Relentless Pursuit Podcast
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.
Season 4 launched October 1, 2024.
Welcome to the Relentless Pursuit Podcast
You love God and want His will for your life. But fear and uncertainty get in the way. This podcast tells stories from missionaries who have struggled with the same things. They’ve wrestled through tough seasons in pursuit of God’s glory among the nations. Their raw stories will inspire you in your walk with God. Grab a cup of coffee and lean in.
What If God Doesn’t Use Me?
Joe struggled with what seemed like two good paths: a life in academia and a life in missions. Even as he took steps to go to Central Asia, he asked, what if he could be used better in a university? What if he showed up overseas and was utterly useless?
What If It’s Too Risky?
Chris, a physician, served in Central Asia for 14 years. But in his early years, he wondered if it was worth it as he battled culture shock, sickness and more. On the other hand, saying yes to God also meant seeing his own life and those of others transformed by the gospel’s power.
How Do I Know I’m Called to Missions?
Rachel didn’t think missions was for her, but as she learned about God’s heart for the nations, she wondered what she could do and how God might direct her. Hear how the journey led her to serve as a single woman in France.
What If I Suffer?
When Ann left for the field, she expected life to be hard. She knew the Christian life included suffering, but she didn’t expect it to come to her, at least not the way it did. Join us in looking back at how God showed His grace, provision and presence in Ann’s life.
What Makes a Good Missionary?
Steve has served in Africa and Europe and has been a mission leader for decades. We asked him to share his best tips for those preparing for missions and insight into what teams are looking for when they recruit new members.
How Do I Become Resilient?
What do we need to persevere in the face of suffering in missions? What is resilience? What should our posture be?
How Do I Obey When It Doesn’t Make Sense?
Summer taught at a school in Ethiopia, was part of church planting in tribal Uganda and then went to work among the unreached in Central Asia. Hear how God has guided and protected her—and can do the same for you.
How Do I Prepare to Go?
Because of her Latina roots, Kim thought the Lord might lead her to serve in a Spanish-speaking country, but over time, God directed her to the Middle East. What would she need to know and do to be effective there?
Where Should I Go?
Andrew was born to missionary parents in Senegal, West Africa, and was inspired to pursue missions early on. He was looking at mission aviation. But then, when he had a few years of experience, God used him to launch a team to help reach nomadic peoples in Chad.
When God’s Call Isn’t Clear
Deeply impacted by a short-term trip to Guatemala, Jessica took small steps of obedience on a journey that eventually led her to Japan. Hear how God guided her and get a glimpse of life and ministry in Japan.
Life in the Jungle & a Crisis of Faith
Jason grew up in the jungles of South America and returned to serve in Peru as an adult. Here, he shares his incredible adventures and the intense challenges he experienced living in remote places.
Opposition, Opportunity and God’s Surprising Plan
Pioneers-USA President Steve Richardson tells us how God led his family to Southeast Asia and back. Turns out, God may have bigger dreams for us than we have for ourselves.
Finding the Way to Japan
When his brother made plans to pursue missions, Patrick decided to follow. He even got a degree in missions and married a woman on the same page. They taught in Korea for a few years. But what would they do after that? How do you find a good fit?
The Reality of Singleness in Missions
Junia didn’t necessarily think she needed to be married to be a missionary. Indeed, marriage is a good gift. But in her years as a mission mobilizer, missionary and mission leader, she’s seen singleness as a gift with its own advantages.
A Holy Discontent & a Global God
A three-minute conversation over a satellite phone drastically changed the lives of Jake and his high-school sweetheart, Melissa. Hear how God gave them a holy discontent and led them to a new life in South Asia.
A Passion for God and Photography
Jaden loved photography. But he didn’t know God would use that love to bring the faces of the unreached to the attention of the Church. How might God use your unique gifts and skills to expand His kingdom among the nations?
Missions in a Pandemic
Elyse serves in South Asia, a region that suffered much in the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen as she shares a beautiful story of Jesus healing and delivering a young woman. God’s power is unmatched.
How to Make Your Marriage Thrive
After years of serving the Church through marriage ministry, John and Pat took up a new role as marriage coaches for missionaries. Hear what they say about common issues in marriage and how they show up on the field.
Finding Joy in Suffering
Elijah and Emma served among Muslims in two North African countries. Learn about the challenges they faced and how the beauty of the gospel was revealed to their neighbors as a result.
The Truth About Support Raising
Andrew coaches new missionaries about what many see as one of the biggest obstacles to serving in missions: raising support. Hear what he says about the spiritual and relational blessings of partner development.
New Hosts for Season 3
We had the privilege of having Emily host The Relentless Pursuit Podcast for the last two seasons. She and her husband have joined a multi-ethnic church planting effort in Kansas, so she is passing the baton to our new hosts Jess and Matt.
How to Reach Nomads in Central Asia
After serving among nomads in East Africa, Summer felt God leading her to another nomadic group, this time in Central Asia. Listen to her describe life and ministry among nomads and how she’s learned to rely on God to do what seems impossible.
Don’t Say You’re OK If You’re Not
Taylor Murray is a TCK—a “third culture kid”—who lived in Japan from the age of nine until when she graduated high school. Although she lived in a loving family, she struggled with anxiety and an eating disorder that came to a head when she spent a gap year in Germany. While in rehab, she came to the realization that it was OK not to be OK, and she is committed to being vulnerable and transparent about her struggles—and helping others to do the same.
What’s It Take to Live in the Amazon?
Aron served in church leadership for 13 years before God called him and his family to serve in Peru. In this episode, Aron tells us about their transition to life on the edge of the Amazon jungle, where they led a Launch team for missionaries learning language and culture before heading out to unreached people groups throughout Peru. Find out what the Launch team journey looks like, and the qualities that make it possible for someone to take the gospel to isolated tribes.
When a Missionary Loses Her Voice
Just before Koko and her family moved to Southeast Asia, she was diagnosed with medical condition that she was told would eventually cost her the ability to speak. As someone with a calling to teach, this news upended her expectations of what ministry overseas would look like, and it drove her to explore how suffering can shape our perspective on God.
Pro-Life Ministry in Europe
Hannah is a missionary from Finland who works in a country in Europe that has a Muslim majority. She is part of a team that helps vulnerable pregnant women who are considering whether or not to keep their babies. The relationships they build and the care they provide are building a foundation for making disciples and planting a church in their corner of the world.
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.
An American Baker in France
A native of the secular Pacific Northwest, Lindsey moved to France more than a decade ago with eyes wide open to the reality of Europe’s spiritual need. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 to engage with people in unreached parts of the world who are using these same tools to find answers to their spiritual questions.
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 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 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.
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.
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 isn’t too far removed from ours and what his story teaches us about God’s love for the unreached.
Special Needs, Special Calling
Bonnie and her husband had been on the field for five years, and they were expecting her second child. 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 to find out how God used their daughter’s diagnosis to transform their lives and ministry in Southeast Asia.
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.
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.”
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).
“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.
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.
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.
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 with 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.
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.