New Mexico has a rich heritage of ministry among the 219,000 plus indigenous Native American peoples of the state.  Hiram W. Read began Native American Baptist Ministry while ministering to Santa Fe Residents in 1849.  In 1852, Samuel Gorman moved from Ohio to work as a Baptist Missionary, and he ministered among Navajo communities and the Laguna Pueblo area.  Jose Senon was the first to accept Christ as Savior through the Gorman’s ministry, and he later was ordained to the ministry.  The first Native American Baptist Church was the Alamo Navajo Baptist Church in Alamo.  Today, there are 30 Native American Southern Baptist Disciple-making Congregations, and a number of church plants are underway.  It is a goal to see more disciple-making church plants added, and for each congregation to be led by indigenous leadership when possible.

Native American Baptists Advancing The Kingdom

The tribes that make up New Mexico are:  the Eastern Half of the Navajo Nation; 19 Pueblos who speak Keresan, Tiwa, Tewa, or Towa; the Jicarilla Apache Tribe to the North; and the Mescalero Apache Tribe to the south.  Urban areas such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe are home to peoples from tribes all over North America.  It is estimated that there is a 95-98% lostness among Native American peoples in New Mexico, when it comes to those who do not have a born again relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Baptist Convention of New Mexico includes many people groups, and our Native American Baptists make up a huge part of our State Baptist Heritage.  Today you can see God at work through the following congregations and ministries:

  • 30 Local Native American Baptist Congregations State-wide
  • New Mexico Native American Southern Baptist Partnership (state-wide fellowship)
  • Annual Inlow Indian Family Camp…over 70 years of camping ministry!
  • 5 State Associations Ministering to Native Tribes (Central, Mountain, Mountain Valley, San Juan, and Western Baptist Associations)

The New Mexico Native American Southern Baptist Partnership is a partnership of over 30 Native American congregations in New Mexico, which formed a unified ministry effort for the Kingdom of God. The administrative structure of the Native Baptist Partnership are laid out in its constitution and bylaws .  A Cooperating Southern Baptist Church in good standing is a pre-requisite for membership among the NM Native American Baptist Partnership.

 

 Purpose Statement: “Establish a working relationship among Native American congregations that unites and enables them to develop healthy Southern Baptist Churches.”

 

2021 Native Baptist Partnership Leadership Team

Administrative Team Leader, Scott Tafoya
505-331-2897     stafoyas@yahoo.com

Missions Team Leader, Paula Tsoodle
575-776-7379     ptssodle@gmail.com

Growth Team Leader, Edna Romero
575-741-0836

Stewardship Team Leader, Christine Garcia
505-554-0706     chrissyga2008@gmail.com

Communications Team Leader, Jennifer Jones
505-508-8558      jennjones505@gmail.com

 

Native Baptist Partnership Forms & Information

Membership Request Letter  see attachment for letter, and constitution and bylaws are on the original website

LeadershipNOW! Is a contextual ministry equipping resource for Native Baptist Leaders.  Please check on this page for new listings throughout as this resource is being developed, and more LeadershipNOW! Equipping will be added in the years to come.  Equipping will be in the form of videos with printable PDFs available as handouts for the video instruction.

Please contact Daniel Clymer at dclymer@bcnm.com for more information.

 

 

Church Planting

Many new congregations need to be planted in New Mexico.  New Mexico’s Native American ministry is very different than urban church planting, and understanding of the Tribal ways and laws are critical to the process.  Some Tribal lands will not allow a church to be planted there, and a church must be planted off of tribal lands.  For a deeper understanding of the process please go to

 

Pastorless Native Baptist Churches

There is a great need for Pastors among our Native American Southern Baptist congregations.  Pastors among these congregations need to have an understanding of the Native People they will be reaching, and will need to understand how to contextually proclaim the gospel and teach their people.   Please go to the following link for BCNM Pastor-less Churches.

Thank you for Partnering with and Praying for New Mexico Native American Baptists, and for Praying for the lost to find Jesus as Savior and Lord among our tribes.  The following will help you to know how to Partner and Pray for these people groups.

PARTNERS IN MINISTRY

New Mexico Native American Baptist congregations have been so blessed through partnerships with other cooperative congregations through the years.  Churches “On Mission” in and out of state have been part of this effort to reach over 190,000 Native Americans in our state.  The lostness among Native Americans in New Mexico is estimated to be between 95-98%.  Lostness indicates those who do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

We refer to Partnering Congregations as “Partner Response Teams”, and we welcome you to join our family as God leads.  Partner Response Teams join many outreach efforts such as Revivals, Vacation Bible School, Back Yard Bible Clubs, Financial Assistance, Back to School and Christmas Gift/Food  Supplies, Prayer Support, and a host of other ministry efforts.  The best way to Partner is to let the local church help you understand it’s community needs, and the BCNM Missions Team will be glad to assist with help in cross-cultural ministry training.

Please feel free to use the following PDF “Partner Response Team Brochure”  to help prepare for being a Partner Response Team Church.  Thank you for being “On Mission For God” with us.

(Partner Response Team Brochure PDF attachment)

Thank you for letting BCNM know where you are Partnering so we can pray for you, and let us know the results of your Mission effort so we can celebrate with you.

(Click Here for the Partner Response Team Celebration Report)

PRAYER

The need for Prayer Partners to pray for Native Baptists is critical to break down local barriers to the Gospel message.  Ask God to lead you and your Prayer Group to pray for a specific Tribe, Congregation, or Region.  There are many Tribes in New Mexico to Pray for which include:  The Navajo Nation, 19 Different Pueblos, The Jicarilla Apache Nation, and The Mescalero Apache Nation.   The “Native Baptist Prayer Guide” is a downloadable PDF that you can use for a 31 Day Prayer Guide, and will give you ideas of how to pray for the tribes.  If you would like to have more specific prayer concern connections with a local church,  please use the “Contact Us” section on this webpage to ask for more insight to needs.  Information to Prayer Walk/Drive among our Native American Tribes is listed below. Let us know where your Prayer focus is by looking on the quick and easy Prayer Partner Focus Report below.

(Native Baptist Prayer Guide PDF)

(Link to BCNM WMU Prayer Walking Information)

(Link to Indian Cultural Center & New Mexico Magazine for Feast Day and Cultural Appropriateness Information for Visits:

https://indiancultural.org/feast; https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/pueblo-feast-day-etiquette/)

(click here to report your Prayer Focus or Prayer walk/drive on the “Prayer Partner Focus Report”)

 

Thank you for contacting us about Native Baptist Work in New Mexico!

Mission Teams: If God is leading you to bring a group to New Mexico to help minister to Native American people, please indicate so on the “Subject” line as well as letting us know on “Your Message” the following:

  • when you hope to come
  • what you would like to do (construction, VBS, other types of ministry)
  • how many will be in your group.

Prayer Walking/Prayer Driving Teams:  Please indicate that you are Prayer Walking/Prayer Driving on the “Subject” line, and then in “Your Message”.  Then please share with us the following:

  • tell us where your prayer walk/drive was done
  • when your prayer walk/drive took place
  • how many from your church participated

 

Thank you for partnering with us to reach all Native Peoples for Christ!

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