Pioneering is potentially a foreign subject for many, at least the term may be. A quick google search defines it as, “involving new ideas or methods.” Essentially, doing something never done before or done often, being innovative.
It’s not an easy feat and most pioneers are also leaders, a job described by many as lonely and on occasion painful.
Jesus was a leader who hand picked his team. Even He, at times, needed to go off on His own to pray. While the 12 and company were constantly around, He still had moments of “loneliness”. In the garden of Gethsemane is the first example that comes to mind.
Mark 14:32-42, "They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch. And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him. And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”
So, no, you don’t lead without a team. But there will be moments when the journey ahead can only be accomplished by you, the leader, the pioneer.
"Pioneering demands commitment, sacrifice and patience." This was the main theme highlighted in the past 3-4 months of studies as I finally crossed the halfway point of my masters in leadership through YWAM's University of the Nations.
We don't like pioneering because it demands sacrifice and that pushes us out of our comfort zone. Ironically enough, Youth With A Mission is called to be a pioneer and has indeed pioneered many new initiatives like uniskript to teach people how to read and write in just a couple hours, or sourceview Bible app. These projects took years to accomplish, they required commitment. Many things within the kingdom of God are never fulfilled because of a lack of commitment; the person wants another word or another sign.
Sacrifice, hard work, and daily diligence have everything to do with being fruitful. If you are a person of good character, and you hear God, He will send people, but you need to declare vision, a goal... if you don't people won't stay. You can't do this with your own psychological energy, you need to be filled with the Lord. You need to be a person of character, a truth teller, you can't be selfish, you need to be a sacrificial leader. Look at Jesus, "…The son of man has nowhere to lay His head." Matthew 8:20
Fear paralyses us as leaders. We need to strengthen our roots, become stronger and grow deeper so that our tree grows taller. When the wind comes and difficulty arises, we won't blame God because we know that He sent us.
If you only look at the challenge of pioneering, you won't see the opportunity also presenting itself, and we need to be open to what God is doing. You should never have an excuse to not be a pioneer because Jesus said, "As the father has sent me, so I am sending you." John 20:21
In other words, if you are a missionary, you are a pioneer. If you are a Christian, you are called to be a pioneer. The question we are left with, what is my task?