T Apok Jamir
Discipleship Bible College
Introduction
Church is the body of Christ. To help and build-up a church is every Christian enterprise. The church is the nest for every believer, and it should have the capacity to accommodate everyone irrespective of their background as long as one is interested to worship the Lord. For, if there is any limitation or defect in the church functioning or its health, then every member of the church will suffer together. There are certain concerning issues prevailing in the churches of Nagaland which seem to be hindering the process of progressing and incompetent to deliver the needs of the people in our present context.
1. Divisionism among the Church Members
Division among the church members between rich and poor, high officers and ordinary people, partakers of the church and non-partakers is another prevailing issue in the church today. Generally, the class system is foreign to Naga society, and the church does not make any rules to differentiate between the church members, but the existing system of practices clearly indicates that the voices of ordinary people are hardly heard, particularly the participation in decision matter. As a result, the common members of the church feel alienated or neglected by the mainstream players. The evidence of such selectivism among the members can be seen in the selection of church leaders, whereby minimum opportunities are given for ordinary people to play the role in the church despite their talent and potentiality. The exodus of church members in a mass scale and setting-up different para-churches in order to get participation in the activities are another indication of people’s indifference towards the mainstream church. The increase of para-churches in Nagaland is alarming and is posing a serious challenge. Thus, if the mainstream churches do not change the existing trend, and start a new measure whereby every member of the church is given an opportunity, and instil in them a feeling of care and concern by the leaders, it will not be too far away to face the existential problem.
2. Nominalism
The criterion set by Jesus to enter into the kingdom of God was to be born again (Jn. 3:3). This born again implies a pure heart who are willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of Christ. Traditionally, in most of the Naga churches, a good/true Christian is measured by his/her going to church regularly, and so the kingdom of God belongs to them without realizing the inner dirt of their heart. In contrast, people who do not attend the church regularly are being considered as unsaved and so no place for heaven unless they repent. This sort of understanding among the member has been going on since its inception. The system of the church is such that the ‘pastor is to preach and others are meant for listening’ irrespective of whether the members understand the word of God or not has become a routine. Unfortunately, people who are regularly attending the church do not show any elements of born-again sign in their life. Except attending the church, they are no different from those who do not go to church with regard to their actions and lifestyle. This is clearly visible by the huge increase in nominal Christians in the church. The question is who is to blame for producing so many nominal Christian today? Is there something wrong with the traditional preaching method or the church members to be blamed? Let someone be accountable for the crisis.
3. Traditionalism/Structuralism
While the world is rapidly changing so also the understanding of the people, the modus-operandi of the churches in Nagaland remain as fixed price, which often halts and hinders delivering the needs of the people at the present day. The church is set up in a way that it cannot go beyond the four wall and making programs of the church continue in the same pattern for years, that even if one doesn’t go to church it is already understood what is going to take place. Another concern of this structural system is that of concentration of power in the hands of few people, which creates a distance or rather alienates other church members. While the church belongs to everyone, the atmosphere of this system is such that only its employees are the sole authority in making decisions related to church matters. However, the general members of the church begin to realize the unproductiveness and irrelevancy of rigid structuralism in this present context. Thus, it is imperative for Naga churches to rectify the past limitations, and open up to embrace structural changes where both men and women are equally treated and allow equal participation in activities and in decision making of the church.
Besides, the issue of same clan marriage and the idea of excommunicating from the community being practised by many mainstream churches, basically rejecting them to be a member has pushed them out of the church and society like an outcaste people is a concerning issue. If the emphatic declaration of the church on this matter continues then the churches will be like a replica of Ecclesiastical period where tradition was more dominant over the authority of the Bible.
Conclusion
The issue of divisionism that creates distance and disunity among the believers; the nominalism that stops the church from growing into the likeness of God; and the issue of traditionalism and structuralism and that refuse to adapt and live according to the context, have become a matter of serious concern for a healthy church. Thus, if anything needs to be corrected or motivated or deleted or added in the present system of functioning, it is an opportunity for churches in Nagaland to take a call whether it wants to go alongwith the context of this generation, or not. It is time for the churches to create a new avenue where every Christian can come together in unity to worship our Lord without any feeling of discrimination among them. The world is moving fast and if the churches cannot follow them, it will leave us behind.
