Relentless Pursuit Podcast

Pioneers-USA

What does missions really look like? The lives of cross-cultural workers can sometimes be shrouded in mystery—or obscured by misconceptions. In each episode of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast, we go behind the scenes to talk to a missionary about their life and work. Join us as we uncover the messy, rewarding, sometimes dangerous journey of following Jesus to the nations.

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20 episodes
Updated Dec 10, 2024

Episodes20

Newest first

Dec 10, 2024 · 41 min
Grief and Glory
From an early age, Jane had felt a call to missions. Life got in the way, however, and she married and had two children. Grief hit their family in 2011, and Jane’s desire to serve overseas was reawakened. Now, she serves in Southeast Asia among a Muslim minority group, and her loss has given Jane a unique perspective on ministry and empathy for those who have suffered as she has. Bonus Story: Jane meets a Muslim-background believer who has never read the Bible. The connection provides a language-learning partner for Jane, and the young woman she discipled is now bringing the light of the gospel into places Jane could never go. Pioneers is committed to serving TCKs (Third Culture Kids) like Jane’s children. Find out more about the challenges TCKs face, and listen to our season three interview with Taylor, a TCK who is now in graduate school to be a counselor and shares her story with us. Check out our photo essay “Life in a Fishing Village in Southeast Asia” to get a sense of what it’s like to serve in Jane’s context. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Dec 3, 2024 · 40 min
Refugee Stories From Southern Europe
What does ministry look like when you only have a few months, weeks or even days to build relationships and share the gospel refugees from war-torn countries, before they are moved to their next destination? Eileen and her family are doing just that in strategic location in Southern Europe. Join us to hear some of the creative ways they are serving people in desperate circumstances—and unexpected lessons they are learning along the way. Bonus Story: Even when everything has been torn away from them, Eileen discovers that refugees often have an insatiable appetite for stories from the word of God. You can read more of Eileen’s story—and those of others like her—in our book, Items May Have Shifted: When Missionaries Get Rerouted. When serving refugees, time is often at a premium. The same goes for members of Pioneers’ Edge teams as they seek to pack as much learning and ministry into 8- to 12-week mission experiences. Check out our destinations for 2025. Refugees are often uniquely receptive to the gospel. Watch our brief videos telling the story of Mahdi—a Sudanese refugee who encountered Jesus in Egypt and now lives in France. Watch part 1 and part 2—each is less than 4 minutes. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Nov 26, 2024 · 39 min
Where God Is Already at Work
With a background in community health, it’s easy for Kelly to find ways to integrate sharing the gospel with caring for the many needs of people in her host country in Southeast Asia. In this episode, Kelly shares some of the many ways God is already at work in the place he called her and what she has learned from her team’s local partners. Bonus Story: It was the middle of the night before Kelly, her family and a short-term medical team were headed to a new community to launch a water bottling business. Armed pirates broke into their home in the sea-side village, tied them up and ransacked their home. What the enemy intended for evil, however, God used for good. Church-planting can take many forms and models. Check out Pioneers’ Multiply videos for some examples. Prayer is an integral part of church-planting among the unreached. Many Pioneers leaders have benefited from Lead With Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders, by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer and Cameron Doolittle. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Nov 19, 2024 · 42 min
A Church That Sends Together...
When Dusty Thompson planted Redeemer Lubbock 17 years ago, the church made missions part of its DNA. In this episode of the podcast, Dusty explains how the church balances global and local outreach, the joy (and pain) of sending people to the nations and what churches should look for in people who are discerning God’s calling to the unreached. ‍Bonus Content: When one of the elders and his wife at Redeemer Lubbock befriended a couple from India, they had no idea how they would be invited into an important life event. “Why do I need a sending church?” Our quick explainer video answers this question. Pioneers’ Church Partnerships Team stands ready to help your church become more intentionally engaged with the unreached—through coaching, Church Partner Forums and the GreenHouse online resources. Check out the book Dusty recommended at the end of the podcast: Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, by Tom Holland. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Nov 12, 2024 · 46 min
"Victory to Jesus!"
