Native American Ministry in the PC(USA)

From ideas! Magazine Spring 2008

Mary and Joseph at the Church of Indian Fellowship Puyallup, Washington

Native Americans — also called American Indians or Alaskan Natives — are the indigenous people of the land known as the Americas. More than 562 federally recognized tribes live on reservations or in rural areas on allotment lands. Some but not all tribes have state recognition. Members and descendants of these tribes also live in cities and large urban areas. They have survived with distinct cultures, languages and traditions.

With the introduction of Christianity, many Native peoples achieved an understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ and were impressed by the similarities to many Native teachings.

The missionaries preached the gospel to Native Americans for conversion and salvation. The new Christians were gathered into churches for nurture, discipline and programs that aimed to transform Christian Indians into English Puritans. This meant the need to change their traditional clothing and eliminate their native languages and culture. From the onset there was misunderstanding, lack of respect, indifference and injustice toward the Indians from the missionaries.

It’s important to be familiar with the true history as part of any effort to understand and avoid misunderstandings due to stereotyping.

The history of Native American churches is complicated. The churches were national mission projects of the United Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America before the 1983 reunion into the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). These Indian churches were “cared for” as mission churches with 100 percent of their needs paid for by the “mother church.” After reunion, Native American churches were transferred to geographic presbyteries, at which time they were assured that their needs would continue to be met. Many of these churches either have no pastors or are served by a commissioned lay pastor. Some engage ministers for pulpit supply. The challenge is that many of them cannot afford a full-time, ordained pastor. Any available mission funding is used to help pay the bills. There is a critical need to build up the local leadership of Native churches and chapels. Meanwhile, mission work groups have helped maintain Native American church buildings.

Today there are 109 Native churches and chapels within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Most are on reservations or in rural areas where the people live on historic allotment lands. Eight synods and 20 presbyteries have active ministries within their bounds. The number of Native American churches in each presbytery ranges from one to 23, as in the Presbytery of Grand Canyon. The nongeographic Dakota Presbytery comprises 21 churches. Central Presbyterian Church (Intertribal), established in 1914 and now in the Presbytery of Grand Canyon, is the only Native American Presbyterian Church in an urban area — Phoenix.

A Reservation Church
Since 1884, the Indian Presbyterian Church has been the oldest congregation on the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation located in east Texas. The Rev. Samuel F. Tenney, a minister from Crockett,
Texas, was traveling to a presbytery meeting in Beaumont, Texas, when he became lost and sick. The “Indians” (Alabama-Coushattas) living in
the area nursed him until he was able to travel. The Rev. Tenney reported the incident at the presbytery meeting and suggested there should be a way to help this tribe of “Indians.” So missionaries were sent,
a school was established, and on October 27, 1884, the Indian Presbyterian Church was chartered.

Today the focused ministries of Indian Presbyterian Church in the Presbytery of New Covenant include a young adult and a youth ministry. The youth plan and lead an evening service each month, and each year they are involved with mission projects. Among them are making Christmas boxes for seamen and delivering holiday cheer cards and fruit to persons who are elderly, shut-in and residents in nursing homes. Members are very active in presbytery, synod and national committees.

A Native American Multicultural Congregation
In 1854, the Medicine Creek Treaty established the Puyallup Indian reservation. In 1865, a blacksmith named John Flett settled among the Puyallup people and shared Jesus Christ with them as he taught them from the Bible. Many were converted. The Rev. G. W. Sloan began to work among the Puyallup people in 1871, and the Rev. Matthew Mann arrived in 1876. A church was built near the Puyallup River and dedicated in 1881 as Puyallup Presbyterian Mission Church, with 24 members. Hymns were translated and sung in the Puyallup language. On May 6, 1946, the congregation was organized as the Church of the Indian Fellowship (CIF). In August 2001, the congregation called Irvin Porter as its first Native American pastor.

Originally the congregation was composed of Puyallup tribal members. As many tribal people have come to the Tacoma area for economic reasons, today the membership is composed of various tribes from the Northwest and throughout the United States. The church has welcomed many non-Indian people into CIF as their church home. The church’s activities include monthly potlucks and dinners after worship, a monthly men’s fellowship breakfast, cultural arts and crafts and outreach to youth in the community. The CIF continues to have a good working relationship with the Puyallup Tribal Council.

Ministry in Urban Areas
Engaging in Native American ministry is possible in urban areas where many Native Americans have relocated since the 1950s. La Mesa Presbyterian Church has undertaken a ministry of outreach to Native Americans residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Presbyterian Native Fellowship in Anchorage, Alaska, is a new church development serving Natives in the area.

The Office of Native American Congregational Enhancement in Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/Presbyterian Women maintains contact and works with these congregations.