Advancing Indigenous Missions was born in the heart of Dr. David L. Robbins over a long period of time. The vision of reaching the world through innovative methods gripped his heart in the 1990s as he researched and prayed about what would be his next step in mission.

In 1995 he was a part of a delegation with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada that attended the Global Consultation on Worldwide Evangelization (GCOWE) in Korea which hosted 10,000 delegates. Of significant note was the fact that over half of the attendees were indigenous mission leaders from the non-West.

David discovered that in countries where restrictions on expatriate missionary activity are evident, the indigenous church is proceeding and growing day by day. He connected with indigenous mission leaders who demonstrated an incredible passion for reaching the unreached. The indigenous church can be described as authentic New Testament Christians, characterized by few freedoms, limited resources, and little education.

Following the GCOWE, the Lord impressed upon David's heart to begin working with indigenous church leaders in the non-West. With the help of Grant Memorial Baptist Church and Calvary Temple in Winnipeg, AIM was formed, receiving Canadian charitable status in 2004. AIM joined a network connected to 250 missions in 100 countries through its sister agency, ANM, in Virginia.

Most of AIM's partner mission groups are located in the 10/40 Window. Currently, the strongest relationships that AIM is developing are with missions in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines.