When sharing the Baptist story, historians often neglect Native Americans. But, the Baptist narrative is full of courageous, missions-minded Native Americans who offered a faithful Baptist witness in the United States for several centuries, from Jesse Bushyhead to John Jumper to Almon C. Bacone.

Greg Long is another Native American Baptist worth knowing. And he’s living out the Baptist story as the pastor of Selah Congregation in Flagstaff, Ariz., in the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American-governed territory within the United States.

Born and raised on the Navajo reservation, Long left his home in north central Arizona for Waco, Texas, to attend seminary. In 2000, Long became the first Navajo student to graduate from Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

Following graduation, Long returned to the Navajo Nation and later started Selah Congregation, a multicultural fellowship proud of its ethnic diversity, including both Navajo and Jewish peoples, with a unique multilingual worship service held every Saturday.

“The worship style is based on Jewish liturgical traditions, incorporating both Baptist and Na-Dené distinctives to produce a vibrant, nourishing worship experience,” Long explained.

The worship format found at Selah Congregation emphasizes the seasons of worship found in the Torah: Shabbat, the Spring Festival Cycle (Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks) and the Fall Festival Cycle (Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths).

Selah Congregation’s worship style reflects the multitude of parallels between historic Navajo and Jewish cultures, according to Long. He noted that both cultures have a shared history of oppression and genocide, loss of land, loss of language and loss of culture.

Long and Selah Congregation have identified with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship since the church’s founding in 2010. This identification with CBF has been strengthened through Long’s relationship with Glen Foster, coordinator of CBF West, the regional body of CBF that encompasses 13 states. Foster’s congregation, Pantano Baptist Church of Tucson, Ariz., ordained Long to Christian ministry in March 2010.

“In 2002, I made acquaintance with Glen Foster, and I haven’t looked back,” Long said. “Glen has become a great friend and brother in the Lord.”

Foster recently had an opportunity to worship with Long and Selah Congregation in the home of new church members. “It was exciting to see a vibrant congregation that is growing and reaching young families,” Foster said. “Greg is a creative thinker, talented artist and wonderful communicator.”

Long ministers alongside his wife, Sheila, who leads music during worship and teaches the children. Together, they own and operate an art gallery of original Navajo works in nearby Winslow.

When Long left Waco and returned to his childhood home on the Navajo reservation, his return was not a simple relocation. Long returned with a vision for his community, one rich in cultural history but extremely poor in terms of infrastructure and other basic needs, with more than 50 percent of the population unemployed.

In September, Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative, held its three-day annual meeting in Flagstaff to share stories of what God is doing in some of the poorest rural communities in the United States.

“Being in Arizona and learning about Native Americans was deeply moving for me,” said Jim Smith, interim coordinator of CBF Global Missions. “I knew of abuse and genocide from books written to supplement the typical narrative of American advancement into the pioneer territories of the American West. Hearing descriptions and explanation of past laws as well as current regulations by our government impacting life in the Navajo Nation drew back the curtain and revealed a disturbing pattern of colonialism and systemic oppression of noble people.

“Greg Long is a fellow Baptist who cares for suffering people. He has a holistic vision for restoration of the person, the community and the environment, which I wholeheartedly support.”

Following a traditional lunch of roasted lamb, fry bread and tortillas, Long shared with the group his vision of self-sufficiency for the reservation’s residents. Long gave the group a tour of the area of the reservation where residents lack electricity and running water while three water-producing wells sit capped on the land. He hopes to address these needs through economic and community development projects. The first step to implementing Long’s vision is tapping these wells and piping the water to homes as well as making the water available for livestock and crop irrigation.

Long’s agriculturally-based vision includes launching a ranch with cattle, horses, sheep and goats and an auction house, stockyard and feed lot. Organic farming on the land would also facilitate the creation of a farmers’ market. Long dreams of bringing electricity to the area’s residents and building a multiuse community center for education and cultural events.

“We met to listen and to dream for a future work,” said Stephanie Vance, Together for Hope interim manager. “Greg spoke to the group, which included national and state/regional CBF leaders, CBF field personnel as well as community facilitators, about his journey through seminary and his deepening understanding of God’s calling for him and for his community. Greg has a plan that will bring sustainable farming, tourism and infrastructure to the area.”

As Long embarks on making his dream a reality, Together for Hope is acting as a resource for him and his community.

“Greg Long is a dynamic leader and is an example to all who dream of a better future for their hometown,” Vance said.

The following story is by Katelyn McWilliams and  first appeared in the December-January 2013/2014 issue of fellowship! magazine. Download and share the PDF version of this column.