Native American Studies: Assemblies of God
About
What is the Assemblies of God?
Founded in 1914, the Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal-Christian denomination in the world. Today, there are nearly 13,000 Assemblies of God churches in the United States with over 3 million members.
What does the AG offer for Native Americans?
The Native American Fellowship of the Assemblies of God (NAF) is a network of Native American Christian leaders and churches within the Assemblies of God. The goal of the Fellowship is to take the Gospel to the First Nations of North America and the world. Learn more about or get involved with NAF here. NAF Youth Ministries exists to serve Native American students. Each year, NAF Youth holds National Native Youth Convention (NNYC). It has often been held on the American Indian College campus. Learn more about or get involved with NAF Youth here.
Nelson American Indian College
The History of American Indian College
Alta Washburn opened Phoenix All Tribes Indian Assembly in 1947 at 4123 E Washington St. in Phoenix, AZ.
In 1957, while pastoring Phoenix All Tribes Indian Assembly, Alta Washburn founded All Tribes Bible School (ATBS). ATBS met at the church site. During this time, ATBS was also known as All Tribes Indian Bible Institute (ATIBI). Thirty-two students from Navajo, Apache, Pima, and Papago tribes enrolled the first semester. To view photos from the days of ATBS, click here.
In 1967, the school changed its name to American Indian Bible Institute (AIBI). At that time, it became a regional school of the Assemblies of God. In 1968, AIBI purchased 10 acres of land at 10020 N. 15th Avenue. This plot of land is where the school is located to this day. To view photos from the days of AIBI, click here.
In 1982, the school changed its name to American Indian Bible College (AIBC) and received regional accreditation. Because of this, the school awarded its first A.A. degree in 1983 and its first B.A. degree in 1985. The school continued to grow in students, buildings, and finances. To view photos from the days of AIBC, click here.
In 1994, the school changed its name to American Indian College of the Assemblies of God. In 2007, the AIC celebrated 50 years of higher education to Native American students. To view photos from the days of AIC, click here.
Washburn Building, the first building constructed on the new campus site at 10020 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85021. Today, the Washburn building houses the library, two computer labs, dormitories, and laundry facilities.
Alta Washburn, Our Founder
Alta Washburn was running from God. When her aunt gave her issues of Pentecostal Evangel, she used them as kindling. After dying from scarlet fever, Alta Washburn went to Hell and God pulled her back out. He called her to a life of ministry, and she dedicated herself fully to Him. God called her to reach Native people, so she moved from Ohio to Arizona to do so.
In 1947, Alta Washburn founded Phoenix All Tribes Indian Assembly. 10 years later, she founded what we know today as SAGU American Indian College. Alta was a beloved Assemblies of God pastor, missionary, writer, wife, and mother who changed the landscape of higher education for Native Americans. The SAGU AIC library is grateful to own Alta Washburn's briefcase, which was full of her original writings. Almost everything in her briefcase has been scanned and made available in the archive.
To view Alta Washburn's writings, click here.
American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes
The content of American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes falls into three major categories: three previously published histories of the school, short essays by people associated with the school, and an overview of the school’s history, mission, and aims, written by the editors.
The three histories, reprinted with introductions in this volume, are: Trail to the Tribes by Alta M. Washburn -- A Trail of Beauty: A Short History of American Indian Bible College by Pauline Dunn -- Indian Harvest: A History of American Indian Bible College by Carolyn D. Baker.
The essays, or reflections, were written by: board members (T. Ray Rachels, Rodger A. Cree, Sr., Curtis W. Ringness, and Marvin Begay); presidents (Don Ramsey, Simon Peter, Carl E. and Alice Collins, David J. Moore, Jim H. Lopez, and James V. Comer); faculty (Alma F. Thomas, Eugene Hunter, Betty J. Hanna, Belinda F. Lopez, Nancy J. Saggio, and Everett F. Peralta); staff (M. Nadine Waldrop, Sandra K. Ticeahkie, Sandra M. Gonzales, Donald P. Merino); and alumni (Lillie Ward Neal, Jimmy Yellowhair, Vince Roubideaux, James J. Bollinger, Marco J. Burnette, and Jameson D. Lopez).
Appendices include a historical timeline, lists of members of the Board of Regents, administration and faculty, staff, and graduates. The book also includes name and photo indexes.
Learn more about the book and read it here.
Lumbee River Christian College
Lumbee River Christian College (LRCC) is another Assemblies of God college that mainly serves Native American students. The school is located in Shannon, North Carolina. It opened in 1968 under the name Eastern Indian Bible Institute. In 1994, it changed its name to Native American Bible College. In 2020, the name was changed to its current name, Lumbee River Christian Collee. LRCC offers a Bachelor of Religious Education, Associate of Religious Education, and Certificate of Bible (among others). To learn more about Lumbee River Christian College, click here.
Central Indian Bible College
Good Shepherd Bible School was established in 1970 primarily for Native Americans. It was sponsored by the South Dakota District Council. The name was changed to Good Shepherd Indian Bible Institute of the Assemblies of God around 1980 and changed again to Central Indian Bible College about 1985. The school closed in the 1990s.
Learn more about the school by searching the National AG archives here.
Far North Bible College
Far North Bible College was an Assemblies of God Bible College in Anchorage, Alaska. Tom Davis was the President, Vice President of Administration and Academic Affairs, Development Director, and Instructor at Far North Bible College from 1995-2008.
Learn more about the school by searching the National AG archives here.
