Morung Express News
Kohima | March 21
The fifth Pastoral Leadership Development Training of the Institute for Development of Leadership (IFDOL) is currently underway with over 80 leaders from Eastern Nagaland participating in the 8 days training from March 14 to March 22. Organised by the Baptist Associations in Eastern Nagaland (BAEN) in partnership with Clark Theological College and Global Lead Alliance, and sponsored by Kohima Ao Baptist Arogo (KABA) the theme for the training is ‘Pastoral Leaderships in Local Context with Global Perspective’.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Building a Strong Community: Church in Managing conflicts’ on March 21, Dr. Aküm Longchari, Editor of The Morung Express, engaged the participants on activities reflecting on building a shared future and strengthening relationships within the society.
“All of us has interpreted and created the world around us based on our understanding. Is there one truth or several truths? That is one of the challenges we face today. We are challenged by the notions of truth and fact,” said Dr. Longchari stressing that dialogue is needed to tackle such dilemmas, to build strong communities, and strong relationships between people. To listen to the hopes and dreams of the people who you are representing, as Dr. Longchari pointed out, is a responsibility which he referred in the Naga context and viewed that if Nagas uphold to the dreams, nurture these dreams, the situation would have been much different than it faces today.
“To build a nation starts by nurturing relationships,” said Dr. Longchari, emphasizing that time is an essence in the process of nurturing hopes and dreams. The building of a society often follows the timeline of understanding the past first, followed by the present and then the future. When talking of the past, everyone has different interpretations, narratives and understanding despite being the same story, therefore Dr. Longchari pointed out the difficulty of coming together and the danger of being trapped in the past. “Because we are chained in the past, we find it very difficult to move forward. Can we re-conceptualize time? Rather than starting from the past can we start with the future?” asked Dr. Longchari.
Using the analogy of walking into an empty room and filling up the empty space, Dr. Longchari said, “It is for you and me to fill it up. The future cannot be build by one village, by one tribe or an individual. It can only be build together as opposed to the past. Because the past becomes exclusive we are not able to move to the future. If we can agree on what our future will be like and form a consensus, then we can deal with our past in a meaningful way. When the future meets the past, then we will know what to do in the present. You and I will know what we need to do today. For too long we have tried to go from the past to the present but we have been chained to the past.”
In order to move forward into the future, the significance of reconciliation was highlighted. Translating the Spanish version of Psalm 85: 10, ‘Truth and Justice have met, Peace and Mercy have kissed’, Dr. Longchari said that the place where truth, justice, peace and mercy meet is called reconciliation.
The IFDOL programme was initiated in 2014 with a special focus on bringing church leaders in Eastern Nagaland together, strengthening their capacities, and enhancing their contribution towards social change. The intense training which devotes 75 hours in 8 days for the participants have witness impacts in the churches and communities.
The fifth training focused on the topics: Envisioning a sustainable community (Y.Kiketo Sema), Christian leadership in proactive social amity-the need of the hour (Geoffrey Yaden), Building strong community: Church in Managing conflicts (Dr. Aküm Longchari), Biblical Foundations (Rev.Dr. Atsi Dolie), Building a strong church administration (Rev. Asangba), Role of the Church in Nation Building (Rev. Dr. Chingmak Kejong), Leadership in the expansion: 21st Century model (Rev. Dr. Takatemjen), Leadership and wholesome mental health (Dr. Ngully), Baptist Distinctiveness (Chingong Phom), Church History and overview (Toshi Aier), Pastoral Ministry in the local context with global outlook (Sentisashi), Church and networking missions (Arenla Longchar), and Spiritual Formation/ Church and Environment, Y.Nuklu Phom.
