Program areas at Lutheran Indian Ministries
Pastoral care: to achieve the mission and vision of lim, the gospel is shared in a manner that acknowledges local culture, customs, history, and social challenges that exist in native communities. To share the gospel while addressing the high rates of domestic violence, child abuse, substance use, historical trauma, incarceration, and suicide demonstrates how the gospel heals and restores individuals, families, and communities. Lim partners with churches that serve native people to equip them to meet community needs. Lim identifies, mentors and supports the development of american indian/native Alaskan leaders within their community to address wellness while sharing the gospel.
Campus ministry: young people are the future in all cultures and that is true for native americans as well. Lim operates a campus ministry adjacent to haskell Indian nations university. With a student base of around 900 native students each semester, lim has opportunity to daily counsel and mentor students while showing them the true love of jesus.
Healing ministry: by providing safe places, where native people can tell their stories of harm, while building strong ties with community members. Our trained ministry staff can holistically guide them towards a path of healing. Lim equips, trains, and supports existing faith communities and individuals to better serve the local community. The local church and congregations must become a place where the gospel heals and instills hope to those in need.
Mission awareness: we believe that our ministry extends both to the native american people we serve and from them back to the wider church. Many are not aware of the challenges facing native americans. Without the knowledge of the history of native people - especially the history of artrocities inflicted directly by the church, it is not possible to understand why so few native americans know jesus as their lord and savior. It is also not possible to understand that the approach of proclaiming the gospel must be delivered differently than what has been tried and failed for over 500 years. Lim produces materials that it makes available to supporters. We also educate supporters and the wider public through our website and other means like social media.