of Nigeria. [They were working with the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN).] Borno was Muslim Nigeria. Dedicatedly Muslim. Medical care was maybe the only way in. Notwithstanding that my parents had their hands full with the work of leading a hospital ministry, my father was deeply challenged by ‘the blank map’ of what stretched out hundreds of miles even further north than the Mission hospital.

And, so, the Lake Chad Project was founded in the early 1960s to bring medical care and the gospel to the frontier unreached people groups of the Lake Chad Basin.

The Buduma – the ‘people of the Reeds’ – were one of these unreached peoples. They are grouped around - and on - Lake Chad. One hundred percent Muslim in those days. I mean, really Muslim! In all the years (18 or so) of incredible effort and huge sacrifice from Nigerian as well as foreign missionaries during my parents’ time there, one could count on just two hands the number of Buduma who came to faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Less than one per year on average. One might very tremulously say that they had ‘caught nothing’.

The Buduma live in the three countries of Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon around – and on the floating islands of – Lake Chad. In Christian missiological terms, they are classed as being a ‘Frontier People’; meaning an unreached people

group with virtually no followers of Jesus and no known church planting movements – and still needing pioneer cross-cultural workers. Today, as best as I can work out, there are (only) 140 Christian adherents out of 160,000 Buduma across three countries.

In the 1970s, rebel forces in the Lake Chad area decimated the work of Mission and Church. Then, the extreme jihadist Boko Haram happened. From 2002 to the present day, the area of the work of the Lake Chad Project has been significantly closed down to Christian presence and missionary work. Lake Chad and its peoples have been cut off to the Church and (western) missionaries.

It would be very ‘deep waters’ to seek to venture back into the Lake Chad area. Deep waters of incredibly risky faith and venture for African Christians to travel and live there; let alone non-African workers.

In July 2024, Pioneers UK & Ireland and COCIN signed an historic new partnership agreement – to see the Mission support this large national Church in its own indigenous missionary outreach to unreached peoples in Nigeria and beyond.

For me, this is one incredibly exciting way the global missions family of Pioneers can venture in fulfilling the sense of God’s call to “put out again into deep waters”. COCIN was planted by our Mission in 1904, significantly amongst the animist peoples of Nigeria. Today, COCIN is a church of approximately three million and has a continuing commitment to be a missionary church to the yet-unreached (Muslim) peoples and places of Nigeria and beyond. I want to support this church that God graced us to plant 120 years ago – to relevantly support her efforts and sacrifice to reach out again to peoples such as the Buduma.

Amos Mohzo is the first president of COCIN who is from Borno in Nigeria. To the thrill of my heart, he spoke quietly to me last year that he has been personally stirred by the vision to reach out again to the unreached peoples around Lake Chad. Including the Buduma.

Deep waters. Again. It will be hard and extremely risky.

My father died in February this year at the age of 92. On the wall of my office at Bawtry Hall, I have a large framed painting

of our Mission’s founder, Karl Kumm. Just this year, next to Karl Kumm, I have placed a (smaller!) framed photograph of my father. It is one of my favourite photographs of him. The year is 1964 and he is photographed on the Lake Chad Project boat, Albishir (‘Good News’), as it navigates the uncharted and open waters of Lake Chad. He is standing behind a Buduma fisherman who is pointing the way with an outstretched arm. Indeed, the camera captures them both pointing in the same direction –forwards and onwards!

1904. 1964. 2024.

I am tremendously stirred to see how Pioneers UK & Ireland can serve the Church of Christ in Nations over these next ten years in putting out again into deep waters for the sake of planting the church of Jesus Christ amongst the Buduma of Lake Chad.

“Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men,” Jesus said to Peter two thousand years ago.

Dare we believe that this people-catching Lord calls us now to “put back out into deep waters” and throw out our nets again – the Church in Nigeria and the Mission based in the UK and Ireland in renewed partnership – and get far more than ‘a good bite’? Indeed, a catch so God-shaped large that ‘both boats’ are needed to bring it in successfully?

Lord, make it so. For the sake of the glory of your own name.

Partner in Prayer

HOW TO PRAY FOR PIONEERS IN 2025

PLEASE PRAY:

• for the staff and trustees of Pioneers UK & Ireland as they continue to iron out details and processes related to the recent merge.

• for Pioneers workers sent from the UK and other Pioneers gateways as they “put out into deeper waters”. Ask for guidance from the Lord as to which new people groups to engage with and creativity and wisdom to know how to go about it.

• that the Lord will raise up people of peace in each of the people groups Pioneers teams are engaging, that the spread of the gospel would be rapid and exponential, to his glory.

• that God would strengthen the partnerships we already have with individuals, churches and like-minded organisations, and that new partnerships would emerge to help bring in the catch.

KEEP PRAYING

We have many free prayer resources to aid your prayers for the unreached and those who serve among them. Our annual Prayer Directory provides a daily guide for praying for UK-sent field workers.

Our monthly Stories from the Field and Prayerline newsletters share up-to-date prayer requests from global and Arab world field workers, respectively. Our Prayermate feed provides daily prayer items for our field workers, and our monthly Zoom prayer meetings give you the opportunity to gather with others who are called to pray.

To find out about more or sign up for one or more of these prayer resources, contact us at hello@pioneers.org.uk.

Partnering with Trusts IN GOSPEL MISSION

By Hannah W, Pioneers’ Fundraising Co-ordinator

Recently I was talking to a new supporter of Pioneers, one of the great joys of my role. During our conversation she said something that truly spoke to my heart. She said, “I personally feel that the administrative work you do is as much a part of the missionary life as someone who is ‘on the ground.’” What a kind thing for her to say! This supporter recognised that we all have a role to play in bringing the gospel to forgotten peoples. In fact, my colleagues will tell you that I am often saying that our supporters are just as important for the ministry of Pioneers as our missionaries are.

Talking to this new supporter reminded me of this passage in Luke 8: “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil

spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

It strikes me that Luke could have just written about the work that Jesus and His followers were doing. Surely that’s the important bit of the story? But he doesn’t do that. He makes sure to talk about the women who were supporting Jesus’ work financially, even naming them. Luke knew the important role that these women played in helping Jesus share His message. And still today, as Pioneers’ mission workers share this same message, they are still very much dependent on their partnership with supporters.

What about trusts?

