A look back on 2024
Annual Report
“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” – Luke 5:4
From the president
Growing up in the jungles of Papua as the son of missionaries, I had a front-row seat to the power of the gospel. The Sawi tribe had never been exposed to the outside world, much less to the message of God’s love. They were headhunters and cannibals, living in fear and a constant state of war. But as more and more people embraced new life in Christ, everything changed.
When we returned for a visit decades later, thousands of believers welcomed us. God-honoring friendships had replaced rivalries of many generations. Infant mortality had plummeted by 90%, and the average lifespan had risen dramatically.
This is what Pioneers is all about: releasing the power of the gospel into forgotten lives and marginalized communities around the world. Whether in today’s urban jungles, the steppes of Asia or among members of Al Qaeda and ISIS, our missionaries relentlessly pursue the unreached.
In fact, we have set a goal of engaging 250 more distinct people groups over the next decade.
Read on to see what the Lord is doing through people like you.
Steve Richardson
President, Pioneers-USA
By the numbers
Here’s a snapshot of our global ministry.
Pioneers global reach
total members*
field teams
countries of citizenship
* Includes 2,166 field missionaries plus appointees, staff and board members. These numbers fluctuate.
continents
countries
distinct people groups*
* This number reflects our count as of mid-2024, using categories from the Joshua Project and counting groups living in multiple countries as one group. It includes distinct groups engaged through direct ministry and media outreach efforts.
new contacts
Bibles distributed
professions of faith
Primary religious blocs served
Muslim – 59.05%
Buddhist – 9%
Tribal / animist – 6.03%
Hindu – 5.08%
Unreligious / secular – 4.76%
Other – 15.24%
Partners
Donors
Partner churches
Financials
Program
Administration
Fundraising
Accountability
Pioneers values integrity, stewardship and accountability. For this reason, we link arms with other evangelical mission organizations and submit to godly leadership. Learn more or download financial statements.
Stories of impact
As Pioneers, we go to hard places, make disciples and seek to see churches planted. We are always looking for people who have yet to hear the gospel and see it lived out in their midst.
Many Pioneers join hands in strategic partnership under the leadership of a local pastor or network. Some serve behind the scenes, equipping others for fruitful ministry on the front lines. As we go, we look for and come alongside those whom God is already preparing to reach others.
Basketball is saving lives in this small town
A Pioneers couple lives in East Asia’s harsh, freezing cold, where they’ve committed the last 30 years. Amidst the challenges of extreme weather and remote living, they’ve built more than just a home—they’ve created a space of hope and transformation, starting with a game of basketball.
By establishing a community gym, they’re offering local children a safe environment to stay active and healthy, preventing the persistent problem of alcoholism in the area. They are also building a team of local leaders, including Anar, who can invest in the gym and the people for years to come.
This soldier had a dream
An evangelistic media campaign infuriated a military man in the Arab world. Contacting our responder, he used foul language and tried to convert her to Islam.
After that conversation, though, he had a vision of the gates of heaven, with two angels at the gates. One told him he could not enter because he was not ready. The other took his heart and gave him a new one—a kind of spiritual surgery.
When he awoke, his pillow was drenched in tears. He called the responder, apologized for his behavior and asked if she could tell him more about Jesus.
The soldier heard the gospel and was filled with joy. He put his faith in Christ and started reading the Bible. He also plans to start a study group and connect with other believers in his area.
See also Media Ministry Helps Spread the Gospel in Hostile Territory.
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A Pioneers team in South Asia empowers the vulnerable
In one part of the Himalayas, young girls have little education and few opportunities. This leaves them vulnerable to human trafficking and sexual exploitation. They need someone to come alongside them to help them gain marketable skills and provide for their families.
A Pioneers team has set up a business effort that employs young women like these, training and investing in them and giving them hope. As these young women grow in skills and confidence, their options expand.
Six years ago, the village where this business is based had no church, no believers and no one who had heard about Jesus. Today, some of the young women and members of their families have come to faith. Both the church and the business are growing.
Pioneers staff & board
Sending, supporting, serving
The U.S. mobilization base team is composed of faithful professionals with skills in finance, technology, counseling, fundraising, recruiting, coaching, hospitality, human resources and more to support Pioneers efforts to initiate church-planting movements among the unreached. Many have also served on cross-cultural church-planting teams, in local churches or in the marketplace.
Our office is a busy place. Events held throughout the year help strengthen our relationships and accomplish our mission.
In 2024, we hosted nearly 300 events, hosted overnight guests, and served almost 12,000 meals.
Explore
Orientation for new and prospective Pioneers members is held six times a year and helps those who come prayerfully discern their next steps.
Connect
Three times a year, we offer Pioneers members on “home assignment” the opportunity to debrief their field experiences and prepare to return.
Launch
While pre-field requirements are set on a case-by-case basis, three times a year, we offer a week of training, connecting and commissioning for all appointees.
Church Partner Forum
Twice a year we host gatherings for church mission leaders considering ways to strengthen their church’s mission vision and impact.
Board of directors
Pioneers-USA is led by a board of directors. They help keep us operating according to our mission and vision and provide oversight and spiritual guidance to the ministry leadership.
