Ever since the inception of the Faith, dedicated believers have travelled to and settled as pioneers in new localities inside or outside their own country to establish and strengthen Bahá’í communities. In the 30 December 2021 message, the Universal House of Justice emphasises the important role of pioneering in the Nine-Year Plan:
“With this in mind, it is imperative that during the Nine Year Plan the process of growth reach this level of intensity [i.e. the third milestone] in at least one cluster in every country and every region. This constitutes one of the Plan’s chief objectives and it will call for the concentrated effort of many a consecrated soul. The International Teaching Centre is ready to work with you to implement several strategies to bring this about. Foremost among these will be the deployment of teams of international and homefront pioneers who are familiar with the framework for action and are prepared to dedicate significant amounts of time and energy to serving the Cause over a number of years. You will need to impress upon National Spiritual Assemblies and Regional Bahá’í Councils the urgency of encouraging believers who, following in the footsteps of so many heroic souls of the past, can arise to ensure that the light of the Faith shines bright in every territory. We look in particular to countries, regions, and clusters where strength and experience have accumulated to generate a flow of pioneers to places where help is needed, and also to provide support by other means.”
Being part of one of Australia’s most advanced and resource rich clusters, the Brisbane Bahá’í community can make a significant contribution to international and homefront pioneering needs. Recently, two young couples from our community arose in response to this call of the Universal House of Justice and pioneered to Albania to help establish the first advanced cluster in this country. In this series of short videos, they explain how they were able to make the decision to serve the Faith of Baháʼu’lláh as international pioneers.
If you would like to know more about pioneering needs and opportunities, please contact the Local Spiritual Assembly or Auxiliary Board members.