Contact: Matt Green, 407-382-6000

FULLERTON, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pioneers-USA is hosting Venture'09, a mission conference tailor-made for entrepreneurs, businesspeople, students, educators, physicians, etc., who wish to integrate their professional calling with cross-cultural ministry among the unreached.

Modern missions has been perceived of as the realm of clergy, theologians and missiologists. This has contributed to the exclusion of many passionate and gifted followers of Christ from cross-cultural ministry--often in places where their specific skills could contribute to the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Hosted on the campus of First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, California, November 5-7, Venture'09 will feature as speakers Pioneers members from the field who have launched and are currently engaged in business as mission (BAM) initiatives around the world.

Attendees will explore topics such as the diverse models of BAM, integrating a business with church planting, creating business plans in a cross-cultural context and transferring one's career to the field. Breakout sessions and connection times will allow attendees to interact with speakers on other topics and explore specific opportunities for ministry. Registration for Venture'09 is open at http://venture09.com or by calling 1.800.755.7284.

"Having just returned from the Middle East, where I witnessed a successful BAM ministry underway, I am confident that connecting cross-cultural opportunities with the people that God has ordained for them is a critical challenge for the church today," said Ted Esler, Executive Vice President of Pioneers-USA.

Pioneers was founded in 1979 by Ted Fletcher, former National Sales Manager for The Wall Street Journal. With 1,800 members serving on 188 teams in 84 countries, Pioneers mobilizes teams to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches.