Native Mission Ministry - Part 1

Once upon a time, I believed or accepted the idea that Native Ministry and Mission was institutionally viable, then I became the institution. Serving in various positions in the original Minnesota Committee on Indian Work (MCIW) in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota under BP Robert Anderson and Howard Anderson, Executive Director. During that time, I also began my engagement of the unNative Church by being a General Convention Delegate in 1984 and 1990 while serving on various Diocesan Boards, Committees, Commissions and the Trustees before leaving for seminary in the Fall of 1990.

I know - what does this have to do with Native Mission Ministry? See during this time, I also encountered Native Ministry as proposed/practiced through the Office of Native American Ministry (ONAM) in Congregational Ministries of the Program Division of the Domestic and Foreign Mission Society (DFMS) as implemented through the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America (PECUSA).  At this time two bodies funded by the General Convention exercised mission and ministry in Dioceses with Native Ministry, Coalition 13 and National Committee on Indian Work (NCIW). Being from Minnesota and living on a rez put me in direct relationship with NCIW and ONAM. It wasn't until later that the lack of distinction between Diocesan Indian Mission/MCIW and the national ONAM/NCIW would be recognized by me as disastrous for baptized Native Peoples in the Diocese of MN under judicatory of the DFMS/PECUSA. I began to see that resolutions and budgets seemed to be the ministry and mission as expressed by the institutional church. I was good at both, so I fit right in.

This period of time, 1982-1988, began my relationship with mentors such as Dan Brown, Giles Hart, Jim Allen Sr, Marvin Red Elk, Virgil Foote, Johnson Loud, Doyle Turner, Pearl Blue, Art Goodthunder, George Smith, Howard Anderson, Dottie Bluestone, and others. As one can see the majority of these people were community based not institutionally based. Their goal was self sufficiency relying on the resources that existed in our communities. The relationship to God was/is definable totally within the structures, definitions, and culture of our communities. It didn't matter whether it made sense to others, it was "God Is Red", for real. I was lucky to be a part of this sovereign community of native Christian leaders that knew who they were without the need for the outside to OK, certify them. The only justification that really mattered was that of the community and its structures or else whatever one was trying to do didn't matter. I learned that everything we did in our communities was Native American Ministry because we, the Natives, did it. We could try to be what others mythologized about us or we could accept ourselves and live our lives - Native People practicing Christianity in the late 20th century.

Then I ran into the Episcopal Church's 1980's practice of Native Ministry at the pan Indian level - the destruction of Coalition 13 and NCIW by the Executive Council and ONAM with effects that are still rippling through Native Ministry as Advocacy. I am tired a break will be taken.

I will come back to the resolutions/budget thingy, grassroots versus intelligentsia as the source and practice of Native Mission Ministry, mentors and their thought and influence, the Diocesan Indian Work/MCIW and ONAM/NCIW confusion and impact on Native Ministry locally and nationally, and the "new" national leadership affiliated with ONAM. There will be multiple parts spread over months. Enjoy.