Native American
Program
 UDTS is a member of the Native American Theological
Education Consortium (NATEC). NATEC is a consortium of schools
focused on theological education by extension for Native American
laity.
NATEC utilizes UDTS faculty to conduct workshops in churches and
on reservations.
UDTS was instrumental in establishing the NATEC
programs in response to the tremendous need to develop lay and ordained
leadership for Native American churches.
The seeds of the Native American program were
born out of a 1974 study by Cook Christian Training School of Tempe,
Arizona, entitled "Mending the Hoop." This study indicated the leadership
crisis among the American-Indian/Eskimo churches. Since 1982, UDTS
has placed its energy and resources in the Native American residential
study program, a program enabling Native Americans to pursue ordination
as Ministers of the Word and Sacrament to help stem the crisis of
pastoral leadership in Native American congregations.
In the last two decades, 70 students have enrolled
in the program, making UDTS a national leader in the training of
American Indian and Eskimo leaders.
The Native American residential program enables
students to address the crisis of leadership in the Native American
community, whether urban or on the reservation. This is carried
out through academic course offerings, through immersion trips to
Native American communities, and through Supervised Practice of
Ministry practicums focusing upon the particularities of a Native
American church. The program also assists Native American students
in providing pastoral leadership regardless of the context.
The Theological Indian Student Association (TISA)
is the campus organization for those with particular interests in
Native American ministries. TISA serves to strengthen the Native
American community on campus by offering programmatic support to
those who are separated from their home communities and extended
families.
For more information, click on a link below:
How to Support the Native American Program
Native American Lay Pastor Training Program
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