Growing Pains—Handling a "Pioneer-Homesteader" Crisis

by Tom Wymore

What was happening to my church? It appeared to be falling apart at the seams! It seemed that the church was divided into two "armed camps." What was wrong? Had I failed to teach enough on love or unity or what?

When I had come to the church three-and-a half years before, I had found a discouraged group of about thirty-five people barely hanging on to their existence as a church. At that time they seemed ready to do whatever was necessary to help them grow and become a healthy church. Now, after considerable growth, most of this original group was rejecting my leadership and the new people in the church. I was confused; the old-timers seemed to be rejecting the very thing they had wanted. What was wrong?

The answer to that question came several months later, while I was sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture on Church Growth. To my utter amazement, Professor Carl George described my circumstances almost exactly. He explained that my church’s problem was quite common. It was called a "Pioneer-Homesteader Crisis," and it was solvable. Sadly, this discovery came too late to help me. I had already resigned in despair and confusion. Since then, however, I have researched the pioneer-homesteader problem considerably, hoping to share what I found with other pastors before it was too late for them. Therefore, in this article I want to share the following: why the pioneer-homesteader crisis develops, what it looks like and what can be done to solve it.

What is a pioneer-homesteader crisis?

We can answer that question best by starting with some basic definitions. The "pioneers" in a church are those people who have long-standing ties with the church and one another. By reason of their tenure in the church, the pioneers are the people who really control the church. They are the "in group," the old-timers whose roots extend back into the church’s history. Pioneers tend to be institution-centered and survival-oriented. They usually view the pastor as their chaplain, hired to care for their needs and the needs of their institution.

The "homesteaders" are the people in the church who came later. They are not perceived by the pioneers to really belong, even when they are able to achieve a position of official leadership. Homesteaders are often task or ministry-centered and see the pastor more as a leader than a caretaker.

The crisis refers to the climax of the problem that develops when the pioneers begin to feel threatened. Whenever the pioneers sense that they are losing control of their church (because of "all those new people"), they begin to resist, criticize, threaten, etc. Often, a struggle for control of the church develops which results in many casualties.

How common is the pioneer-homesteader problem? 

In a survey I conducted in conjunction with this article, fully eighty percent of the pastors responding said that they had experienced a pioneer-homesteader crisis at least once in their ministry. Furthermore, only six percent reported ministries totally free from pioneer-homesteader tensions. Since these pastors represented churches in over twenty denominations located all over the United States and Canada, it seems safe to conclude that the pioneer-homesteader problem is very common. Unfortunately, solutions to the pioneer-homesteader problem are not so common. The survey also revealed that most pastors and churches that experience a pioneer-homesteader problem do not do so gracefully. Only fourteen percent of the pastors experiencing a crisis reported reaching a solution smoothly. In the remainder of the cases, either the pastor or some of the people (or both) left the church in pieces! Obviously, we need to discover some solution. Before we get to solutions, however, we need to further understand the problem. Why do pioneer-homesteader groups develop? What do they look like? We need to answer these questions before we look for any solutions.

Why do pioneer-homesteader groups develop?

Lyle Schaller aids us greatly in our attempts to understand the formation of pioneer and homesteader groups. Schaller was apparently the first to use the terms pioneer and homesteader (in Hey, That’s Our Church, 1975) and has compiled considerable information on the pioneer-homesteader problem. He points out that the formation of a pioneer group within a church is a perfectly natural phenomenon. It is natural for people who spend time together and share meaningful events together to be knit together. Being drawn together by these shared events, however, causes the group to close out any latecomers who did not share in these events. These latecomers become the homesteaders. The homesteaders weren’t there in the "good old days" and, therefore, feel left out when the pioneers (frequently) talk about them. The line between the pioneers and homesteaders is usually very clear, and is often based upon some significant event in the church’s past (Survival Tactics in the Parish, 1977).

