How I Got to Know Nagaland
My connection with Nagaland began in Korea. I met many Naga students who came to Korea for theological studies. I attended their monthly gatherings, where they worshiped and fellowshipped together. They prayed for themselves, for Korean churches, and especially for their homeland, Nagaland.
Two people became especially important in helping me understand Nagaland: Dr. Timothy Kaping and Mr. Aloto Anche.
I met Dr. Tim through the PACE International Fellowship. He loved the Lay Pastors Ministry very much, so I suggested that we work together to introduce PACE ministry to foreign students in Korea. This gathering continued for about two years.
During this time, I also met Mr. Aloto Anche, who was studying for his Th.M. at Seoul Christian University (SCU). Aloto and I began talking more seriously about the possibility of opening a PACE school in Nagaland.
These two men studied the Lay Pastors Ministry with me for about two years. They came to understand the ministry and, more importantly, they came to love it. They wanted to take PACE ministry to their homeland. In that sense, they became an important source of motivation for me.
There were many things in LPM that impressed them, but one concept especially touched their hearts: “Love with skin on.” They believed that their people needed this kind of practical, personal care.
Through the Naga students in Korea, I also began to learn about the situation in Nagaland. They described it as a poor place where many people had their own homes but very little cash income. They also told me that most of the population was Christian, but that much of the Christianity was nominal.
I wanted to see Nagaland for myself.
Opening PACE International Seminary
Finally, I arrived in Dimapur, Nagaland, on July 15, 2015, to open the school. It was a very hot summer.
Most schools in Nagaland began their academic year in June, and new students normally entered at that time. Our school opened a little later, however, because Aloto’s Th.M. studies and dissertation had to be completed before he could return to Dimapur.
After waiting for his arrival, we officially opened PACE International Seminary on July 22, 2015.
For me, this was a historic moment in the worldwide development of the Lay Pastors Ministry. What had begun in Korea was now taking root in another country.
What I Saw in Nagaland
While staying in Dimapur, I began to see for myself some of the realities I had heard about in Korea. Nagaland was economically poor, and regular employment was difficult to find. Many people depended on daily work and lived relatively simple lives.
I also learned that the economic situation could not be understood simply by looking at individual people. Nagaland has its own distinctive political and historical circumstances, including a long history of conflict and a complicated relationship with the Indian government. These circumstances have affected economic development and opportunities for many years.
I had also heard that most people were Christians but that many were nominal Christians. After spending time there, however, I did not want to judge the people simply by that description. Being born into a Christian family or living in a predominantly Christian society does not automatically tell us the depth of a person’s faith. I found that Nagaland, like every other society, had both strengths and weaknesses.
The Church in Nagaland
The Christian history of Nagaland is closely connected with Baptist missionaries who came to the region about a century ago. As a result, the Baptist denomination became dominant in Nagaland.
I noticed that the church system was relatively hierarchical. Denominational structures had considerable influence over pastors and local churches. In some ways, this system had positive effects. For example, it provided organization and helped maintain unity within the denomination.
At the same time, I saw another side of the system. Strong denominational control could make it difficult for young pastors and newly graduated theological students to begin new churches or develop new approaches to ministry.
Every system has strengths and weaknesses. I believed that Nagaland’s churches would gradually need to make room for new generations of pastors and new forms of ministry. As society changes, churches also need to examine whether old systems and customs still serve their people effectively.
A New Paradigm for Lay Ministry
When I introduced the Lay Pastors Ministry in Nagaland, I discovered that many churches were unfamiliar with the concept of lay ministry.
The principle of Ephesians 4:11–12—“to equip the saints for the work of ministry”—was not yet being fully expressed through a practical system of congregational care.
That gave LPM an important opportunity.
The Lay Pastors Ministry brings together two important concepts: caring and lay ministry.
First, there is caring—“love with skin on.” People need someone who will be present with them, pray with them, listen to them, and walk with them.
Second, there is lay ministry—the understanding that ministry is not the responsibility of pastors alone. Laypeople can become partners with their pastors in caring for the congregation.
These two ideas belong together. That combination became one of the strongest points of LPM in Nagaland.
The ultimate goal was not for laypeople to replace pastors. Rather, it was to help pastors and laypeople become partners in ministry. The pastor can no longer personally care for every person in a growing congregation. Lay pastors can become an extension of the pastor’s hands, caring for people personally and continually.
Of course, this requires a paradigm shift.
Whenever a new way of thinking is introduced, pastors and congregations may initially feel uncomfortable. But when people discover that the ministry is biblical, practical, and genuinely helpful, change can gradually take place. Sometimes the change happens consciously; sometimes it becomes part of the church’s culture almost naturally.
Why Nagaland Needed an Outside Voice
I also discovered another important aspect of the situation in Nagaland. Because the churches had developed within their own systems for many years, it was not always easy for local leaders to step outside their established patterns of thinking.
Sometimes an outside voice can help.
This is one reason I believe Nagaland needs people who can come from outside, just as LPMI USA and LPM Korea have done, to introduce new ideas, teach conferences, encourage pastors, and help churches see possibilities they may not have considered before.
The purpose is not to tell Nagaland churches what to do. Rather, it is to introduce a biblical and practical model and allow local leaders to adapt it to their own situation.
PACE in Nagaland
PACE was especially meaningful in Nagaland because its central idea is “love with skin on.”
The people were looking for help, but more than financial help, they needed people who would care for them personally. PACE offered a simple way to express that care through Prayer, Availability, Contact, and Example.
At the same time, the concept of lay ministry was relatively new to many churches.
For many years, the church had tended to focus heavily on the pastor and the denominational structure. In a simple way, I sometimes described this pattern as three things: Presence, Pray, and Pay. The pastor was expected to be present, to pray, and to carry the major responsibilities of ministry, while laypeople often supported the church through attendance, prayer, and financial giving.
PACE introduced another possibility:
Laypeople can care for people.
When I taught about Lay Pastors Ministry and PACE, many people were surprised. Some expressed gratitude because they were seeing ministry from a new perspective. They began to recognize that lay ministry was not merely a modern management idea but had a strong biblical foundation.
A New Beginning
I sometimes think of what happened in Nagaland as a second reformation of ministry—not a new gospel or a replacement for the church, but a renewed understanding of who participates in the ministry of caring for God’s people.
The first Reformation emphasized important biblical truths about the church and the Christian faith. In a similar way, the Lay Pastors Ministry can help churches rediscover the biblical truth that the whole people of God are called to participate in ministry.
This is why I believe PACE International Seminary (PIS) can play an important role in the future of the church in Nagaland.
The seminary is not simply a school that teaches information. It can become a place where pastors and laypeople learn a new way of caring for one another—where theology becomes practice, where pastors and laypeople become partners, and where “love with skin on” becomes a living reality.
What began with two Naga friends in Korea eventually became a school in Nagaland.
Looking back, I can see that God was preparing the way through relationships.
Timothy opened my eyes to Nagaland.
Aloto helped open the door.
PACE gave us a model.
And the people of Nagaland gave the ministry a new home.