Native Pentecostal News
Native Pentecostal News is an Assemblies of God publication created by the National Native American Ministries Committee. The publication ran from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Joann Craver was the editor of the magazine. Note: Not all issues have a volume #, issue #, or date, so they may be slightly out of chronological order.
Articles
- Toward an Indigenous Model of Native American Ministry within the Assemblies of GodThis article chronicles the historical missiological development of the Assemblies of God USA with regard to Native American ministry.
Check Out These Library Books!
Called to the Last Frontier: The Assemblies of God in Alaska 1917-2017: 70 Stories from a Century of Pioneering Ministry by Call Number: NAC BV 2072 A354 2017ISBN: 9781483467528Publication Date: 2017"Called to the Last Frontier" consists of 70 mini-biographies of missionaries, pastors, and laymen out of the thousands God has used to build the Assemblies of God ministry in Alaska. These stories include men and women from varied backgrounds, locations and theological traditions. The common thread through all these stories is the call of God into gospel ministry, and the eventual call to exercise that ministry in the challenging physical and spiritual environments of Alaska.Choosing the Jesus Way: American Indian Pentecostals and The Fight for the Indigenous Principle by
Call Number: NAC E 98 M6 T27ISBN: 9781469612928Publication Date: 2014"Choosing the Jesus Way" uncovers the history and religious experiences of the first American Indian converts to Pentecostalism. Focusing on the Assemblies of God denomination, the story begins in 1918, when white missionaries fanned out from the South and Midwest to convert Native Americans in the West and other parts of the country. Drawing on new approaches to the global history of Pentecostalism, Angela Tarango shows how converted indigenous leaders eventually transformed a standard Pentecostal theology of missions in ways that reflected their own religious struggles and advanced their sovereignty within the denomination. Key to the story is the Pentecostal "indigenous principle," which encourages missionaries to train local leadership in hopes of creating an indigenous church rooted in the culture of the missionized. In Tarango's analysis, the indigenous principle itself was appropriated by the first generation of Native American Pentecostals, who transformed it to critique aspects of the missionary project and to argue for greater religious autonomy. More broadly, Tarango scrutinizes simplistic views of religious imperialism and demonstrates how religious forms and practices are often mutually influenced in the American experience.
The Native Book of Hope by Call Number: NAC BS 391.2 N278 2010Publication Date: 2010Long ago, the Creator came to earth to take on the form of a Man, so Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, a brown-skinned and dark-haired people. He had just 12 followers at the beginning, but now people from every tribe, clan, nation and language are following the trail of hope. "The Native Book of Hope" shows us why Jesus was willing to give the greatest gift ever given to bring all Native people back to the Creator; how the power of Jesus is able to overcome evil spirits, fear, diseases, and even death; and how you can find peace, purpose, and power for your life by following the trail of hope. This book tells the story of the Creator's love for all people.
My Journey by Call Number: NAC BV 2060 C81Publication Date: 2010Jo Ann Craver is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. She has served as an appointed U.S. missionary to Native Americans for 43 years. This book is a story of her life and testimony.
The Indigenous Church: Including The Indigenous Church and the Missionary by Call Number: NAC BV 2082 I5 H6 2009ISBN: 9780882438108Publication Date: 2009Indigenous principles have been a core component of Assemblies of God missions since the 1920s. But while missionaries wrote about, preached, and practiced them, Melvin Hodges was the first to outline them in book form for generations to come. While working in Central America, Hodges tested and proved indigenous principles firsthand. Early in his ministry, he became firmly convinced that training national workers was the key to effectively evangelizing any country. The church in Central America experienced a time of rapid growth in the early 1950s. In 1953, Hodges was asked to expound on the church planting principles used, so he wrote "The Indigenous Church." This volume combines Hodges' book "The Indigenous Church" with a later work, "The Indigenous Church and the Missionary."American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes by
Call Number: REF LD 1761 A4 S2 2008 / NAC LD 1761 A4S2ISBN: 9781605851679Publication Date: 2008The library owns six copies of this book. Three are reference copies, and the other three are available for check-out to AIC employees, alumni, and students.
Chief, My Story by Call Number: NAC BX 8765.5 Z8 M26 1995Publication Date: 1995For over forty years, John McPherson traveled the highways of America proclaiming the "good news" to children and adults. His ministry took him to almost every state in the union and several foreign countries. John McPherson was one of those preachers who could make you laugh and cry, all in the same sermon. His tremendous ability to tell a story, with words and with pictures, left a lasting impact upon scores of people over the years. Whether preaching on the reservation, in one of the nation's largest churches, or in one of his children's crusades, Chief always brought laughter and hope to the listener. In this book, Chief tells the story of his life and ministry, with that same unique blend of laughter and hope.
Trail to the Tribes by Call Number: REF BV 3269 W37 1990 / NAC BV 3269 W37Publication Date: 1990"Trail to the Tribes" is Alta Washburn's memoir that describes her time ministering to Native Americans. The library owns three copies of this book. Two are reference copies and one is available for check-out to employees, alumni, and students. The book is also digitized on Alta Washburn's page.
Indian Harvest: A History of American Indian Bible College by Call Number: REF BV 3269 B167 1989Publication Date: 1989"Indian Harvest" is a brief history of the American Indian Bible College and includes photos. The library owns two reference copies of this book. This book is also digitized on the "American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes" page.
A Trail of Beauty: A Short History of American Indian Bible College by Call Number: REF BV 3269 D86 1984Publication Date: 1984"A Trail of Beauty" gives the history of the school from 1957-1984 and its goals for the future. The library owns one reference copy of this book. It is digitized and available on the "American Indian College: A Witness to the Tribes" page.
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