United States (MNN) — Suicide rates are higher among American Indian and Alaskan Native people than among any other U.S. demographic. But there’s a counter-movement of hope rising with On Eagles’ Wings, a division of Hutchcraft Ministries.
This year, around 700 Native young people came to the Warrior Leadership Summit with On Eagles’ Wings. They came to this evangelism and discipleship conference to be equipped as leaders for Christ.
Photo of Warrior Leadership Summit 2025 courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries via Facebook.
“To have 700 Native young people praising Jesus together, seeking to be leaders in their communities, is a real miracle, something only God could do,” said Doug Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries.
People who come to the leadership summit aren’t called campers but warriors. Hutchcraft said they hear a common response to the gathering:
“‘I’m not alone. I realized I’m here seeing how many brothers and sisters I have in Christ that really love Jesus and want to do what I want to do.’”
Following Christ hasn’t always been shared well with Native communities, Hutchcraft said. Yet today, more and more young people realize Jesus is about relationship, not religion.
“When they (Native young people) share with their people that Jesus was a brown-skinned man, from a tribe, [who] was persecuted, [who] had issues with the government, all those things, they say, ‘I’ve always heard that Jesus is a white man’s God. But you’re saying He is for everybody.’”
It then opens the way for Native young people to share their own stories of how Jesus changed their lives. During the 2025 Warrior Leadership Summit, 43 people chose to be baptized.
Hutchcraft said that in many Native tribes, to be baptized isn’t just a thing done at church on a Sunday morning. It means publicly stating “I’m a follower of Jesus. He is everything to me now.”
Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries
“These are bold warriors who are saying, ‘I want to make this public declaration of my love for Jesus,’” said Hutchcraft.
Picture the scene: a lake with hundreds of Native young people sitting at the edges. Then shoulder-deep in the lake, “a Native young person coming out of the water, arms raised, shouting for joy. It’s so amazing,” said Hutchcraft.
In the Warrior Leadership Summit last year, over 100 tribes were represented. Pray Native young people from this year’s gathering will boldly bring the hope of Jesus to their people!
“We are 100% dependent on God’s people praying about this,” said Hutchcraft.
Header photo of Warrior Leadership Summit 2025 courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries via Facebook.