Elyse is a medical practitioner and runs a business in South Asia that employs vulnerable women. She also has some of the craziest stories we’ve heard on the podcast. This episode includes a miraculous healing, a glass of holy water and a talking Hindu shrine. Bonus Story: After a women’s Bible study, the women head to the street, asking the Holy Spirit to lead them to people who are open to prayer and spiritual conversation. This leads to an encounter with a desperate woman that only God could orchestrate. Check out our first conversation with Elyse in season 2 of the Relentless Pursuit podcast. Hinduism in a nutshell, from Pioneers’ WorldViews curriculum. Elyse recommends Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Nov 5, 2024 · 35 min
From Facebook to IRL
Drew and his family were forced to leave the country where they were serving in the Middle East. Taking a new role as pastor of an international church in a neighboring country, Drew wondered whether he was still on the cutting edge of what God was doing among the unreached. Then an unexpected DM popped up in the church’s Facebook inbox which led to an encounter with a spiritual seeker in real life (aka IRL). Bonus Content: One day, Drew was invited to an unusual soccer match: Muslims versus Christians. Even more unusual were the stakes: If the Christians won, the Muslims had to hear a gospel presentation from Drew. Like Drew and his family, many cross-cultural workers end up having to leave the places God initially called them. Although these situations can feel like the death of a dream, they can lead them to places of unexpected fruitfulness. Read four stories from displaced missionaries in Items May Have Shifted: When Missionaries Get Rerouted—free to read online and available in Kindle and paperback. Pioneers Media connects spiritual seekers like Rashid with local believers who can help them take the next steps in finding Jesus. Drew serves as VP of Church Partnerships at Pioneers. Find out how his team can help your church become more engaged with the Great Commission and check out the book he recommended: Pipeline: Engaging the Church in Missionary Mobilization. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Are you enjoying this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Oct 29, 2024 · 39 sec
Little Spreading Lights
Iceland is ranked #3 in the United Nations’ HDI (Human Development Index), behind Switzerland and Norway. In other words, from the standpoint of life expectancy, education and standard of living, it’s at the top of the pack. But is there more to the story? In this episode we talk to Elliot and Hildur, who are part of a multicultural church-planting ministry in Iceland. They share the unique challenges and opportunities of making disciples in “the land of fire and ice.” **BONUS CONTENT** Elliot and American TCK (Third Culture Kid) and Hildur (a native Icelander) tell us the funny (if unpredictable) story of their meeting and marriage. For more on ministry and opportunities in Europe, check out the story of Lindsey, who shares the gospel—and her passion for baking—with French seekers. Elliot and Hildur dropped some recommendations at the end of the interview, including John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way and Leah Roberts’ songs, which put the book of Philippians to music, aiding in memorization. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.Enjoying this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Oct 22, 2024 · 39 min
Bikes, Surfboards & Tents
There’s a lot of talk around the importance of “building relationships” when it comes to taking the gospel to unreached people and places. But what does that look like? For Chris, who leads a team in the UK focused on serving immigrants and refugees, building relationships is about sharing his interest in cycling, surfing, hiking, camping and all manner of outdoor activities. **BONUS CONTENT** A messenger appears in a vision to an imam (a Muslim religious teacher) and tells him, “The Truth you’re seeking you will find in New York.” Soon after, the imam ran into Chris … in New York. Chris isn’t the only one in Pioneers whose love of the outdoors has given him opportunities to share the gospel. Check out A Canyon, A Cathedral, our video documenting what happens when a group of Christians and Muslims hike 50 miles into a canyon. Pioneers partners with International Project to provide internships for those preparing for long-term ministry among the unreached overseas. Check out our article “What is Church Planting?” to find out more about the concept of “persons of peace.” Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today. Enjoying this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Oct 15, 2024 · 36 min
