American Indian College: Archive: American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes

Dr. Joseph J. Saggio

Dr. Saggio has been involved in ministry, writing, and higher education for nearly forty years having taught at six different institutions as well as served for ten years as a youth pastor and lead pastor. He served as the Executive Vice President for the Nelson AIC Campus and Administrative Dean of the College. An educator with a pastor’s heart, Dr. Saggio cares passionately for students’ academic and spiritual development and believes that the two should work together. He and his wife Nancy have a great love for Native people and have grown to appreciate their tribal contributions and value systems that greatly honor experience, balance, wisdom, and practical knowledge.

He holds a B.A. in Speech Communication from California State University, Fresno; an M.A.in Religion (Contemporary Ministries) from Azusa Pacific University, another M.A. in Religion (Biblical Studies) from Vanguard University of Southern California, and an Ed.D. from Arizona State University in Higher and Adult Education. He also did summer post-doctoral studies at Harvard University in higher educational leadership.

Dr. Saggio loves a great cup of strong coffee, enjoys long walks in quiet settings, reading, and is an avid fan of NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, Hawaii Five O, historical documentaries, and travel. He has been to more than thirty five countries on five continents including Belgium, Ireland, Brazil, Paraguay, France, India, Cuba, Norway and Iceland. Dr. Saggio is passionately committed to equipping Native Americans and others for a life of Christian service in order to fulfill their destiny.

Rev. Jim Dempsey

Rev. Jim Dempsey served in many capacities at AIC including as Resident Director, Dean of Students, Director of Institutional Research, and as a professor teaching in the area of Missions and Bible. Known for his dry, Southern sense of humor that carefully revealed a great deal of wisdom, Jim was always a favorite instructor to our students.

In addition to his work at AIC, Jim served as pastor, musician, teacher, and author. Linda and Jim served as Assemblies of God US missionaries to Native Americans they ministered in music and biblical teaching leadership development at Native American churches, and camp meetings across Native America. 

Jim Dempsey went to be with the Lord in 2022. He is pictured here with his wife, Linda. 

One of the most understudied and underappreciated aspects of American Pentecostal history is the story of Pentecostal belief and practice among American Indians and Alaska Natives. This work, which focuses on the half-century-long history of the American Indian College of the Assemblies of God, helps fill that need in valuable ways. Composed of accounts of the school's origins and life by both Caucasian and Indian participants, the volume offers a gold mine of data that students of Pentecostal, gender, missionary, and American Indian history will find useful. The documents, presented through the perspective of insiders of the movement, offer a vibrant sense of the power of Pentecostal faith to enrich its members' lives. - Grant Wacker, Professor of Church History, Duke University

American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes captures the "stories behind the stories" of America's first and only regionally accredited Bible college for Native Americans through the voices of those who have lived the history. - John E. Maracle, Chief/President, Native American Fellowship of the Assemblies of God

The Native voice has largely been silent in the Christian world. Yet it is a voice that needs to be heard! American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes is a must-read for all who are willing to hear that voice. - Rev. Alvin "Dobie" Weasel, Assemblies of God Pastor/Evangelist

This collection of historical accounts, interpretive essays, and personal narratives will evoke memories for those who lived the history, and it will become an essential resource for students and scholars who wish to better understand the history and future of Native American higher education and Pentecostalism. - Darrin J. Rodgers, Director of Flowers Pentecostal Heritage Center

Dorothy Cummings Library at Nelson American Indian College

Nelson Memorial Library at Southwestern Assemblies of God University

Libraries Across the Country

WorldCat lists the libraries around the world that have a particular book. Visit www.worldcat.org and search for American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes to find the book in a library near you. 

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