Most people who know me will be able to tell you that spelling and grammar are not one of my strengthes. Despite this lack of knowledge in the more technical aspects of ‘words’ I do enjoy the more creative side of them. One of the things I have always found fascinating (sad I Know) is discovering where words come from, how they are formed and how they develop over time.
So I decided to dig a little deeper into the meaning of the word Pioneer.
The word is derived from a French word, pionnier which is from around the 1500’s and means foot-soldier. This word has its roots in an older French word, peonier again meaning foot-soldier. The word peon at the beginning of this older word means foot and is rooted in the Medival Latin word pedo which forms the basis of words like pawn (lowly chess piece, someone used for others schemes) or peon (day worker, farm hand).
That’s the boring bit over with.
So from my little history lesson on the word pioneer we find it is a military word used for what you might call the rank and file soldier The foot soldiers are those that carry out the orders of those above, they bear the brunt of their superiors commands and recieve little acknowledgement for the work they do. Maybe the most stark illustration of this comes from the World War 1 trenches where hundreds of thousands died following orders sent down by those miles from the blood shed of the front line.
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My initial response is to say that this is the farthest from what I see pioneer ministry being about and I’m sure those who hold the name pioneer would say the same. As I thought about this more though I get a sense there is something in these early roots of the word pioneer and its link to mission, ministry, and life.
With all new ventures there is a danger that those that are sent out into the world first can be like front line soldiers. They are sometimes carrying out someone else’s vision, some times they are under resourced and under supported and there is always the danger that if things don’t go to plan they will be left to struggle on alone.
I have read and heard stories from pioneer ministers that echo this meaning of the word. Some have come through and encompass another meaning of the word and some haven’t. So maybe this initial meaning of pioneer can offer us a warning for what pioneering can be at its worst. Foot-soldiers or pawns sent out to do the work of those in command to win a war against declining numbers or the need to be ‘relevant’.
Credits – ‘WW1’ by Anders under CC BY-ND 2.0
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