Christianity in Nagaland is no longer an uphill battle- it is a tradition, a structure and a norm. Yet the essence of the gospel, which once turned hearts and communities upside down seems curiously absent in our day-to-day life. The question is no longer whether Christianity has arrived in Nagaland but whether it still transforms us. This is why we must revisit an uncomfortable but necessary truth: Nagaland still needs missionaries. Not because we are unreached but because we have become unmoved. Not because the gospel is absent but because it is often unattended. The mission field has not disappeared. It has simply changed. And now it needs a new kind of missionary. This is not a denial of the faith that exists in Nagaland but rather a call to recognize that the mission is far from over. Our state doesn’t just need more churches; it needs more missionaries, people who live out the gospel in a land where it has often been reduced to tradition and cultural symbolism.
A land without Christlike living: It’s one of the greatest ironies of our time: a place where everyone is Christian yet society remains broken by corruption, substance abuse, political violence, factionalism, tribalism and growing apathy. We have confused Christian heritage with Christian living. We may inherit church traditions but we do not inherit a transformed heart. Cultural Christianity has replaced personal conviction. A religion that’s loud on Sunday but silent during the week. Missionaries are needed- not the ones who come from outsidebut those within our own land who rise up with a mission to model Christ in schools, marketplaces, homes and government. We need a new generation of “local missionaries” who see Nagaland not as the mission field of the past but of the present.
The Church has grown but disciples have not: Nagaland has no shortage of churches. In some towns, churches outnumber schools. Yet the presence of buildings and programs does not guarantee the presence of spiritual depth. Many church members today know the structure of a Sunday service better than the structure of the Bible. Our spiritual growth has stagnated. We have learned to attend church but not to be the church. This is why we need missionariesnot necessarily to plant more churches but to revive the existing ones. Missionaries who prioritize discipleship over denominations. Missionaries who will teach not just how to sing about God but how to follow Him when no one is watching.
We export missionaries while ignoring local missions: Nagaland has historically sent missionaries to foreign lands and remote areas- an admirable legacy. But in our enthusiasm to reach others, we often forget that many of our own people remain untouched by the gospel’s power. Children growing up in broken homes and even many educated Christians live without any meaningful relationship with Christ. The local mission field is not shrinking, it is expanding. The breakdown of traditional family systems, the rise of internet addictions, the moral confusion among young people and the erosion of ethical leadership are all signals that we must look inward. We need missionaries who are not afraid to stay, to serve in Nagaland itself, not because it’s convenient but because it’s broken. The mission field is here, in our towns, schools and neighborhoods.
The rise of nominalism and religious apathy: When Christianity becomes the default religion, people stop asking what it means. This is the crisis of nominalism- professing Christianity without practicing it. Many in our context wear the Christian label without ever having encountered Christ in a personal, life-changing way. This religious apathy is most visible among young people. For many, church has become routine. Faith is inherited, not experienced. Prayer is a formality, not a conversation with the living God. In such a context, missionaries are not just preachers, they are witnesses. We need people whose very lives interrupt the apathy and awaken hunger for a living relationship with Jesus. We need families, professionals, students and elders who live like they’ve seen Christ. Only then can others be moved to seek Him too.
The Gospel without transformation is not the full Gospel: We often speak of salvation as a one-time decision but forget that the gospel is meant to transform every aspect of life in terms of our integrity, our relationships, our purpose and even our public responsibilities. But what we see instead is a gospel without impact. Missionaries are needed to reintroduce the full gospel not just the message of heaven after death but the message of transformation before death. The gospel that says corruption must die, that reconciliation must happen, that justice must flow like a river. This gospel must first be lived before it can be preached.
The mission of healing our broken institutions: Our society is hurting not just spiritually but socially, economically and politically. Institutions like education, governance, healthcare and law enforcement are plagued with inefficiency, favoritism and often, outright injustice. The church can’t stay silent. What if we saw teachers, doctors, administrators and entrepreneurs as missionaries to broken systems? What if “Nagaland for Christ” meant more than having prayer meetings and extended to reforming our institutions with biblical ethics? We need missionaries who are not only pastors but also policy makers. Not only evangelists but also ethical engineers. People who understand that to bring the kingdom of God near, we must engage the world and not escape it.
Reviving the missionary spirit within ourselves: When we think of missionaries, we often imagine people in strange lands, learning new languages and sharing the Gospel. But in reality, a missionary is anyone who lives intentionally for the Gospel, no matter where they are. Nagaland doesn’t need to be re-evangelized from the outside. It needs to be re-awakened from within. And that will only happen when ordinary people embrace a missionary mindset- when mothers disciple their children intentionally, when businessmen run their affairs with honesty and when church leaders walk humbly before God. Missionaries are not a special class of Christians. They are what every Christian is called to be.
Reclaiming a forgotten calling: There comes a time when a community must pause and ask, have we settled for less than what we were called to be? This is not a question of criticism but of clarity. The presence of churches, programs and professions of faith is not the final goal. It is the foundation upon which a deeper mission is built. This is not a call to despair but to reawaken. We have the heritage. We have the history. But do we have the hunger? The new mission field is not across the sea. It’s across the street. It’s in our colleges, in our corrupt systems, in our hurting homes and in our distracted churches.
The path forward is not easy. But it is necessary. Because every generation must decide again what kind of faith it will live and what kind of legacy it will leave. May we be the generation that dares to believe the mission is still alive. May we be the ones who go, not far away but deep within. And may we live in such a way that others begin to ask why we shine. And the missionaries Nagaland needs may just be us.
~ Bendangliba Andrew
