Mission
The mission of Wesleyan Native American Ministries is to resource and develop Native / First Nations leadership for the development of indigenous Wesleyan Native churches, in partnership with Wesleyan Districts and local churches to fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment.
Vision
Nearly 500 years after the first European missionaries came to North America to share the good news of Jesus Christ with Native American / First Nations people, only 3-5% are fully-committed believers today.
Native peoples are an unreached people group living in every U.S. state and Canadian province.
Over 5 million people in the U.S. and Canada claim Native / First Nations heritage. Sadly, they are among the poorest and most marginalized people in society. Over 40% of Natives live in poverty, and for those who live on reservations the statistics are much higher – up to 75%.
The suicide rate is five to six times greater among Natives than any other ethnic group (both teens and adults). Alcoholism affects 75% of households, and virtually all families. Rates of sexual abuse are also extremely high.
Today, the average life expectancy for Native American / First Nations people is 65 years; however, among some tribes or nations it is as low as 40 years for men and 46 years for women. The high school drop-out rate is also highest among Natives at 36%.
Many factors have contributed to these problems over the last 200 years. Wars and massacres, disease and starvation, government mistreatment and injustice, broken dreams and promises, and forced relocation to Indian reservations nearly wiped out the Native population, its culture and way of life.
Sadly, even the Christian Church bears its share of blame. Some churches and institutions mistreated Natives and some forced them to forsake their culture and become “white” before they could become “Christian”.
Is it any wonder why Natives lost interest in the “white man’s religion”? This distorted version of the “good news” certainly wasn’t so good for them.
We believe God is calling The Wesleyan Church to be an agent of hope, healing, reconciliation and restoration for Native / First Nations people. Wesleyan Native American Ministries (WNAM) seeks to fulfill that vision by…
- Inspiring, resourcing and equipping Wesleyan churches and districts to develop innovative and compassionate outreaches with Native / First Nations peoples in their communities.
- Igniting a movement that multiplies indigenous Native believers, leaders and churches throughout the United States and Canada.
Core Values
Wesleyan Native American Ministries values…
- Relationships
- Respect for people and their culture
- Reproducing systems (disciples, leaders and churches)
- Release of control (empowerment, self-determination, shared leadership)
- Resources that are contextualized
History
In the mid-1930’s Mr. and Mrs. Neal Phipps followed God’s call to enter the ministry. While they themselves were not Native, they lived on a ranch on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and had some very close friends among the Lakota people. With the help of their friend John Kearns, they rented the Legion Hall in the village of Pine Ridge for special church meetings. Fourteen months later, they started a church in Pine Ridge.
The first building was made out of an old log house, with a dirt floor, and was purchased for $15.00. But in it, many people heard the message of the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time. Years later, in that same building, Rev. John Kearns heard God’s call to start a school for Indian children – the Brainerd Indian School in Hot Springs, South Dakota.
The Brainerd Indian School became part of The Wesleyan Church in 1948, and what is now Wesleyan Native American Ministries was born. Since then, we’ve operated schools for Native children in South Dakota, trained Native pastors and leaders, and started more than 20 churches in Native communities all across the United States and in Canada.
Contact Us
Email: info@wnam.org
Phone: 616.456.0097
Mail:
Wesleyan Native American Ministries
1345 Monroe Ave NW, Suite 234
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