We have all encountered the idea of individuals giving financially from their own means. I’m sure you give to your church and perhaps even to some charities that are close to your heart. Maybe you even give to Pioneers; if so, we are so grateful. But individual donations aren’t the only form of financial giving that the Lord uses to provide for His ministry. As a charity we are blessed to be able to receive donations from charitable trusts and foundations.

According to the Association of Charitable Foundations, “charitable trusts and foundations are charities with an independent and sustainable income source. They use their assets in pursuit of their mission: primarily through grant-

making.” Basically, they are charities that exist to give money to other charities and individuals.

At Pioneers, we have a number of trusts who support our work year on year and have done for decades. This income isn’t a small portion either. In fact, last year we received over £200,000 from trusts and foundations.

How does partnering with trusts impact the spread of the gospel?

The trusts and foundations that support Pioneers give to a variety of aspects of our work. Some give so we can find and train more mission workers. Some give directly to mission workers to boost their personal support. Others give to aid work in specific regions of the world or even to specific projects that our mission workers are involved in.

Each trust works slightly differently but the general process is:

1. Pioneers submits an application form for a specific project.

2. Trustees meet to discuss the applications they’ve received and decide how much money to allocate to each project.

3. The trust sends money to Pioneers for that project.

4. Pioneers thanks the trust for partnering with us in the gospel.

5. A few months later, Pioneers sends the trust a report that details how their gift has helped mission workers to share the gospel with forgotten people.

This process can feel a little corporate. But behind each trust are groups of individuals who love Jesus and long to support mission. Through the charitable giving of their trust, they can give much more than they could as individuals. Giving financially is their role in this gospel ministry and it is our joy to partner with them.

I recently asked one of our loyal charitable trusts what it means to them to partner in missionary work. This is what their chairman said:

“As a trust we look to partner with the organisations we make grants to. Pioneers makes it easy for us to get the information we need and decide whether to make funds available. The work they are involved with is close to our hearts and knowing how grants will be used is fundamental. We play a small part and hope our contribution has an impact at the pointy end of mission. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Behind each trust are groups of individuals who love Jesus and long to support mission.

Thank God for charitable trusts

I’m continually amazed by how God uses man-made constructs like charitable trusts, making the most of tax exemptions and investments, to further His Kingdom. Each time a charitable trust chooses to make a donation to Pioneers we are incredibly grateful. Their donations help more forgotten peoples come to know Jesus.

Will you give thanks for these organisations and, more importantly, the individuals behind them who give so generously to make the gospel known among the nations?

If you’d like to find out how you can partner financially with Pioneers visit www.pioneers.org.uk/give-to-missions

Whereare

the

‘Unreached’?

By Dr David Smith

For some considerable time the concept of ‘unreached people groups’ has played a significant role in the thinking and planning of many Western missionary organisations. The desire to share the knowledge of Christ in places where he is not known has clear biblical justification, not least in Paul’s ambition to travel to Spain to make the good news known at the western edge of the Roman Empire. However, although this model of Christian mission may have been helpful in the past, there are reasons to question its relevance in the context of the world we face at the present time.

It may help to raise a series of questions, beginning with what I will call the theological question. This centres on our understanding of the word ‘unreached’ with regard to the

peoples who have often been in mind when this concept of mission has been deployed. In the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuries the ‘mission field’ was identified as being beyond the geographical boundaries of Christendom and entire continents were said to be in darkness. The missionary hymns of the Victorian era are full of language reflecting this view of the world. With the collapse of Christendom and the emergence of World Christianity this one-way concept became untenable and increasingly gave place to the realisation that mission is ‘from everywhere to everywhere’. Nonetheless, aspects of the old paradigm persist in the belief that the true frontier of mission remains in remote places on earth where distinct ‘people groups’ are still in ignorance of the Living God.

THE THEOLOGICAL QUESTION

The theological question to be raised at this point can be illustrated by a story told by a German missionary reporting his experience when travelling in East Africa with a Herero student. Quite innocently he asked this boy a question about the meaning of the local, indigenous name of God, Njambi, only to immediately realise that his enquiry had caused offence! He apologised to the student and begged to know what he had done wrong. The boy answered:

“I grew up with my pious grandmother as a Christian, but the name of God was so holy for us that we could never use it. And now I find myself sitting next to a white man and he uses this name for God as though it has no significance.“ 1

The holiness of the traditional name of God (which of course reminds us of the sacred character of the divine name in the Hebrew tradition, resulting in a similar reverence preventing its use) compels us to ask whether any people can really be described as ‘unreached’? Indeed, given the state of the world today, the question may rebound on us, compelling us to ask whether it is we who need to go back to school and learn from the remaining indigenous peoples who are still in touch with ancient wisdom? To paraphrase the apostle Paul, they “know God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature –being understood from what has been made;” by contrast, it is we who discover ourselves in a culture which “neither glorifies God, nor gives thanks to him,” with the result that our peoples’ thinking “became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL QUESTION

This brings us to the anthropological question. The missionary movement has had an on/off relationship with anthropology;

initially it was missionaries who supplied much of the data concerning indigenous peoples upon which nineteenth-century anthropologists built their earliest theories. Subsequently, scholars like Paul Hiebert utilised social anthropology for the understanding of diverse worldviews and the missionary aim of transforming them. 2

However, in the twenty-first century anthropology is concerned with major topics like post-colonialism, international patterns of migration, and the changing character of human identity. A word that occurs frequently in such discussions is ‘hybridity’, referring to the way in which previously fixed identities, shared together within ethnic communities, are being disturbed, eroded and replaced by new ways of identifying oneself. The Latino population of the United States numbers more than 60 million people and demographers believe one in three Americans will have Latino origins later in this century. Here is the testimony of one of them:

“Latino people are a profoundly diverse group, and among us there are many whose identity resists mono-cultural categorization – people whose (so-called) assimilation to the

“...now

I find myself sitting next to a white man and he uses this name for God as though it has no significance.”

1 The story is told by Theo Sundermeier in The Individual and Community in African Traditional Religions (Hamburg: Lit Verlag, 1998), 160.

2 See Paul G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008).

United States actually involved a hybridization of cultural narratives rather than the erasure of one and the wholesale adoption of another. My own identity is typical: I am Mexican-American, although I am not quite Mexican and not quite American. I live in the hyphen.” 3

This process is occurring everywhere in our globalised world. One of my students from North-East India wrote a brilliant PhD thesis with the subtitle, ‘A Theological Study of Identity among the Tribal People of North-East India’ in which he movingly described the agonising struggle of a traditional people facing multiple pressures in a globalised world – Western modernisation on one side, nationalist Hinduism on the other, and all the while the ongoing search for a Christian identity which respects and honours the ancient tribal inheritance. 4 The Kuki of North-east India are precisely among those classified as ‘peoplegroups’, yet that label no longer reflects who they are or what they are becoming.

THE HISTORICAL QUESTION

This leads us to the historical question which concerns the way in which we read and interpret our place within the broad historical process. For Christians in Europe, and especially for British people, the legacy of colonialism and imperialism looms large and, together with the flow of migrants moving from South to North, poses hugely significant issues concerning our identity. More than that, it compels critical reflection on some aspects of the history of Western missions, yet within the missionary movement there are few signs that this discussion has even begun to take place. At the same time, the deChristianisation of this continent and the rise of the hideous idolatry of Mammon, creates a context which cries out for new, visionary thinking and practice with regard to the Church’s mission in the twenty-first

I LIVE IN THE hyphen.

century. It is forty years since Lesslie Newbigin insisted that the crucial question for Western missions is whether the West can be converted?

The Christian gospel continues to find new victories among the non-Western, premodern cultures of the world, but in the face of this modern Western culture the Church is everywhere in retreat. Can there be a more challenging frontier for the Church than this? 5

There are, however, no short cuts to meeting this challenge. It would almost seem to require a process of re-education by which the centuries of learning gained in cross-cultural contexts, involving linguistic, intellectual and communicative skills, might be utilised and redirected toward the understanding and engagement with the contemporary

3 Martin Rodriguez, ‘Hybridity, Borderlands, and Paul Hiebert’ in Kenneth Nehrbass and others (eds), Advancing Models of Mission: Evaluating the Past and Looing to the Future Littleton, CO., William Carey Library, 2021, 134-135.

4 Jangkholam Haokip, Can God Save My Village? A Theological Study of Identity among the Tribal Peoples of North-East India with Special Reference to the Kukis of Manipur Carlisle: Langham Monographs, 2014.

5 Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian. A Reader Edited by Paul Weston. London: SPCK, 2006. 208.

6 Jane Collier, Rafael Esteban, From Complicity to Encounter: The Church and the Culture of Economism Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1998: 10.

culture of the modern world. This culture has been described as ‘economistic’, meaning that it is “the economic aspect of our lives that more than any other shapes our understanding, our evaluations, and our aspirations, and hence conditions our actions.” 6 To put it bluntly: our historical context is one in which the world has fallen under the domination of a capitalist ideology which seeps into every crack and crevice of contemporary life. The demand of Jesus that we choose between God and Mammon has never been more urgent, and I propose that our response to it must result in a fresh translation of the everlasting Gospel to ensure that it is heard as truly good news for postmodern people who are wearied by the false promises from the idols of our time.

THE ECCLESIOLOGICAL QUESTION

And so to a final question which may be described as the ecclesiological question. The very existence of the Western missionary movement can be said to reflect the failure and division of the Christian church and the relationship between church and mission has been unclear and problematic ever since. Missions have stressed the importance of local, indigenous Christian communities, but the relationship between such groups of believers and the historic churches has remained unclear. Contrast this with the great, ecumenical vision so wonderfully outlined in the Letter to the Ephesians, where two great segments of the human family, previously divided from each other by a wall which could not be transcended, are brought together through the Cross of Jesus Christ. Andrew Walls described this vision as of “the full-grown humanity unto which we are to grow together.” Jew and Gentile, who had not in centuries been able to eat in each others’ houses without calling the whole covenant of God into question, now sat down together at the table of the Lord. It was

a phase in Christian history that did not last long … But, for a few brief years, the one-made-out-of-two was visibly demonstrated, the middle wall of partition was down, the irreconcilables were reconciled.7

In the world of the twenty-first century tensions are rising both within and between societies and cultures, and it will be imperative that the missionary proclamation embodies this ecclesiological dimension and contributes toward the healing of ancient divisions and animosities. This will demand that the theme of reconciliation has a far more central role in ministry and pastoral care than heretofore, and that the Christianity which emerges during this century be, in the fullest sense, both catholic and ecumenical. The contemporary migratory flows, to which we have referred earlier, actually create the possibility of a new kind of unity through which the whole Body of Christ might be enriched and the healing, reconciling power of the Gospel be displayed before the watching world. All of which is to say that the age of mission is far from over, provided only that the modern disciples of Jesus can dream new dreams, catch a fresh and enlarged vision driven by the biblical hope of the coming of the kingdom of God and the healing of the nations.

Dr David Smith has served the Lord as a lecturer and theologian at institutions such as the University of Aberdeen, St Andrews University, Belfast Bible College and Redcliffe College. He has also served in Nigeria at Samuel Bill Theological College (Abak), Theological College of Northern Nigeria (Bukuru) and Jos Theological Seminary (Jos). He is the author of many books, including Seeking a City with Foundations and Liberating the Gospel.

7 Andrew Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1996: 25.

JOIN THE Conversation

Have a question or comment for Dr Smith? We’d love to hear from you! Send us your thoughts at hello@pioneers.org.uk.

Scottish

DREAM TEAMS

By Ruth B, Pioneers’ Mission Mentor for Scotland

Deeper Waters isn’t just about ‘over there’; it’s about ‘here’ too, and we’re working on some initiatives here in Scotland that we hope will help us to play our part in this vision.

I don’t know whether you’ve ever realised it but Scottish people quite like football… and rugby, of course, especially during the Six Nations tournament. But whatever the sport, you’ll often hear the phrase, ‘the dream team,’ as we hope for the next big win in the league or whatever championship our team is competing in. And in Pioneers in Scotland we have a few ‘dream teams’ too. But a different kind of ‘dream team’ – we’re dreaming of and praying for a couple of new field teams to emerge – one in Glasgow and the other in Aberdeen! Each of these cities has a large number of unreached people group communities and our UK North Area Leader for field-based ministry has been working with me to see what opportunities there are to partner with local churches to help them share the Gospel within these communities.

So what could a ‘dream team’ look like in Scotland? And how does that fit with Pioneers’ mission statement to reach unreached people groups and places with the Gospel? Well, next time you’re in a city take a look at the people who walk past you. Do they all look and sound like you? I’m guessing not… we live in multicultural rather than monocultural spaces now and with that multiculturalism comes great opportunity to share Jesus with people who, were they still in their own countries, would not be able to hear anything of the Christian message. With mobility, at least for now, comes freedom for many to hear God’s Good News for the first time. There are many people from unreached people groups living, working, begging, thriving or surviving in Scottish cities, including both Glasgow and Aberdeen. We would

love to see Pioneers teams serve in partnership with local churches in both of these cities to reach out to Somalis, Syrians, Afghans, Fulani, Iranians and so many more.

