FURTHER VISION FOR THE BLACK HILLS

Bill Taylor
June 1, 2015

Introduction
In 2007 I wrote a paper titled THE CHURCH IN THE BLACK HILLS: A Foundational View, in
which I outlined how the Church needs to relate across denominational and geographical
boundaries, allowing the foundational ministries to lay groundwork and structure for the Church
of Jesus Christ for the region. I explained that much (most) of the Church, in general, primarily
looks only to the work and ministry of their particular body, church group, or denomination. This
weakens and divides the Body, which is in direct opposition to the prayer of our Lord in John 17,
calling the Body to unity in the spirit of love as brothers and sisters.
I also wrote of how this division and lack of unity weakens us, the Church, and our testimony,
and these conditions invite defeat in spiritual warfare. Not only does God view and set aside
regions (cities, parts of cities, rural areas, geographical regions, political divisions, and even
countries) for His purpose, but He expects His people to be aware of His purpose for, and
anointing upon, that region. God wants us to be aware of (and will show us, as we seek
revelation) the spiritual dominions and wickedness in high places which oppose His purpose, in
order that the Church can be obedient to the Holy Spirit in cooperating and coordinating spiritual
strategies He has divined, in order to establish His Kingdom over any region and minister His
purpose throughout that region.
Our enemy certainly has strategies, dominions, and principalities in operation to steal the Black
Hills from the authority of the Church and to defeat the purposes of God. You can bet this enemy
communicates with and coordinates the attacks of his minion hoards. And the Church thinks it
can defeat the work and power of the enemy while divided and competing within itself for
power, position, recognition, and numbers! No wonder sin is rampant!
But, I digress into the focus of the previous paper. What I wanted to address in this paper is what
I have come to believe is a further vision for the Church in, through, and over the Black Hills. I
have not done extensive spiritual mapping or discernment of dominions of the enemy in the
Black Hills. (Extensive study of the kingdom of evil can become dangerous itself, if we continue
to focus on the enemy rather than our King and His Kingdom). However, I have done some
reading of the history of the Black Hills and their development and I believe God has shared with
me what some of His purpose is for the Black Hills in relation to the Kingdom and the Church.
Some History
Even though God is limitless and unfettered by any boundaries or geographical features, we see
down through the ages, in Biblical and subsequent times, that God, regularly and often,
established various mountains and high places for worship and communication with Him. We
could discuss many reasons for this, but I suspect it has been more for our vision and
understanding then because God needs a high place. We see, since the tower of Babel, that man
has often affixed special spiritual significance to hills, mountains, and high places. This attitude
seemed to pervade the attitudes of those Native American tribes who lived within reach of the

Black Hills. My limited research seems to show that most natives did not make the Black Hills
their home, but came to the Hills for provision and spiritual renewal. (This may not have been
true of more ancient peoples.) Many natives used the Hills as a center for spiritual worship,
divination, visions, empowerment, etc. The Hills were claimed by Native American tribes as
holy ground in their treaties with the U.S. government. However, it was not long after signing of
the treaties that gold was discovered in the area around Custer, SD and the government could not
hold back the hordes of those consumed with greed, despite the treaty. So, it became easier to
eliminate the treaty and say we didnt mean it anyway. This greed and betrayal are characteristics
which have carried down to affect us and the Church today.
After white supremacy was established in the Black Hills and the gold played out, the Hills
became a stopping place for wagon trains and then railroads, as settlers moved forward in the
western expansion. Even today, the Black Hills are most commonly a stop for tourists and
visitors heading on to the Yellowstone and points west.
In summary, Native Americans looked to the Hills for provision, rest, spiritual clarity and
empowerment. Early settlers and travelers stopped at the Hills for provision and resupply. Early
trains stopped here for water and coal, in order to continue on their journey. John Dawson, in
Taking Our Cities for God, speaks of understanding the historical perspective of a city or region,
in order to properly pray and claim that area for the establishment of the Church and the
fulfillment of its purpose. I believe these thoughts give us an inkling into the purpose of the
Black Hills in Gods scheme for His Church and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Gods Purpose
So, without putting too fine a point on all this, I believe God has shown that the Black Hills are
destined to be a place of spiritual power, communion with God, and a place of reprovisioning,
rest, and restrengthening for those spiritual pioneers and warriors as He might send here. The
Hills should be a place of renewal for members of the Body, that they might go out again on the
journey to which the Master has called.
For these things to happen, Jesus Christ, the Chief Architect, would have the Church of the Black
Hills recognize its destiny and purpose and build the foundations of shared vision, unity, and
love, in order that the structure of the Church might be solid in the pulling down of
strongholds and edifying the Body in love. I believe the Church of the Black Hills is
supposed to be a place for teaching, healing, strengthening, and renewal, in order that the Head
of the Church might send out disciples in ministry to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the headChrist 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what
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every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.