Native American Youth Ministries

What Native American Youth Ministries does

Native American Youth Ministries (NAYM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, that delivers faith-based programming, tangible resources, and church partnerships to Indigenous communities across Arizona and New Mexico. Its core services include reservation-based ministries on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation (worship services, Bible studies, youth programs, Vacation Bible Schools, home repairs, food/firewood/supplies distribution, elder and hospital visits), an Urban Outreach ministry in the Phoenix Metro area serving Native families off-reservation, and short-term mission work teams that assist with construction and supply delivery. A distinctive technical and content capability is the production of Bible translations and audio Scripture recordings in Navajo, Apache, and Havasupai languages, distributed via MP3, cell phones, specialized devices, and—through partner pastor Ron Little's Smoke Signal Church—radio broadcasting and YouTube. The organization was founded in 1997 by Jerry Wright (who passed away in 2019) and took its current form in 2004 when Reaching Out with Christ's Kingdom merged with Native Adult and Youth Ministry; Patricia Fleeger, a member of the Navajo Nation, became CEO in 2020.

Name

Native American Youth Ministries

Legal name

Native American Youth Ministries

Website

https://naym.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Native American Youth Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering Christian ministry, Bible translations in Navajo/Apache/Havasupai, work teams, and VBS programs to Indigenous communities across the Navajo Nation, Hopi Reservation, and Phoenix Metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Nonprofit Community Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Faith-based ministry services
• Indigenous community outreach
• Vacation bible school
• Scripture translation services
• Church partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: NAYM is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 86-0848618). Contributions are tax-deductible as permitted by the IRS. Donations come from individuals, churches, Sunday School classes, and other partners who share in the mission.
2. Missionary Support Raising: All NAYM-ROCK missionary staff are responsible for raising financial support for both the ministries they serve and their personal living expenses. Missionaries raise donations for their own support and for projects.
3. In-Kind Donations: Accepts in-kind donations including stocks, estate gifts, and supplies through phone contact at (602) 564-1891.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Native American Youth Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry that provides evangelism, encouragement, and equipping services to Indigenous communities. Core offerings include reservation-based worship services, Bible studies and Vacation Bible Schools, urban outreach for Native families, volunteer work teams for construction and supply delivery, and Bible translation plus audio Scripture recording in Navajo, Apache, and Havasupai languages. The ministry serves communities across Arizona and New Mexico through a network of missionaries, partner churches, and short-term mission teams.

Product overview

Native American Youth Ministries (NAYM) operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry organization offering a portfolio of faith-based community services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: Reservation Ministries (worship services, community outreach, seasonal assistance on Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation); Urban Outreach (discipleship and fellowship for Native families in Phoenix Metro); Vacation Bible School programs on reservations; Work Teams for construction and supply delivery; and Translation/Scripture Recording services producing Bible materials in Navajo, Apache, and Havasupai languages. These services are delivered through missionary staff, volunteer teams, and church partnerships across Arizona and New Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reservation Ministries Worship services, weekly congregations, community outreach, and seasonal assistance including food, firewood, and clothing delivered on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation. Programs include Bible studies, sewing classes, youth activities, and Thanksgiving and Christmas outreach.
• Urban Outreach Gospel sharing, spiritual support, fellowship, and discipleship for Native families living in urban areas including the Phoenix Metro region, with focus on personal one-on-one connections and hosting missionaries and traveling teams.
• Vacation Bible School (VBS) Summer VBS programs hosted on Native reservations through mission churches or outdoors, offering culturally mindful biblical education, meals, school supplies, hygiene kits, and family engagement activities.
• Work Teams Short-term mission teams assisting with home repairs, construction of ramps, porches, and roofing, church maintenance, campground development, and delivering food, water, firewood, and supplies to remote reservation areas.
• Translation Services Bible translations and ministry materials in Navajo, Apache, and Havasupai languages, making the message of hope accessible and meaningful across tribal communities.
• Scripture Recording Ministry Recording the Word of God in Native languages using modern digital tools for on-site recording and remote coaching, with recordings available online and on MP3 players, cell phones, iPods, and specialized devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving Indigenous communities since 1985 (founders) and 1997 (ministry formally began)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reaching Out with Christ's KingdomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004In 2004, Reaching Out with Christ's Kingdom joined with Native Adult and Youth Ministry to form what is now Native American Youth Ministries (NAYM), uniting in the mission of spreading the Gospel among Indigenous communities.
• Navajo Christian FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Jerry Wright facilitated the construction of Navajo Christian Foundation's youth center and apartment building. Hope House was established to support Native American students.
• Local Churches on ReservationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAYM works alongside local churches, tribal leaders, and fellow ministries to build relationships and share the love of Christ in culturally relevant ways. Churches host worship services, VBS programs, and community gatherings.
• United Indian Missions (UIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohanna Charley previously partnered with United Indian Missions for approximately 5 years before transitioning to NAYM. UIM is a missions organization serving Native communities.
• Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith Jelle leads 'Talking Circles' at local BIE boarding schools that help children process trauma and learn positive behavior.
• Navajo NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAYM received a mission lease from the Navajo Nation for 1.5 acres of land in Hardrock, Arizona for development of a Christian Fellowship Center.
• Bible Translators WorldwidecoreTechnology or IntegrationBill Odom serves as a consultant to Bible translators around the world, helping ensure the Word of God is accessible in the heart languages of diverse people groups. The Odoms partner with Bible translation organizations for Native language Scripture recording.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• First Nations Bible Society: Niche organization supporting Scripture access and Bible distribution for Native American communities. Direct overlap with NAYM's Bible-translation work in Navajo, Apache, and Havasupai languages, though smaller and more specialized in Scripture distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Child Evangelism Fellowship: National faith-based organization running Good News Clubs, VBS, and children's Bible programs—directly comparable to NAYM's Vacation Bible School programs on reservations. Operates much more broadly but with overlapping children's ministry methodology.
• Saddleback Church Native American Outreach: Large mainstream church with dedicated Native American ministry initiatives and work-team deployments to reservations. Comparable church-driven model for sending mission teams and resources to Native communities, but as part of a much larger organization.
• Young Life (Native American ministries): National youth ministry organization with established outreach on Native American reservations including the Navajo Nation. Comparable youth-development and faith-based mission to youth on reservations, though as part of a much broader national portfolio.

Direct peers

• United Indian Missions: Faith-based mission organization specifically serving Native American communities across the U.S., explicitly named as a former employer/partner of NAYM missionary Johanna Charley. Directly comparable in mission, target population, and church-partnership model.
• Navajo Christian Foundation: Faith-based nonprofit operating on the Navajo Nation with youth center, apartment building, and Hope House referenced directly in NAYM's history. Same beneficiary population, same faith-based operating model, same geography.
• Native Hope: Nonprofit focused on the well-being of Native American communities through education, preservation, and community development. Comparable beneficiary focus on Native populations and nonprofit service delivery, though broader than purely faith-based ministry.
• American Indian Bible Institute: Faith-based organization training Native American leaders for ministry; overlaps with NAYM on Bible-based discipleship, indigenous leadership development, and service to Native communities.
• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Global organization focused on Bible translation and Scripture accessibility in indigenous languages; NAYM's Bill Odom already serves as a consultant to similar translators. Comparable in the Scripture-recording and language-access dimension of NAYM's translation ministry.

Others

• Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru):

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Native-American-Youth-Ministries-NAYM-VBS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/native-american-youth-ministries

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Native American Youth Ministries