A team could work alongside local churches to reach out to unreached people groups living in our cities. Teaching English, providing advice on day to day concerns, running children’s and youth clubs, inter-cultural events, an international coffee shop, teaching British cookery skills or ceilidh dancing(!) – these are just a few activities that team members could use to engage with people who are not native Scots. But they’d be utilising all of these activities with the aim of building relationships that lead to opportunities to share the gospel. Not rocket science, I know, and perhaps not much different to what the local church is already doing, but with a cross-cultural focus that can sometimes be a wee bit scary if you’ve never done it before!

Such a team could also help to equip the church to reach out in new ways, as Pioneers team members would be

additional ‘boots on the ground’ that would be adding value to the church’s existing ministries, working together with church members and accessing Pioneers’ training and resources. Drawing too on the expertise that Pioneers has gained over 120 years of sharing the Gospel around the world, from those early days in Nigeria and North Africa to the present time when our teams serve in around 100 countries all across the globe.

If that’s something that’s of interest to you and your church, feel free to get in touch with me to find out more – maybe your church could be part of one of these ‘dream teams’!

...utilising all of these activities with the aim of building relationships that lead to opportunities to share the gospel.

Another area of partnership that we’re progressing in Scotland is with a local Bible College. Tilsley College provides theological and missional training for GLO Europe, a mission agency that focuses on reaching out across that continent. Tilsley began life as GLO’s training centre to equip their missionaries for service, and over the past 50 years it has expanded to become a missional Bible college open to anyone keen to be better equipped to serve God in mission. I’ve been connected with GLO and Tilsley College for many years on a personal level, having served on a number of summer GLO teams in France in my twenties and thirties, and I have been a member of Tilsley College Council for the past 10 years or so, helping to advise and provide governance for the College. So I’m particularly thrilled that we have begun an exciting partnership with the College that has a number of different and developing strands.

Collaboration is the name of the game when it comes to effective mission.

For example, each student is required to complete a practical placement as part of their course, and we have been able to provide opportunities within Pioneers’ field teams for three of this year’s cohort of students. We hope to be able to develop this offering further in the next academic year so that students can experience life working alongside Pioneers field workers in a range of locations across the globe.

We are in discussions with the College around the idea of developing a Pioneers/Tilsley College Gap Year, where people can benefit from some of the theological and missional equipping that Tilsley can offer alongside practical mission experience as part of a Pioneers team somewhere in the world. We hope that this option could provide a ‘toe in the water’ for both further study and longer term mission for students and school leavers.

And thinking about those ‘dream teams’, we hope, in time, to run summer mission teams in Glasgow in partnership with Tilsley College and our Glasgow ‘dream team’ base. At the moment that literally is a dream, but please join me in praying into this, that God will use this partnership for His glory across Scotland and beyond!

This partnership is of great value to Pioneers, as it helps us to engage with young and not so young students who are interested in serving God and who are listening for His direction and calling. But what value does it bring to the College?

in a Bible College having multiple partnerships as it broadens horizons and helps students to avoid stereotypes and cultural blinkers, removing localised, narrow or insular views of mission. Partnering with a mission agency helps to create pathways for people to fulfil God’s call on their lives to serve in frontline mission across the world. It benefits our students by giving them greater choice in discerning God’s leading.”

From Tilsley’s perspective, what is it about the interface between Bible college and mission agency that means that the ‘Deeper Waters’ goal will be achieved? Dr McKinnon noted, “Tilsley College spends its time training and equipping students theologically for service in God’s world. Since Pioneers is constantly actively engaged in that wider world and in hands-on mission work, it is able to continually inform the college of present realities and challenges in mission and both enables and inspires the college to shape its curriculum to better meet the needs of the world today. The ongoing partnership with Pioneers will help to inform the missions curriculum of the college, bringing regular up to date information and challenge regarding unreached people groups around the world to students and faculty alike.”

I asked Dr Allan McKinnon, Principal of Tilsley College, for his thoughts: “There is great value

What hopes does the college have for the development of this partnership? “Mission has always been done in teams, in collaboration, and effective mission happens when people collaborate well. It is our hope at Tilsley College that this collaboration will lead to greater effectiveness as we serve together in the Missio Dei – all of us pulling in the same direction to

Life Brings Changes

accomplish the mission of God. Collaboration is the name of the game when it comes to effective mission.”

In the sporting realm, when we think about a ‘dream team’ we dream of seeing our team have a big win – a championship, a league victory, or even bringing home the World Cup (for us in Scotland, that definitely is only a dream!). But for Pioneers Dream Teams, be it in partnership with Tilsley or other Bible colleges, or in partnership with the local church across Scotland and across the UK as a whole, our big win – our World Cup – would be to see many new brothers and sisters from other lands joining God’s family, and many new missionaries sent from Scotland to the nations – to those who otherwise have no hope of hearing of God’s salvation. If this excites you, please do stand with us in

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prayer as we try to follow God’s leading in all of this, and if you’d like to get involved, either in Scotland, or in pursuing your own Pioneers Dream Team elsewhere, then do get in touch with us.

What is it they say? “Team work makes the dream work.” So please join us as we dream, pray and take action together to follow the Holy Spirit in His work as He leads us into those Deeper Waters across Scotland and across the world.

Interested in praying, giving or getting involved with what’s going on in Scotland? Get in touch with Ruth at RuthB@pioneers.org.uk.

