The National Pioneers Initiative is not your average church-planting project. Set apart from the traditional mission paradigm, the NPI aims to trigger movements to Christ through indigenous evangelism and discipleship sustained by sacrificial succession in areas of particular opportunity.

While it is undeniable that traditional missionaries such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson and David Livingstone have been instrumental in transforming nations for Christ throughout history, sending Western missionaries from one country to another comes with many challenges. Mission projects once inspired by vision can often become difficult and expensive to maintain, hindered by language, cultural and political barriers. Foreign workers can become discouraged quickly when away from their loved ones for long periods of time, and financial backers can become preoccupied with other projects when the results take longer to see than expected.

At CV, we noted these factors were making it increasingly difficult for churches and religious organisations passionate about missions to take real action and fulfil their calling for a particular country or people group. So we decided to brainstorm alternatives – and we believe God inspired us by providing us with a new mission paradigm. We ‘ve called it, the National Pioneers Initiative.

Instead of continuing to send Western missionaries into foreign countries, the NPI strategy works to draw out missionaries who are already there. With cultural insight and experience, we can identify ‘Pioneers ‘ in the indigenous community and support them financially, professionally and spiritually as they establish self-sustaining churches in their own nation.

But it doesn’t end there. By training these ‘National Pioneers ‘ with the skills and knowledge required to duplicate their own roles within their community, creating natural ‘successors ‘, we can enable the national Church to grow organically from within. Not only is this an effective, sustainable and cost-effective model, but it is the very essence of the original biblical principles that drive The Great Commission.

2 Timothy 2:2 – What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.

As part of CV’s Impact-a-Nation strategy, the NPI is already pioneering evangelism in some of the world’s most challenging regions. To date, CV have supported over 800 National Pioneers, who have evangelised more than 20,000 people, and baptised 5,000+.

While these numbers are significant, they remain only a fraction of the total number of people who have not yet been exposed to the message of Jesus.

Together we can do much more.

As a church partner, you can adopt our NPI strategy, help existing projects financially, or provide important country insight!
As an NGO, you can contribute your expertise to an existing country project, or start your own in a region God has called you to.
As a business or entrepreneur, you can provide your skills to help coordinate NPI projects, or champion your own with our strategy, training resources, and management systems. And as individuals, we can all pray. And if you feel led to actively help on the ground with the pioneering work, you can do that too!