What is a pioneer?
Pioneers are people who go to new places to live and tell the story of Jesus in creative, informal ways. They go specifically to places where there is no obvious Christian witness or community, and start where people are at by listening, serving , and loving. Over time Christian community forms through this work, and through the prayer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Just as with people of every kind of vocation, pioneers come in different shapes and sizes and with different calls and characters. Each pioneer has specific gifts and character traits to do the kind of pioneer work to which they are called. The official definition of a pioneer in the Church of England is: ‘People called by God who are the first to see and creatively respond to the Holy Spirit’s initiative. They identify opportunities and gather others around them as they seek to establish new Christian communities within their local context.’ But giving pioneering an ‘official definition’ seems limiting, and limited is something pioneers certainly are not! Better to hear from our Pioneers in their own words… What kind of work are Pioneers in Bath and Wells involved in?
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