Spearhead History

It was an interesting time. Burned draft cards. Psychedelic drugs. Sexual experimentation. Protests and picket signs. Most churches saw the media images from the counter-cultural movement and shook their heads in fear and wonder at the state of North American youth.

Yet a missionary named Harry Burke saw three groups taking full advantage of the strengths and abilities of youth to impact the world around them: the Mormon Church, the Peace Corp and the U.S. Government. "They were using young, college age people in Vietnam, training them to take lives," says Burke. "I thought, 'If only we could raise up a Christian army of young people to evangelize and disciple.'"

Perhaps understandably, most mission leaders wouldn't touch the idea. "How can these youth be used in missions? Can we trust them? They don't know the language. They don't have formal training. What can they offer?" Burke, though, remained undeterred. God had given him a vision. He was going to see it through.

Impetus for a vision

Harry's vision first grabbed hold of him on October 24, 1968. On that day, as Burke wrestled with God, he saw the focus of his ministry change from the Amazon Jungle to the Urban Jungle. Not surprisingly, God had used the varied experiences of Burke's adult life to prepare him perfectly for the new calling.

During college Harry was a youth leader for Youth for Christ and served as president of InterVarsity for Stanford University. During his subsequent years at Fuller Theological Seminary, he started a Young Life Club at a local high school. After Fuller, Harry served on InterVarsity staff for six years throughout North California, counseling students, directing conferences and befriending faculty. In 1959, he volunteered as a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators. In the early 60s, during a leave of absence from Wycliffe, Burke served on pastoral staff at Union Evangelical Church in Mexico City, specializing in Youth and Christian Education. From 1963 to 1968, Burke served with Wycliffe in Colombia at the Lomalinda Base and with the Tatuyo Tribe on the border of Brazil.

Young People. Latin America. The Local Church. Training and Equipping. God combined these passions into a comprehensive vision when he called Burke to challenge young adults to ministry on the front lines of mission in urban areas of Latin America. Spearhead was born.

In 1970, Harry and his wife, Bernice, moved their family to San Jose, Costa Rica to initiate Spearhead with Latin America Mission. The next summer, the Burkes transferred to Mexico City and began Spearhead's first summer program. Bernice's skills as nurse, mother, Bible study leader and counselor would serve the young missionaries well.

Harry began the program keeping in mind the fears of many mission leaders. What would be the secret to using inexperienced young people in Latin America?

"The immediate answer was identification, the identification of the missionary with the people, living with them," he said. "We wanted something that would allow young people to stay for a longer period of time so that they would relate wholesomely to the people."

The vision he established balanced investment in the lives of the youth, service to the local church and mutual equipping for ministry.

The passage of time saw many "firsts" within the program:

• 1972 First fall team members served in Mexico City
• 1973 First yearlong team member served
• 1975 First year team members served in Guatemala City, Campeche and Guadalajara, Mexico.
• 1976 Team members served in earthquake relief in Guatemala City and in evangelism for a new church plant in San Salvador
• 1977-78 First team members served in Managua, Nicaragua (until the Sandinistas took over)
• 1979 First team in Honduras
• 1980 Second year team sent to Colombia. Over the years, folks served in Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.
• 1985 Destructive Mexican earthquake, all Spearheaders were kept safe and assisted in relief efforts.

New leadership for Spearhead

In 1995, Spearhead celebrated 25 years of ministry. Burke turned over the directorship of Spearhead to Tracey Moore Pieters. Pieters had served in various leadership roles within Spearhead during the previous ten years. Her influence on the program over the years was remarkable: concentrated leadership development, improved training materials, better mentoring, wider promotion, richer cultural integration and a stronger staff.

In 1998, Spearhead found its first Mexican director, Enrique Rojas. Spearhead continues to mature, adapting to the needs of a new generation of students and a modern Latin church. Summer 2001 saw Spearhead open a new pilot programs focusing on holistic development work in Honduras. All programs feature the same distinctives: ministry within a local church or Christian organization, service to Latin leadership, teamwork, local host families and language and cultural study.

Today, Spearhead is headed up by Paul and Nydia Johnson. Paul is a US citizen. Nydia, a Mexican. They met when Paul served as a Spearheader in Mexico City. You can read about how God called Paul's to missions . Paul says "Spearhead gives young adults a realistic view of missionary service, working with the local church, but also in other forms of ministry: micro-enterprise development, social outreach – orphanages, Christian clinics, children’s ministry, educational programs and more.  Spearhead offers an opportunity to be immersed in Latin culture, living with local families, studying the language and culture with native teachers, working with national leadership and sharing the love of Jesus at the same time."

Twenty-five hundred young people have participated in the program. Spearhead alumni serve God full time in two-dozen different countries including Argentina, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Siberia, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

"Over all, we've learned to honor the Lord with all that you have and He will sustain you," says Harry. "We have seen the hand of the Lord keeping us on and giving us wonder upon wonder. It hasn't always been easy, it has been hard."

"But." Bernice adds, "How could we have done anything else?"