Special Needs, Special Calling
Bonnie and her husband had been on the field for five years, and they were expecting their second child. When prenatal testing revealed her daughter would be born with Down syndrome, Bonnie’s theology was shaken. After all, she and her family had given their lives to missions. Why did this feel like a death sentence for their calling? Listen in to find out how God used their daughter’s diagnosis to transform their lives and ministry in Southeast Asia. ** BONUS Content ** Bonnie shares a story of how her experience as a mother of special needs children prepared her for an encounter with a local woman and built a bridge of understanding between them. Bonnie wrote a chapter in the book Disability in Mission: The Church’s Hidden Treasure, a book that explores how God uses weakness to accomplish great things in His kingdom. Check out Enabled, a Pioneers ministry that serves disabled people in South Asia. You can find out more about that team and even give to support ministry that seamlessly integrates gospel proclamation with meeting physical needs. Also, we want to give a shout-out to Joni and Friends, an amazing ministry led by Joni Erickson Tada that brings practical help and gospel hope to people with disabilities around the world. Bonnie wrote an article on the story of how their daughter Anna was able to get a visa in their host country once she turned 18. The book Bonnie recommends in this episode is In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, by Henri Nouwen. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Are you enjoying this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Oct 8, 2024 · 36 min
Not on Board
With only about 1,000 words, the Book of Jonah is one of the shortest books in the Bible. Its account of a wayward prophet chased down by a merciful God can seem outlandish to modern ears. In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Pioneers president Steve Richardson about how Jonah’s world wasn’t too far removed from ours and what his story teaches us about God’s love for the unreached. **Bonus Content** Steve tells the story of how a mugging in Cape Town, South Africa, opened up an unexpected opportunity to share the gospel. If you enjoyed this conversation with Steve, we encourage you to get a copy of his new book, Not on Board: Jonah’s Plunge Into God’s Plan. You can read the book for free at Pioneers.org/Books, but it’s also available in print and ebook formats on Amazon and Apple iBooks. Also, check out Steve’s other book, Is the Commission Still Great: 8 Myths about Missions and What They Mean for the Church. Peace Child, by Steve’s father, Don Richardson, tells the story of the Sawis' encounter with the gospel. During his interview, Steve mentioned several other books, including *Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, by Cal Newport, and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start or chat today. Are you enjoying this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Oct 1, 2024 · 43 min
Detained
Josh was detained by authorities in his host country, and he had no idea if and when he would be released. Josh shares his harrowing experience—and the unexpected lessons it taught him about the importance of Scripture memory. He’s back on the field now, and he’s also building a community of people who share his passion for memorizing the Bible. **BONUS Content** When they left their host country, Josh and his family had no idea what would become of the community they had been discipling. That was until someone sent Josh a cryptic message, followed by a surprising photo. When you’re forced to leave your host country, it can feel like the death of a dream. In our book Items May Have Shifted tells the stories of missionaries who unexpectedly changed course and how God brought them to new places of fruitfulness. Find out more about Josh and his methods for Bible memorization on the Memorize What Matters podcast. His recommended apps for Scripture memory include Bible Memory App and Verse Locker. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review.