How Global South and Global North Churches & Organizations

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GLOBAL GOSPEL

By Rev. Dr. Sylvester Dachomo, Pastor of

the COCIN congregation in Du, Nigeria and overseer of the Du Regional Council

The 20th century Christian missions that brought about an unprecedented expansion of the gospel in the Global South was driven mainly by churches, mission organizations, and individuals from the Global North. However, a significant shift is happening at three levels of missions: geographical, methodological, and thematic. Geographically, the center of gravity of Christianity is shifting from the Global North to the Global South. Methodologically, missions is shifting from the notion of ‘overseas’ missions to local missions, from the notion of ‘sending organizations’ in the Global North to a partnershipbased missions between organizations in the Global South and Global North. Thematically, missions is shifting from classic themes of conversion that include cultural elements that can best be described as Europeanization or Westernization of the Global South, to the theme of contextualization of the gospel that adequately respects the cultural contexts and etymologies of Global South communities, thereby expressing the gospel

within the cultural framework of local communities in the Global South. In partnership-based missions, both the Global North and Global South are sending organizations and/or churches. As these three shifts are happening, it is, therefore, important to critically reflect on and provide solid biblical grounding and practical steps towards robust global partnerships for the gospel – the global gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Biblical Foundation for Partnership in Missions

The basis of partnership in missions is the Bible itself. Among many, we can identify three biblical bases for partnership in missions between the Global North and Global South. First, the church universal is one entity, described as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Being one body, different parts

must work together for it to function optimally. The difference between the church in the Global South and that in the Global North is primarily a geographical and cultural one, not an essential difference, because they are one and the same body of Christ. Hence, the more these two geographically-separated parts of the body of Christ work together, the more optimally the church universal will function. If secular companies, businesses, and political institutions in the Global North and South find partnership important, how much more should the church, the body of Christ, find partnership between the Global North and South essential! For the church to be truly the universal body of Christ, global partnerships in missions is indispensible.

Secondly, Paul’s missionary model, which has significantly shaped missions across centuries, is primarily a partnershipbased mission. Paul relied on churches and mission partners across cultures, which played a key role in the success of his mission endeavours (see Philippians 4:15-18). It is worth stating that many of the churches that supported Paul’s mission work were not his ‘sending churches’ but partner churches. This provides a solid model for partnerships between churches and mission organizations in the Global North and Global South.

The biblical nature of the church and its mandate for missions is a united mandate, where the church is called to function as one body, not as isolated entities.

Thirdly, Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the church lays claim to a united approach to missions (John 17:20-23). If Jesus was so concerned about the unity of the church, how much more would he be concerned about the unity of the church in missions, which was his heartbeat, as expressed in the Great Commission?

(Matthew 28:18-20). Moreover, the concept of the one God existing as Trinity as well as the concept of Missio Dei are partnership concepts, since the three persons of the Trinity are actively involved in the Missio Dei (Alawode 2024).

Why Partnership is Preferable to Independent Mission Efforts

While the 20th century independent mission efforts of the Global North were successful, given the fast spread of the gospel in the Global South, partnership-based missions is the most suitable method for missions now, given the fact that the church and mission organizations in the Global South have now grown significantly. Among many, we can identify four reasons why partnership across cultural and geographical boundaries is practically and biblically preferable.

First, as noted above, the biblical nature of the church and its mandate for missions is a united mandate, where the church is called to function as one body, not as isolated entities. Second, collaboration of the church in the Global North and South makes for a better stewardship of resources in that it prevents duplication of missions efforts and resources, and maximizes its impact across the two cultures. Third, partnership in missions between the Global North and South promotes more credibility, trust, cultural sensitivity, and acceptability of mission efforts in local communities. Generally, indigenous churches do not only know their contexts more than the sending organizations from the Global North, they also have the trust of their people, thereby making partnership essential. Fourth, partnerships encourage accountability in the key aspects of mission work, namely, spiritual, emotional, and financial accountability. Through partnerships, missionaries, especially those from abroad, are easily integrated into the local faith communities, thereby helping them to grow spiritually and find spiritual and emotional support as well as accountability.

Practical Ways to Build Effective Mission Partnerships

Having described the biblical and practical basis and benefits of partnership in missions between the Global North and Global South, it is helpful to end this article with some practical ways to build such partnerships effectively.

1. MUTUAL RESPECT AND SHARED LEADERSHIP

Partnership is possible only when the two parts see each other as equals. The colonial-era view of the Global South as lost, poor, beggarly, and hopeless has to give way to a biblical view of all people and nations as having dignity, as people created in the image of God. Global North mission organizations would need to avoid paternalism and embrace equal partnership, while Global South mission organizations would need to avoid coming across as beggars and sit at the table as partners who also have something valuable to offer. On this basis, decision-making related to all aspects of the mission work needs to be collaborative. Mutual respect is an essential element in any form of partnership in missions.

2. CONTEXTUALIZED MISSION STRATEGIES

For effective partnership, mission theories and strategies developed in the Global North should not be imposed on the Global South. Instead, mission strategies are to be jointly developed and implemented to provide rich and all-round perspectives to it. This concept is also applicable the other way round.

3. RESOURCE SHARING

Both human and financial resources are to be sourced, shared, and managed jointly by mission organizations in the Global North and Global South, with utmost transparency and accountability. To ensure resource sharing and transparency at all levels, it is important to have people from the Global South be part of the leadership of mission organizations and committees in the Global North, and have people from the Global North be part of the leadership of mission organizations and committees in the Global South. This is also a form of reverse mission, where missionaries from the Global South can be sent to the Global North for missions and at the same time, they are part of committees and leadership of Global North mission organizations. Simply stated, in partnership-based missions, resourcesharing is to be bi-directional rather than uni-directional (Twibell 2019). Moreover, in resource sharing, the idea of limiting missions to ‘church planting,’ where missionaries come to start their denomination, is to be discouraged. Missionaries to the Global South or to the Global North can work with local churches there and integrate new converts into the local churches, provided the local churches are Christ-centered, Bible-based, and more generally, evangelical-oriented. In these ways, not only are financial resources shared, but also human resources,

thereby providing diverse perspectives at all decision-making levels, leading to successful mission endeavors.

4. JOINT TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

An important aspect of the partnership would be that of training and capacity building of missionaries and their families. Missionary training should incorporate both theological education and contextual mission strategies jointly developed by scholars and experienced missionaries from the Global South and North. Books and articles on missions should be jointly written or peerreviewed with the two perspectives in view. Moreover, short-term mission teams visiting the Global South should, therefore, be humble learners rather than instructors.

5. SUSTAINABLE, LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

While partnering, it is important to bear in mind that several natural and political factors can limit the extent of joint activities. Global pandemics like COVID, ongoing wars across different parts of the world, and political issues have had limiting effects on partnerships across the Global North and South. Hence, it is important to work towards sustainability in such a way that the Global South mission organizations can eventually continue with missions in their local contexts even without their Global North partners. Such sustainable missions can be achieved by fostering local ownership of mission work and investing in leadership development of local pastors and missionaries.