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Pioneers & the local church
Each member of Pioneers-USA is commissioned by a sending church committed to helping them thrive where God has led them. A team of church partnership facilitators serves as a point of personal contact for U.S. churches.
Our semi-annual Church Partner Forum is one of our favorite ways to make these connections. This highly interactive event typically covers topics such as the need for a clear mission vision and strategy, the case for the unreached and what it takes to provide effective missionary care. The event is free for up to four people per church, excluding travel costs. Forums attract church mission leaders from across the country.
Pioneers welcomed mission leaders from 21 churches all over the U.S. to a Church Partner Forum in February 2024. In 2025, we plan to host forums on February 12-14 and October 15-17, as well as Blueprint, a one-day event focused on church mission strategy, on April 25.
Forum feedback
“The forum was really a pivotal time as I began my new role in our missions ministry. It was a time of learning, growing, reflecting, fellowship, encouragement and creativity. I felt so poured into, and it left me with so many resources, connections and content to process and bring back to my local church.”
— Charlotte Mullane, Hope Chapel Sterling
“This forum revealed the gaps our church has in supporting our missionaries, and it provided the tools to fill those gaps so that we can cultivate healthier missions initiatives.”
— Pastor Ethan Wormell, Forestdale Church
Harnessing today’s technologies
The internet and social media have become a central part of everyday life globally, as nearly 5.5 billion people worldwide have access to the internet, and 95% are on social media. Our combined media ministries are reaching millions and connecting at least 300,000 spiritual seekers with Pioneers missionaries and their partners each year.
“I believe by using media, we can knock on every door in my region.”
– Mahmoud, now seeing the impact of media ministry in East Africa
Reaching Muslim scholars
Here’s an interesting trend. Many Islamic scholars, a small but influential group, are disillusioned and open to new ways of thinking. So, our Arab world media team designed a website to present Christian teaching in a respectful way and create media campaigns that addressed the felt needs of those seeking Jesus.
- In 2024, 58 Islamic scholars from across the Arab world, half of them in Egypt, said they wanted to know more about Jesus.
- Remarkably, 18 of them put their faith in Christ.
- Nine began studying the Bible, four started sharing their new faith and two were baptized.
In one short year, many people positioned for significant influence on others have begun their discipleship journey with Jesus.
Mobilizing missionaries
Every year, our recruitment and mission mentor teams connect with more than 1,000 people exploring how God might use them for His global purposes. Whatever their skills, passions or interests, we seek to walk with them as they follow Jesus. More than 100 people in the discernment process come through our candidate orientation program, Explore, each year. If God so leads, they will later join us for an equipping program we call Launch.
“I love how you take care of us and put great effort into sending us to the field. Everyone is caring, and the atmosphere is one of peace and care.”
– Charlotte, who came to Launch and now serves in Europe
U.S. annual mobilization impact
- 1,151 new initial contacts
- 132 people (and their kids) went through orientation to join Pioneers
- 71 new long-term missionaries were appointed.
- 70 new missionaries went to the field: 48 families, couples or singles
Join us in the relentless pursuit of the unreached.
Little book, big message
There’s a lot more under the surface than most people realize.
Most Christians know the biblical story of “Jonah and the whale.” But how many have thought deeply about its life-changing message and global implications?
In Not on Board: Jonah’s Plunge Into God’s Plan, Pioneers-USA President Steve Richardson shows us how a surprising God sent an unlikely conscript on an unthinkable mission and got an extraordinary response.
Through Jonah’s story, millions of people across the ages have had an opportunity to wrestle with truths regarding God’s character and choose how they will respond.
There’s no better way to know Jesus more deeply and become like Him than to join Him on His mission of mercy and love to the least-reached peoples of the world, whether found in our own neighborhoods and universities or at the very ends of the earth. We may sometimes wonder if some people can—or should—be saved. In the book of Jonah, God thunders a resounding “Yes!”
Read this book online. It’s also available in paperback and Kindle editions.
Love books? We have more.
Demystifying missions
The lives of cross-cultural workers can sometimes be shrouded in mystery—or obscured by misconceptions. Each episode of the Relentless Pursuit podcast goes behind the scenes as we talk to a missionary about their life and work. Season four, with 11 episodes, came out in 2024.
Join us in exploring the messy, rewarding, sometimes dangerous journey of following Jesus to the nations. Here’s a taste.
Episode 1: 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.
Episode 7: “Victory to Jesus!”
Elyse 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.
Episode 3: Special Needs, Special Calling
When prenatal testing revealed their 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.
Connect with us
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Thank you for partnering with us!
For 45 years, Pioneers missionaries have been using innovative and creative means to bring the gospel to every corner of the globe. Your partnership with Pioneers will make 2025 another fruitful year in the harvest.
In 2025, we are seeking to recruit 160 American missionary candidates, help Pioneers ministries in the Global South recruit 250 more candidates, and send missionaries to 30-40 unreached people groups to start locally led movements of faith. They will join teams using digital strategies and other methods to connect with thousands of spiritual seekers, make disciples and plant churches.