Feb 6, 2024 · 42 min
Bonus Episode 2: Among Cannibals & Headhunters
What happens when the gospel first comes to an isolated tribe whose culture in which violence and treachery are considered virtues? In this bonus episode, produced by our friends at the Compelled Podcast, Pioneers president Steve Richardson tells the story of being raised by missionary parents in the jungles of Papua, Indonesia (formerly Irian Jaya) and seeing firsthand how the gospel transformed the Sawi culture. Be sure to check out other episodes of Compelled for more stories of transformation. Fifty years after arriving in the jungle as a baby, Steve returns, with his father and two brothers. Never the Same is a short film Pioneers produced that documents their trip, including firsthand accounts from people who were alive when they arrived. The missions classic Peace Child tells the story from the perspective of Don Richardson (Steve’s father). An edition for younger readers was recently released titled Treachery on the Twisted River. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Jan 2, 2024 · 43 min
Bonus Episode 1: Your Journey to the Field
Do you have to take a test? Should you be fluent in a foreign language? Are you too old? Too young? In a nutshell, what does it look like to join Pioneers? In this bonus episode of the podcast, we talk with Kim, one of our Mission Mentors, about the process of joining a mission organization. Kim shares a bit about her personal story of being a “high maintenance” missionary serving refugees in Western Europe—as well as a bit about her current role, as she helps people discern whether God is calling them to serve among the unreached. **BONUS Content** Who stole baby Jesus? That’s what everyone was asking when a doll disappeared after a ministry outreach Kim was leading. You’re not going to believe where the doll reappeared, and how God used the incident to bring an entire family to faith in Jesus. Check out our president, Steve Richardson’s book, Is the Commission Still Great? Steve’s book addresses many of the misconceptions people have about what missions is all about. We’ve got a free small-group curriculum and links to purchase the book at Pioneers.org/myths. Explore is the first orientation in the process of finding out whether Pioneers is a good fit. You can find out more about what the week looks like here. Ready to chat with Kim or one of our other Mission Mentors? Go to Pioneers.org/Start to schedule a call.
Dec 19, 2023 · 58 min
Disciples in the Desert
The Arabian Peninsula is a land of contrasts. Starbucks coffee shops may be ubiquitous, but ancient traditions are hard to overcome. Still, God is at work, and local gatherings of believers are growing. Our guest in this episode has loads of encouraging stories about discipling Arab seekers, and he gives us a glimpse of what church planting looks like in this challenging but rewarding part of the world. **BONUS Content** Local authorities in our guest’s host city began investigating them, and they had to leave the country in the middle of the night. Less than a year later, they were back on the field in a nearby country. Our guest reflects on how God showed Himself faithful in this unexpected redirection. Getting redirected—either before you go to the field or while you’re there—is a common occurrence for missionaries. Check out Pioneers’ new book, Items May Have Shifted: When Missionaries Get Rerouted, for five stories of divine disruption. Check out this article that answers the question, “What does it take to go to the hard places?” Our Multiply video series gives a glimpse of what church planting looks like in different locations and cultures around the world. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today. Have you enjoyed this season of the Relentless Pursuit Podcast? Be sure to give us a five-star rating and leave a review. Also, stay tuned for a few bonus episodes, dropping in the weeks to come.
Dec 12, 2023 · 49 min
Digital Discipleship
If you were a missionary starting ministry in a new community, how would you identify people open to spiritual conversations? In the past, it may have taken years to find and cultivate such relationships. In this episode we talk with Amber, who leads a team that coaches missionaries on using social media and the web to engage with people in unreached parts of the world who are using these same tools to find answers to their spiritual questions. **BONUS Content** Nadia was praying at Islam’s holiest site when she had a realization that the God she was praying to was not alive and could not actually hear her prayers. For as little as $30, you can fund the ads that allow six spiritual seekers to make contact with one of our missionaries and their partners on the ground. From a Forest Temple is a video that tells the story of Tom, a South Asian man who came to faith through media (albeit one of the oldest forms of it) and now uses digital technology to make disciples. Also, don’t miss Googling Jesus, nine stories of spiritual seekers coming to faith through digital media outreach. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Dec 5, 2023 · 55 min
The World Next Door
We’re living in a time at which the nations are coming to our doorstep as immigrants, refugees and international students—an unprecedented opportunity for people from unreached parts of the world to be exposed to the gospel. It also means we can partner with Christians from other cultures who have come to make the United States their new home. In this episode, we talk to Paul, a leader in Pioneers’ “diaspora” ministry who served for many years in East Asia and is now working in Austin, Texas. Paul opens our eyes to the amazing new ways anyone can get involved in engaging the unreached, whether you live in a big city or in small-town America. **BONUS Content** When Paul was looking for mission agencies to join, he had a simple criterion: How quickly can they get me to the field? Find out what happened when Paul asked Pioneers that question. Download a free ebook (epub and PDF) of Unreached Peoples, Least-Reached Places, by J.D. Payne, which is chock-full of statistics and practical insight on reaching diaspora peoples. What happens with Muslims and Christians go on a 50-mile hike through a desert canyon? Watch our video, A Canyon, a Cathedral, to find out. Also, diaspora people can be found in other countries. In From Albania to Greece, a team in Athens is planting a church among Albanian immigrants. Want to get some real-world, on-site experience and training making disciples among unreached peoples? Check out Pioneers’ partner International Project and their residential program, Equip Missionary Training in New York City. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Nov 28, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
A Vision Fulfilled
Cynthia didn’t fit the “missions mold”—if there is one anymore. She was single, in her 40s and had worked in the business world. But God had given her a vision of helping young girls in South Asian villages avoid being trafficked. And she was convinced that making disciples and planting churches in their communities was at the heart of the solution. Now, ten years later, she has seen God bring her vision to reality. **BONUS Content** When Cynthia began telling Bible stories every night to a group of children from the neighborhood, she couldn’t have imagined what one young boy would do with his newfound knowledge. Pioneers’ media partner, CommNet, produced a video about Cynthia’s ministry in South Asia. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Nov 21, 2023 · 56 min
Green Missions
Some things are just meant to go together. Salted caramel and chocolate. Peanut butter and jelly. Agriculture and church planting. Maybe you didn’t see the last one coming, but this episode may change your mind. Dave has served in Peru for more than 15 years and seen the challenges of taking the gospel to remote areas where finding food and water is the equivalent of a full-time job. Now, he’s training local church planters to use sustainable agricultural practices to provide for their families and improve the lives of unreached people groups living in the jungle. **BONUS Content** Rats with an apparent salt deficiency. Coffee filtered through a sock. Eating fish—bones and all. Dave tells the story of a three-day hike through the jungle to visit an unreached tribe. Here are some examples of other Pioneers workers combining a passion for church planting with agriculture. In part 4 of our Middle Ground video series, Rob visits an orchard in Central Asia, where agriculture provides livelihoods of local gospel workers. Echo is a ministry that trains missionaries (and local believers around the world) to apply sustainable agriculture practices in the communities they serve. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Nov 14, 2023 · 56 min
An American Baker in France
The physical beauty, cultural sophistication and culinary delights of of France can sometimes conceal the spiritual challenges faced by believers in that country—and the missionaries who go there to share the gospel. A native of the secular Pacific Northwest, Lindsey moved to France more than a decade ago with eyes wide open to this reality. Since then, God has given her unique opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel—often through the unlikely connection of a baking class she teaches. **BONUS Content** Don’t go to the mission field looking for a spouse, but don’t put it past God to provide one for you. Check out Starting from Scratch, our video documenting Lindsey’s ministry in France. (Warning: Don’t watch if you’re hungry!) Still not convinced Europe is a legitimate mission field? Read our article and photo essay, “Is Europe Unreached?” Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team at Pioneers.org/Start, or chat today.
Nov 7, 2023 · 1 hr
Do You Believe in Miracles?
Do you believe in miracles? Muslims do. Rafik is a Pioneers area leader who is responsible for teams in North Africa, one of the most challenging and volatile parts of the world. On this episode of the podcast, Rafik regales us with amazing stories of Muslim seekers coming to faith—stories that sound like they were pulled from the Book of Acts. **Bonus Content** Gedo’s persecutors thought their efforts would keep him quiet. They were sorely mistaken. For more stories like the ones Rafik told in this episode, check out our free online book, Googling Jesus, which includes nine accounts from around the world of people coming to faith through online evangelism and discipleship. Check out the Maverick podcast, a story of an emerging movement of multiplying disciples in Central Africa. Social media gets a bad rap as a waste a time at best and an intrusive tool for advertisers and political agitators. But in some parts of the world, it’s where people go to get answers to their spiritual questions in an anonymous environment. Find out how media outreach works with our brief explainer video. Ready to take the next step, but not sure what it looks like? Schedule a call with our team or chat today.