Conclusion

Due to the geographical, methodological, and thematic shifts in Global Christianity and missions in particular, the one-sided missions approach of the 20th century is no longer tenable. Partnership in mission between the Global South and Global North is the way forward. Global partnerships reflect the unity of Christ’s body and maximize mission effectiveness. Both Global

South churches and Global North mission agencies contribute both human and financial resources that are essential to fulfilling the Great Commission. In a nutshell, the future of the church generally and missions specifically lies in its commitment to partnership across the globe. Since we have a global God, our mission has to be a global mission. Since we have a united body (church), our mission has to be a united mission. This conclusion calls for urgent action from leaders from both sides of the divide.

Endnotes

Alawode, Akinyemi O. 2024. "Understanding challenges and prospects of partnership in Christian missions in Nigerian Baptist convention." Hervormde Teologiese Studies 80, no. 1, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/understandingchallenges-prospects-partnership/docview/2927932438/se-2.

Twibell, Simone Mulieri. 2019. “Integrated Partnerships: A Case Study of the Dynamics and Impact of Reverse Short-term Missions.” Order No. 13859354, Trinity International University, https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/integratedpartnerships-case-study-dynamics/docview/2305527283/se-2. Religion Collection.

FURTHER

Reading

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Dr Dachomo recommends:

Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology by Sadira Joy Tira and Tetsunao Yamamori

Many WORLDS, One MISSION

An Interview with Aaron*, a Pioneers/CAPRO missionary

By Amanda, editor of Reach

Hi Aaron, thank you so much for sharing a bit of your experience with our readers. As someone who was born in Nigeria, serves in the Arabian Peninsula, was sent from a British church and is simultaneously part of Pioneers and our partner organisation, CAPRO, I imagine you and your wife Zoe know a lot about the fine art of partnership! What’s your story?

I was born in Nigeria, but the British influence was very strong. I went to British schools, so my first time in England, it didn’t feel like a strange country. So I would consider myself first generation, but a bit more culturally British than a normal first generation Nigerian would be just because my parents had already lived in England. My dad studied in the UK, and all my uncles and cousins were in England. So it’s always felt like a second home of sorts.

When I knew I was called to the Arab world, I did my research and came across Arab World Ministries (AWM). I really liked the specialist focus of AWM. At that time, it was 2000 or 2001, I was in Nigeria and I wrote to AWM to say, “I’m really interested in serving in the Arab world, and when I’m next in England, I would like to meet up and officially join you guys.” They wrote back to say, “We’ve actually got a partner in Nigeria. You don’t need to wait till you’re in England. You can have a chat with our partners,

CAPRO.” So I joined CAPRO officially in 2005 and did AWM’s international orientation when I was in England in 2008.

Sadly, my wife passed away in 2008 after giving birth to our son, and so I took some time off to grieve. We were preparing to move to Yemen when she passed away. So a year later I moved to Yemen alone. My boy was with my mum in Nigeria, but they’d usually come around to visit during the holidays.

I finished with the Arabic language programme in Yemen in 2011 and decided I really wanted to be with my son. I also needed a sabbatical. So the plan was to move to England. My mum didn’t like that idea so, after some debate, I left my son in Nigeria.

The same sort of thing happened with Zoe. She and her husband were serving in the Boko Haram part of Nigeria, and she lost him in 2011 in a Boko Haram crisis. By God’s sovereign twist, Zoe and her two daughters moved into the house next to my mum in Nigeria. And that’s how we got to know each other better and decided to ‘give it a go’.

So Zoe and her two girls came over with my boy to England in 2013 and that’s how this whole new phase of life started. When

we got married in 2013 I had a vision for the Arabian Peninsula but I still had some sabbatical leeway with CAPRO and AWM (which by this time was AWM-Pioneers) and there wasn’t any rush from anybody to come back full time. So we ended up doing all sorts for four or five years.

Then in 2018 I got back in touch with both the CAPRO and the AWM-Pioneers offices to say, “We think we’re ready now.” By that time, we’d had our last child and we felt ready to move. So in 2018 we took the whole family, and visited the region trying to work out what the next season would be like. And then in 2019 we moved back to CAPRO and AWM-Pioneers full-time.

I visited our current country in 2020 and travelled across the country trying to work out where we’d settle. And then COVID struck. I got back home at the end of January, and then everything shut down. It was a year-and-a-half of working out what’s next. But it was helpful, because we were able to focus on raising our support, sorting out our security training and all these things. Then there was a bit of a lull in 2021, and then we decided to go to Oman first because Zoe had not had the chance to study Arabic full-time, like I did when I was in Yemen. We stayed in Oman for two years, spent some time back in England last year, and then moved here in May of 2024. So that’s a short summary of a very complex journey.

Yes, a long journey! And do you feel settled where you are now?

Oh yes. We feel like this is where God wants us to be. We’re happy here. We absolutely love the community here. And we’re really excited to be here.

Can you explain CAPRO to me a little bit: What is the focus? Where did they start? What are they about?

CAPRO started in 1975. The Nigerian government started a programme whereby university graduates from the South were sent to the North to experience a different part of Nigeria for the

first time. They were shocked by how different it was – by how Islamic it was. Some of them tried to have an outreach in one of the palaces of the king, and they got stoned, and their equipment damaged. That’s when they realised, “This doesn’t work in this part of the country.” Eventually, some of them got in touch with WEC and other Western agencies, and they learnt that what they had been trying to do was called ‘cross-cultural mission’. They learned a bit more about how to do cross-cultural mission - how to contextualise, how to not stand out in the North - and that’s how we started!

I grew up with the missional paradigm that has often been described as ‘the west to the rest’. That paradigm has been shifting in the last decade or so, and now we recognise that the Global South is becoming a missional powerhouse in terms of numbers of believers who are accepting God’s call into mission. You’ve had an interesting experience, straddling the Global North and Global South. In light of your own experience, what would be your advice to somebody in Nigeria who is feeling called to the Arab world?

It would be to trust God, to not give up, and to believe that, even from Nigeria, God can raise the support they need. I’ve been in touch with some Nigerians who are not from the same background as I, and I’ve been stressing this to them. The first time I went to Yemen, 95% of my support was from Nigeria. By Nigerian standards, that was a lot. I’ve been stressing to them that if God calls them, he will make provision for everything they need.

