Steiger's story began in 1983 in Amsterdam, at the height of the European punk rock movement. There, David and Jodi Pierce started a Bible study on a barge known as Steiger 14, located behind the Central Train Station, reaching the city’s punks and anarchists—young people who would never set foot in a church.
Shortly after, David started a band called No Longer Music as a bold and creative tool to communicate the Gospel of Jesus in a way that was relevant to those far from traditional church culture.
Over the years, No Longer Music has served as a pioneer—going into previously unreached or difficult-to-reach places—and has been the catalyst for a worldwide movement. This has led to the creation of ministries, the planting of new churches, and a wave of Jesus followers passionate about bringing the message of the Cross to those who might not otherwise hear it.
(To learn more about Steiger’s early days, No Longer Music, and David and Jodi Pierce, read David’s autobiography, Rock Priest and Jodi Pierce’s book, Something Broken, Something Extraordinary .)
In 2003, in response to the need to raise up the next generation of radical missionaries, and to impart the lessons and principles learned from 20 years of front-line ministry, David and Jodi Pierce started the Steiger Missions School. As a direct result, Steiger International, a global missions organization focused on boldly and relevantly sharing Jesus with the Global Youth Culture, was born.
In 2010, Steiger purchased a former communist agricultural center in Krögis, a small town in the East German countryside. The facility was transformed into Steiger’s International Center and became home to the Steiger Missions School.
In 2014, Aaron Pierce, David and Jodi’s oldest son, became Steiger’s International Mission Director, taking overall leadership of the organization, while David and Jodi have remained active leaders in the mission.
In response to significant growth and global opportunities, Steiger developed a new multiplication strategy in 2018 to establish City Teams in major urban centers around the world. Several years later, in 2022, the Steiger MVMT initiative was launched, making the mission’s resources for reaching the Global Youth Culture with the Gospel accessible to anyone who feels called to use them.
Luke Greenwood stepped into the role of International Mission Director in 2025, while Aaron Pierce now serves as President and CEO—marking a significant step in Steiger’s continued growth and development.
Today, Steiger International is active in over 200 cities around the world—throughout Europe, Ukraine, Eurasia, South America, and North America—and new pioneering initiatives are underway in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Every day, our teams seek to boldly and relevantly share Jesus with young people who would not normally walk into a church.
As we continue to discern God’s direction for the future, Steiger is in an exciting new season with a bold vision to raise up, through our mobilization and leadership development program, 1,000 “burning arrows”—young missional leaders that will fuel a radical missionary movement, transforming the Global Youth Culture for Jesus.