Raising Native American Ministry Leaders

Five Christian ministries equipping Native Americans to serve their churches and communities.

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this week’s Ministries Making a Difference highlights five Christian ministries investing in Native leadership through biblical education, discipleship, evangelism, and community development.

At MinistryWatch, we spend much of our time examining transparency, accountability, stewardship, waste, fraud, and abuse. This weekly feature highlights another part of the picture: ministries doing notable work in their communities and around the world.

photo, alaskacc.edu

Alaska Christian College

Jimmy grew up in Kwigillingok, Alaska, and attended Alaska Christian College, where he met his wife, Sylvia. He said the school helped him develop both his faith and his academic skills. He eventually earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and returned to rural Alaska as an elementary math teacher and basketball coach in Tuntutuliak.

For students arriving from remote villages, attending college can mean leaving familiar communities and adapting to different educational and social expectations. Alaska Christian College, based in Soldotna, Alaska, provides biblical higher education and Christian formation, primarily for Alaska Native students. The college combines academic instruction with discipleship, mentoring, and community life. Its mission is to prepare students for excellence in character, learning, and service as followers of Christ.

The college is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026. It has a Donor Confidence Score of 70 and a C Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database (Give With Confidence).

photo, hutchcraft.com/on-eagles-wings

On Eagles’ Wings

In 2014, Ty attended an On Eagles’ Wings event on a reservation near her home. Struggling with loneliness and hopelessness, she heard a young woman share a story much like her own, with one difference: faith in Jesus. Ty became a Christian that night.

Three years later, she joined the same outreach team and shared her testimony with other Native young people. By 2022, she was mentoring younger women, and she became the first student accepted into the On Eagles’ Wings Leadership Center. After graduating, she returned as a resident adviser to help prepare the next generation of Native Christian leaders. “I wanted to take that step and … be a part of that to reach more young Native ladies,” she said.

For more than three decades, On Eagles’ Wings, an outreach of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, has equipped Native young people to share their Christian faith with other Native communities. Its Summer of Hope program sends teams of Native Christian young adults to reservations and communities across North America. Through basketball, music, personal testimonies, and conversations, team members share their experiences of following Jesus.

In 2022, the ministry opened its Leadership Center in Harrison, Arkansas. The nine-month program combines biblical instruction, practical life skills, personal counseling, and ministry training, including internships in Native communities. During this year’s Summer of Hope tour, Leadership Center graduates helped lead teams serving communities in the United States and Canada.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has a Donor Confidence Score of 68 and a C Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database (Give with Confidence).

photo, Huron Claus/Faceboo

CHIEF

When Comanche pastor and business leader Patrick McClung began serving in ministry, he wondered whether other Native Christian leaders shared his calling. “At first, I thought I was the only Native Christian leader,” he said in a 2025 account marking CHIEF’s 50th anniversary. Through the organization, McClung met other tribal leaders serving their communities.

Mohawk Christian leader Tom Claus founded CHIEF in 1975. The organization provides evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training among Indigenous communities throughout the Americas. Claus’ son, Huron Claus, who is Mohawk and Kiowa, now leads the organization. Its programs include leadership conferences, biblical training, mentoring, and partnerships with Native churches. CHIEF also works with other organizations to bring ministry training directly to reservations, which reduces the need for local leaders to leave their communities for extended study.

iam-okc.org

Indigenous Academy of Ministry (IAM)

Established in 2024, the Indigenous Academy of Ministry is a Christian training center affiliated with the Native American Association of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Its mission is to provide biblically based education and culturally appropriate training for Indigenous Christian leaders. The academy offers leadership development and practical ministry preparation.

Zane Williams, who is Navajo, serves as executive director. Jennifer Barnett, who is Muscogee and Cherokee, serves as academic director. The academy’s Ministry Lab offers instruction in lay counseling, including challenges specific to Native communities.

photo, iam-okc.org

Native InterVarsity

For some Native American college students, choosing to follow Jesus raises questions about how Christian faith relates to cultural identity and ancestral traditions. Native InterVarsity, a branch of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, creates spaces where Indigenous students can explore faith without abandoning their cultural identities.

The ministry incorporates Native storytelling approaches into Bible study, encourages worship in Indigenous languages, and supports Christian fellowship rooted in Native community experiences. It emphasizes developing Native Christian students who can lead on their campuses and in their communities.

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