Church faces tribal opposition after pastor criticizes Arapaho ceremony

On the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes are asking Sarah Lucas, pastor of Foundations for Nations Church, to leave after she publicly condemned their sundance ceremony as “idol worship.”

Lucas, who is not Native American, owns the land her church occupies and maintains she will not leave, citing religious freedom. The situation tests the balance between religious rights and tribal sovereignty.

Lucas’s criticism, delivered in a video that circulated in July, deeply offended many Arapaho people, recalling a history of forced religious assimilation. Tribal leaders, including Chairman Keenan Groesbeck, have stated Lucas is no longer welcome, and recent protests have grown to include members of the American Indian Movement and ceremonial elders.

While Lucas acknowledges her delivery was harsh, she defends her message as biblically sound and believes her church is fulfilling a need in the community by providing aid and programs. Foundations for Nations initially gained support by offering services like food banks, childcare, and youth camps to a community facing high rates of poverty and hardship. However, the Associated Press found that some statistics the church used to solicit donations were not specific to the reservation or lacked verifiable sources.

Some Arapaho members who once attended the church now feel exploited, while others struggle with the choice between their Christian faith and their cultural traditions. The tribes passed ordinances requiring religious groups to gain approval before operating on the reservation, but legal experts acknowledge the tribe’s ability to regulate activity on private land is limited. Despite the ordinances, Lucas intends to remain, believing God led her to Wind River.