* Names changed for security

God took me through the process of looking at a budget of £3040,000 and freaking out, wondering how I was going to be able to afford it. Wondering how I could show people in Nigeria that I needed that much money to live in the Middle East. But God provided every single penny from friends in Nigeria and friends abroad. Every single penny. The average cost of living here is far higher than what it is in Nigeria. So when people see what you need to even move here, it can be scary. My prayer is that people would see that it’s possible - that if God calls, he makes provision for everything needed. So I’ve been stressing that to my friends, but it’s a battle to get people to understand that it IS possible… that I’ve experienced it, and I know it’s possible. It’s something I’m very keen to put on the front burner.

For a long time, we have had a real desire to help mobilise Afro Diaspora Christians from the UK to the mission field. As someone who has been sent out of the UK as an Afro Diaspora believer, what are some challenges you see to Afro Diaspora people being mobilised to the nations?

By God’s mercy, CAPRO realised very early that it’s better, when you come from Africa to the UK, to join a local church rather than seeking out African churches. We are encouraged to go to the African churches, to meet them, but not to become a member. When my family came to England we were in a very white part of England, in Surrey, so we didn’t even have a choice! There weren’t any African churches. So we just found the nearest Baptist Church in walking distance, and we joined them, and we had a wonderful time. They became our second family.

like them or eat the same things they’re familiar with. If we can challenge people that they’re actually coming to the UK to bless the church, be part of the church, experience British culture and be part of society, I think that will make a world of difference.

It just doesn’t make any sense to move over to the UK then join the African bubble. Of course, if you’re in a place that’s African, that’s black, most churches there will end up being African. That’s fine. But if you’re in Surrey then it makes no sense to travel two hours into London just to fellowship with the African church. So I think if we, as Africans, can get that issue sorted, everything else will fall into place.

How has the intercultural training you’ve had - coming from Nigeria to England, joining a white church, becoming “more British than you wanted to” - how has that translated into your settling into a multicultural team on the field?

It’s helped in that we’ve experienced all sorts of cultural dynamics and we understand that different people are different ways. We’ve experienced a wide range of cultural things so in a sense we aren’t shocked by what others would be shocked by. We’re a bit more flexible. We can read between the lines and know how

We are really blessed; we feel connected to our community. It’s helped us feel like home because we’ve got people that are like brothers and sisters. They’re white, they’re from everywhere else, but we’re really thankful for that. In a way it’s probably turned us a lot more British than we’d like! But it’s God’s way of doing things.

I think that’s the key to making this work long term, that folks don’t come over and stick with people that look like them, talk

If we can challenge people that they’re actually coming to the UK to bless the church ... I think that will make a world difference.

In Christ we are all equal, whether black or white, American, British, Korean. We’re really proud that we’re modelling that to society.

to be more contextual with locals and at the same time handle things well with the very multicultural team dynamic around here.

Our team is quite multicultural. We’re British-Nigerian, we’ve got Koreans, we’ve got a Canadian, we’ve got two American couples and another one is possibly joining us. So with such a multicultural team we know how to be “everything to everyone.” And it’s helped.

Thinking about your team, have you noticed a difference in the way that the locals interact with you versus the Canadians versus the Koreans versus the Americans? Are there advantages to being African over Korean, over being white?

As a community we’re really proud that we can model the fact that in Christ we are all equal, whether black or white, American, British, Korean. We’re really proud that we’re modelling that to society.

Personally we haven’t had a lot of racism thrown our way. Where you’d notice is, if you’re white and you walk across town you have everyone stopping and offering to help and trying to be your friend and that sort of thing. I wouldn’t get that, so I have to work a bit harder to make friends and to know people. But what I’ve found is that when I know people, they’re very open. I get to know people deeply really quickly whereas my white friends might struggle because there’s a huge ‘respect gap’ and they’ve got to be ‘good’ around you, be respectable around you.

One of our friends is always sharing about how conservative people around here are, and I have to say, that’s not my experience. Maybe my friends happen to be the bad boys, but I know that they’re hypocrites, basically. When I share what my friends get up to my white teammates can’t believe it. But that’s real, that’s life.

The same thing happened in Yemen. My best friend was a white Australian. I had a large group of Yemeni friends. When my white friend wasn’t there, they were REAL, they would talk all sorts of nonsense. Once he showed up, everyone would change. So I would bring stories back to him: “Do you know what happened when we were hanging around, etc etc etc…” And he was like, “Why don’t they do this when I’m there??” And I just had to say, “Er…they respect you too much, you’re white!” It’s a mixed bag, there are pros and cons…

That’s such an important point to bring out. For me, going to the mission field as a white Southern Baptist American young lady, my experience and, to a degree, my effectiveness could have been enhanced had our team been less mono-cultural and less mono-ethnic. It just illustrates why partnership in mission is so important.

Thank you so much for sharing your stories and insights with me, Aaron. You’ve given me a lot to think about and I hope the same is true for our readers! We’ll continue to pray for the Lord’s blessing on you and your teammates as you hold out the truth in a tough place to serve.

STANDING TOGETHER FOR THE KINGDOM

by Mark C, Pioneers’ Partnership Development Co-ordinator

I have to be honest with you, I knew very little about financial legacies before I started working with Pioneers – I thought they were something that siblings killed each other over in Agatha Christie murder mysteries! In fact, people have been leaving legacies in their Will since Bible times (Proverbs 13:22, Numbers 27:8-11) and today about 30% of all funds raised for all UK charities is from legacies – that’s about £4 billion a year and rising. I was staggered.

Of course, when you start to look around, you realise how vital legacies are: many plaques and memorials in churches and cathedrals remind us how people have left legacies in the past. Our local comprehensive school, where my children went, was started by a legacy given by a local chap in our little Derbyshire town a few hundred years ago.

WHY DO WE GIVE LEGACIES?

WE TEND TO GIVE LEGACIES FOR ANY OF THREE MAIN REASONS:

LOOKING BACKWARDS We’re grateful for help we received – perhaps in our local hospital, our school or a person who helped us in a time of need.

LOOKING AROUND Supporting those who do good or whom we know will spend it effectively.

LOOKING FORWARD When we believe and hope that we can help future generations: to have an impact beyond our own lifetime.

Every year, faithful Pioneers supporters choose to include us in their Wills and we’re extremely grateful. In fact, if I can, I write a profile of the donor for our magazine to honour their life. For some, this is a natural continuation of their commitment to our regular work or perhaps a way of thanking God for his many blessings in their own life. For others, it’s a determination to stand with us as we work to see every people group reached with the gospel.

