In the early history of our country much is written about pioneers and settlers. Pioneers were those folk who went, exploring unknown regions. They had a curiosity about new territory. They blazed the trails, took the risks and conquered the wilderness. Settlers were more cautious. They wanted to know it was safe before they moved west. They followed the ruts and paths already made. They took some risks, but often settled short of the danger zone. Pioneers often forsook family, friends and safety to be the first to reach the land beyond their dreams. Settlers were more concerned about protecting their families, their possessions and their way of life. They formed communities, villages, towns, churches and schools in an effort to provide a quality of life to which pioneers could return after their adventures.

Although we tend to think of pioneers and settlers as people of the past, we still have them. We still need them. We need those folk who will explore the horizons of our possibilities. Without pioneers we would settle comfortably into established routine and lose ourselves in the status quo. Someone has to live on the cutting edge of life and take the risks of being bold and progressive. Someone has "to dream the impossible dream" and "right the unrightable wrong." Someone has "to boldly go where no one has ever gone before." A church or a community with no pioneers will lose the courage to be creative and the will to want a better way. There will be no one to challenge the best there is with us.

On the other hand, we need settlers who give life a sense of community. Good settlers are people of vision, but are cautious about departing from proven procedures. Settlers do not change just for the sake of changing. Good settlers will follow pioneers, but not until there is evidence the journey has a purpose and leads to a productive destination. Without settlers life would lose its consistency. There would be no base of operation from which pioneers could explore. Settlers provide the laboratory in which the experiments of life are made. Settlers give pioneers a sense of reality and balance as they pursue the unknown.

Church at its best has a healthy population of both pioneers and settlers. Pioneers keep a church dreaming its dream. Settlers help the dream become a reality. Pioneers search for food from the inexhaustible truth of God. Settlers make sure their findings are digestible. Church needs pioneers and leaders, but it likewise needs settlers and followers. May God help us use our respective roles in the context of His call to commitment.