What does a pioneer group look like? The late John Wimber, another Church Growth lecturer at Fuller Seminary, gives several easy-to-recognize characteristics of a pioneer group (which he labels a primary group). First, the maximum size of the group is normally sixty to eighty adults. There may be more old-timers in the church, but the core group of pioneers will be this size. Second, those within the group feel a tremendous sense of belonging and security. Third, the group has very clearly defined boundaries ( in and out). Fourth, the people in the group are "intimate strangers," having lots of information about one another but little intimate contact. Fifth, the people in the group are usually "culture-carrying"—they draw their identity from the past, interpret the present by the values of the past and are often unable to relate to the community around them. Sixth, the group is viewed by the people in it as an end itself; i.e., the existence of the group is why it exists. Seventh, people in the group often demonstrate a territorial identity—they display a strong sense of ownership regarding buildings, community, space, etc. Eighth, pioneer groups are very strong and resilient (hard to kill, slow to die). Ninth, the three (usually unconscious) purposes of the group are survival, control (survival depends upon control), and maintenance of the status quo.

The homesteaders have one outstanding, distinguishing mark: they are not part of the pioneers. Usually, the homesteaders feel that somehow they aren’t "in," even if they are unable to identify why they feel that way. Homesteaders are often drawn to a newly-arrived pastor, since the new pastor also is viewed as a homesteader by the pioneers. This close identification with the pastor is even greater, of course, among the homesteaders who come into the church during his ministry.

At this point, it is fairly obvious why tensions develop between pioneers and homesteaders and why the pastor often gets caught in the middle. If the church has grown, there are actually two groups in the church, and these two groups invariably have differing agendas. Pastors usually lead in a direction that is closer to the agenda of the homesteaders because of a desire to be reaching out and folding in. The pioneers, however are threatened by this agenda since it requires change and undermines the security they have in the status quo. The end result of this is often a power struggle of immense proportions, i.e., a pioneer-homesteader crisis.

What can a pastor do to head off such a crisis? 

Although a certain amount of tension between the pioneers and homesteaders is inevitable, a crisis can be avoided. I suggest the following procedure as a possible means for preventing pioneer-homesteader tensions from exploding into a crisis. The procedure is given in the form of five steps: Identification, Reflection, Communication, Preparation and Mobilization.

Identification: The first task that faces a pastor experiencing tension in the church is to identify its source. Are there pioneer-homesteader groups in the church? If so, are there other, complicating factors involved? Also, who are the key leaders in the groups? I hope that the characteristics listed earlier will aid in the identification process. If not, I suggest the books written by Lyle Schaller as useful in this area. Identification of a problem as a pioneer-homesteader conflict is important. Just knowing what is being faced can be tremendously helpful to a harried pastor. I realize now that in my pioneer-homesteader experience, I was so confused by what was happening that I was dragged into an emotional vortex along with the entire congregation. If I could have rationally identified the source of the problem, I might have been able to solve it. As it was, I felt that my church and I were experiencing an exceptionally diabolical scheme cooked up in hell just for us!

There are other things a pastor with a pioneer-homesteader problem should identify besides the problem itself. These include complicating factors such as the social context of the church, the personalities of the people involved, and/or the presence of differences between the pioneers and homesteaders in addition to their tenure in the church (e.g., cultural differences, age differences, etc.). Being aware of the factors will enable a pastor to fine tune the approach to the problem. The pastor also needs to identify the real leaders of the church since concentrated work with them will effectively change the direction of the entire church. John Wimber says the real leaders in the church are the ones other people "follow and quote."

Reflection: It is important, once identification is complete, for the pastor to pause and take a personal inventory of personal attitudes. The pastor’s attitude is a key factor in solving a pioneer-homesteader crisis. The pastor must bear up under the stress of being in the middle, and the attitude he/she projects will usually affect the whole church. Therefore, continual attitude adjustment is important. This can be accomplished through consistent exposure to attitude-forming passages of Scripture such as Colossians 3:12-14; constant prayer about the situation, for the people involved, with the people involved and with neutral persons outside of the church (I have found that the pastor who fails to pray fervently during a pioneer-homesteader crisis cannot help but project negative attitudes); and regular reading of rational explanations of the dynamics of common church problems (Lyle Schaller is an excellent source; see especially Assimilating New Members, 1978). Adjusting one’s attitude was the number one suggestion given to pastors by those responding to the survey. Dave Philips from Riverside, Connecticut, put it especially well when he suggested, "Be cool in the head, warm in the heart, and read Schaller!"