SAYING THANK YOU

Of course, after giving, thanks follows closely behind – or at least it should! I remember when I was about 13 and my aunt sent me a rather expensive silver pen with my initials on the side. When, after a few months, I’d not been in touch to say thank you, a rather annoyed Aunt Joan phoned up my mum. I was very embarrassed! That dozy teenager learned an important lesson that day - kindness and generosity deserve thanks.

Over recent years, we’ve begun a pattern of thanking financial supporters who give to ‘where it’s most needed’ with a card, a phone call or even a visit, if it’s convenient. And ‘where it’s most

needed’ is the day-by-day recruiting and training of new frontline workers to head out to the mission field. That’s exactly what the Deeper Waters initiative is all about (see pages 4-7). Maybe, like me, you already support a friend or relative on the frontline but you feel you’d like to consider leaving a legacy to help us reach those additional people groups in the Deeper Waters initiative - or inspire a future generation to reach even more unreached peoples. Of course, my three children will get the majority of my inheritance when I pass away, but a small 5% or 10% slice of my savings, set aside in my Will, would make a huge difference to the work of the Kingdom.

For the time being though, one of my favourite aspects of my work is saying thank you over the phone or over a cup of tea in the home of a supporter. Some people look puzzled that I haven’t come to beg for more! But, for me, saying thank you is enough in itself. My Aunt Joan would be proud of me!

If you’d like to contact Mark about legacies, our free Will writing service or related concerns, please email him at MarkC@pioneers.org.uk. Thank you.

You are most welcome to send a gift today, if you wish. Simply go to www.pioneers.org.uk or, if you received Reach by post, use the envelope provided. Any gifts received will support our vital work of recruiting and training new frontline workers.

Abide

PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD

by Jeremy S, Pioneers’ Regional Intercessor for Europe North

As Jesus died, paying the price for our sin, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. How amazing!! The Holy of Holies, where only a high priest could enter once a year, is now accessible, any time, to anyone who believes that Jesus has now reconciled us to our Heavenly Father - so that we can directly interact with Him!! This is where we come to pray!!

It is often commented that obeying the Great Commission “to go and make disciples of all people groups” involves obeying the Greatest Commandment - “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...and to love your neighbour as yourself”. Warren Wiersbe wrote: “The immediate purpose of prayer is the accomplishing of God’s will on earth; the ultimate purpose of prayer is the eternal glory of God”. For me, “to glorify God” is at the heart of our Pioneers’ mission statement. It is God’s will and our desire to reach people with the gospel so they too can love God and worship Him. The reason for mission is indeed to glorify God! But it requires our prayers!

At Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, empowering them to share the gospel in other languages to the multitude there from the known world. But between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost, they had returned to Jerusalem, as Jesus had commanded, to await the Holy Spirit...and “devoted themselves to prayer”. Grudem states that “God has... ordained that prayer is a very significant means of bringing about results in the world”. This was some result!

This is how Jesus taught His disciples to pray in partnership with God:

Acknowledge our Father is in heaven and worship Him, asking for His kingdom to come, surrendering to His will, and requesting He provides everything needed to do that. Confess our sin which separates us from Him, needing His forgiveness and humble ourselves by forgiving those who sin against us. Admit our dependence on Him, asking Him to divert us from the devil’s temptation and deliver us from his grasp.

Finally, proclaim that the Kingdom is His forever, the power is His forever, and His glory is His forever and ever. Hallelujah!!

Everything is for His glory - including praying! God created us for His pleasure and so that we would have the pleasure of intimately knowing Him. Prayer enables us to have fellowship with Him, to trust Him, and to partner with Him to build His kingdom. Ole Hallesby suggested, “God has designed prayer as a means of intimate and joyous fellowship between God and man”. He stands at the door and knocks - then moves us to pray once we have opened the door, letting him gain access into our hearts.

When I first met my wife, I did not know her at all. If you asked me what she was like, what she enjoyed doing, what her plans were, I would have had no idea. She had not yet ‘gained access to my heart’. 33 years later, I know my wife very well, and she knows me. We have made a home with each other and have an intimate knowledge of each other. I now know what makes her happy! Jesus teaches that we are to abide - make our home - in Him and He will abide in us.

We must draw close to God through prayer, so that we too learn what is on His heart now and hear His whispering proclamations.

We will then bear much fruit. When we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us. “By this my Father is glorified” that we bear much fruit and so prove to be His disciples.

John records these words for us - John whom we presume is ‘the disciple Jesus loved’. Can we say that about ourselves? I know I am the husband my wife loves but I also know that

love results from desiring to know, spend time with and communicate with each other!! It is the same with the Lord. What is on God’s heart as we engage in mission with Him? John’s relationship with Jesus was so close that he leant back on His breast. I like to think that John could listen to Jesus’ heart - hearing it pound as Jesus divulged who would betray Him. We must draw close to God through prayer, so that we too learn what is on His heart now and hear His whispering proclamations.

As we consider the Deeper Waters vision and the disciples’ big catch of fish, we must firstly hear God’s voice and know what He is specifically asking of us. Our partnership in God’s mission is underlined by our prayers. We can know His will by reading His Word but we can also hear His voice directly, as Jesus says “My sheep hear my voice”. Last year, He instructed me to intercede for a tribe in Chad which is virtually unreached, with no disciples. From scripture, we know souls from every tribe will stand before God’s throne, we know God’s desire is that none should perish, and we know that Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all ethnic peoples. In accordance with His ‘logos’ word therefore, this was God’s ‘rhema’ word (utterance) to me. Through our prayers, we discern God’s will and, in faith, boldly ask for that will to be done. Even Jesus submitted to His Father’s will in prayer:

“Truly, truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

What is God saying to us in this season? Where does He want us to ‘fish’ and make disciples? Are we asking? Are we listening to His voice? Are we close enough to hear His heart’s desire? Are we ready to partner with Him and pray: “Because You say so, we will do it”?

“Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

We love to encourage and inspire churches to play their role in God’s kingdom purposes. We also know it can be difficult to keep the profile of global mission on your church’s radar long-term.

A simple quarterly email update on mission topics could help provide a regular dose of inspiration for yourself and others.

“An ideal update for church leaders, small group leaders, mission committees and prayer coordinators.”

Churchline is a quarterly email for churches highlighting missional items such as short-term mission opportunities, events and signposts to prayer and training resources. Be encouraged and get equipped with Churchline!

Contact ChrisB@pioneers.org.uk to sign up or find out more.