A13 Gathering Around the Fire: Indigenous Wisdom for the Future of the Church

As the church continues to confront the painful legacy of colonization and boarding schools, Indigenous Christian leaders are helping guide the church forward—offering theological wisdom, community leadership, and new models of formation rooted in Indigenous contexts and traditions.
 
This workshop introduces the Indigenous Theological Circle (ITC), an ecumenical hub that brings together Indigenous scholars, ministers, elders, and theological educators committed to the flourishing of Indigenous congregations and to the indigenizing of theological study. Supported through a Lilly Endowment grant and developed in collaboration with the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS), also known as NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning community the Circle cultivates relationships of trust, mentorship, and collaboration across denominations as Indigenous leaders shape the future of theological education in their own communities and traditions.
 
Led by the Rev. Canon Bradley Hauff, participants will explore how Indigenous approaches to mentorship, formation, and community learning can renew theological education and congregational life. The session will also highlight how this work has grown out of Bexley Seabury Seminary’s commitment to contextual, mentor-assessed, and distributed theological education, including pathways that allow Indigenous students to adapt formation for their own ministry contexts.
 
Presenter
Bradley Hauff, Endowed Professor of Indigenous Congregational Studies
Indigenous Theological Circle & Bexley Seabury Seminary
 
The Rev. Canon Canon Hauff previously served eight years as Missioner for Indigenous Ministries for Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and spent twenty-seven years in parish ministry. Enrolled in the Oglala Sioux Tribe, he focuses on Indigenous theology, pastoral care, and preaching in Indigenous contexts. He is a Seabury-Western Seminary alumnus (Class of 1990).