Communication: Increasing the quality of communication within the church is probably a pastor’s most effective tool for reducing the tensions of a pioneer-homesteader crisis. Communication needs to flow in three directions: pastor to people, people to pastor, and people to people. Pastor to people communication should include some clear indicators of where the church is going and why, and the pastor’s availability to those who have trouble with these indicators. A pastor’s openness to the people will help to eliminate communication the pastor cannot control. Positive communication should also be encouraged and even set up between pioneers and homesteaders. Natural, controlled interchanges between pioneers and homesteaders can do much to relieve pent-up tensions. At all times, of course, communication should be according to biblical norms (see Ephesians 4:15, 25, 29).

Preparation: This step consists of three processes designed to prepare the pioneers and homesteaders for merger. In every way possible a pioneer-homesteader pastor should teach people the following: God’s pattern for the church (biblical principles of unity, love, forgiveness, etc.), God’s agenda for the church (biblical principles of evangelism and discipleship) and the basic dynamics of a pioneer-homesteader problem. I have found it quite useful to explain (carefully!) to pioneers (or homesteaders) why they feel the way they do.

Along with the educational process there must be a motivational process. The motivation process contains three elements. The first is the creation of a felt need for a change. This is accomplished by painting an accurate (and gloomy) picture of the present situation. The second element is the presentation of clear, attainable goals that will facilitate desirable change (positive, vivid pictures of how it can be!). The third element is the encouragement of the people to reach the goals.

While education and motivation are being facilitated, a third process also needs to be taking place. This is the conversion of the pioneers’ perception of the pastor. Carl George points out that a pastor cannot lead the pioneers in a church until their perception of the pastor changes from chaplain to leader. This change takes place best through loving ministry to the pioneers, especially during their times of personal crisis. The pastor becomes a pioneer’s leader by serving as their chaplain! Therefore, the pastor should be alert for ministry possibilities to the pioneers, especially the pioneer leaders identified earlier. The more competently the pastor handles a crisis, the easier it is for the pioneers to perceive the pastor as a leader.

Mobilization: This step takes place when the pastor senses that the two groups in the church are ready to merge. The criteria for determining when this should take place are an evaluation of how the education and motivation processes are being received, a determination of how many pioneers are converted, and the insight gained through prayer. When the time seems to be right, the pastor can start the assimilation process. John Wimber suggests beginning assimilation by amicably dividing the pioneer group. There are many possible ways to divide a pioneer group. Some possibilities include the starting of two (similar) worship services, the formation of a new mixed (pioneers and homesteaders) fellowship gathering, etc. Once the pioneer group has been divided and the people are comfortable with the new relationships created, the church can consider further division through the development of small groups. At this point, the pastor should seek to move the church into a growth pattern—"reaching out and folding in," (lest a new pioneer group form).

When a church finds itself adding and folding in new members with minimal friction, the possibility of a pioneer-homesteader crisis is probably past. The procedure I have suggested should help a pastor lead a church to that point. Before I conclude this article, however, I would like to add a few suggestions addressed directly to the pastor presently struggling through a pioneer-homesteader problem. First, don’t struggle alone: When the going gets rough, seek the help of your denomination or a good Church Growth consultation service. Second, shield your family—my personal experience has shown that a pioneer-homesteader conflict is especially hard on a pastor’s spouse. Therefore, I feel that a pastor should try to shield the family from the worst of the gory details. No church or ministry is worth the destruction of our families. Third, be realistic—be prepared to lose a few people if necessary. A wise pastor knows how to release people as well as fold them in. Be realistic with yourself as well; know your own limitations: those determined by your leadership style, capacity for stress, etc. Finally, hang in there; others have walked where you are now walking, and we can testify that God is faithful—a pioneer-homesteader crisis is survivable! "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37 NIV).

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