The news of the Mokokchung Town Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship (MTBPF) celebrating its Silver Jubilee under the theme ‘Stronger Together’ is an uplifting one for a number of reasons. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of groups and organizations in Mokokchung, each formed for a specific or a set of outlined targets and objectives – almost usually for the good of its members and the society at large. Each of these groups and organizations, or at least those that go on to survive, will celebrate the jubilee milestones. However, the MTBPF is a unique body and it is heartening to know that it is now 25 years old. Surely, the MTBPF must have played a lot of important roles in a lot of important issues over the years ever since its inception.
What sets MTBPF apart is that it is a fellowship of pastors of all the Baptist churches in Mokokchung town – regardless of linguistic differences, race or social affiliations. Although it is a body of Pastors, as the name itself suggests, it nonetheless represents the unity of Baptist Christian believers of various backgrounds but not necessarily ecumenism. Thus, how the world observes the Baptist Christians of Mokokchung town, or more importantly, how they lead their Christian lives, depend much on how the Pastors minister their flock in their respective congregations. It is here that the MTBPF can be a catalyst for the transformation of Mokokchung. No doubt, the MTBPF knows what they are doing and they know best what needs to be done. However, apart from the primary duty of spreading the word of God and shepherding followers seeking spiritual guidance, and fulfilling their calling by dedicating their lives to studying the Bible and preaching, it may be pointed out that the Pastor must understand the world in which the flock are living. The Pastor, a functional title of the shepherd, is not another office. The responsibility is enormous.
Apart from theology, the Pastor is also expected to understand that they are looked up to by the flock on how to live ‘in’ this world by not becoming ‘of’ this world. The history of Baptist Christians is full of individuals who transformed the lives of people and societies, of great movements that even changed the course of history taking off from small towns. There is hope for the faithful that similar examples can happen here too. And it will not be wrong to say that Mokokchung, and Naga society at large, is a reflection of what the Pastor’s stewardship is like. It is indeed a huge responsibility, a seemingly taunting one if viewed from the perspective of a layman.
