American Indian Field History

WGM’s work among Native Americans began in Peoria, Arizona, in 1952 when WGM assumed control of Old Paths Bible School, a school founded in 1950 by Rev. Kenneth Mendenhall. In 1957 it became known as Southwest Indian School and served as a boarding school for Native American children and youth for more than 40 years.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, missionaries began to go onto the reservations and minister with and among Native Americans. They focused on church planting, jail ministries, and Bible studies. This early work also led to the beginning of literacy work through the introduction of a Navajo primer.

In 1998, the American Indian Field closed Southwest Indian School as a boarding school, but ministries have continued at the location as part of Southwest Indian Ministries Center.