The Sumi Baptist Church Mission (Towards the Emerging Socio-Economic Context of Nagaland)

About the Book The book presents the locus standi of the Sumi Baptist Church in Nagaland. It also proposes the future course of action the Church should employ along with various non-governmental organizations, churches and the government organizations for the betterment of the society in socio-economic context. It suggests the Church to look seriously into biblical teachings and reflect theologically on the present problems for mission direction.

This scholarly work recommends for transformational development that allows establishment of God's desire in human society and in the rest of the creation for total life. It addresses the challenges being faced by the Sumi Baptist Church in the of transformational development of the Naga society. The work is a treat for readers as it reconsiders four vital impediments in the quest of Naga Spirituality and their transformational development: Stewardship and socio-economic development, Justice in the midst of injustice and division among the Naga community, Liberative mission towards the oppressive socio-economic and political structures, Upholding kingdom community amid Naga society where the social and moral values are corrupted and spiritually bankrupt.

To eradicate the said impediments the author has provided well-researched suggestions like: Strengthening Naga traditional institution of customary laws and acts; Co- operative community development; Reviving community work culture; Human potential - Resource Educational development; and Job creation coupled with Project development.

The book is meant to fight against all the social odds that Nagas and society at large are facing. It paves the path for their transformational development so that in future the society can become a God's Intended Society.

About the Author Dr. Hetoni Swu, hailing from the Sumi Community of Dimapur (Nagaland), is an active member of the Sumi Baptist Church.

She began her theological voyage by doing B.Th from Clark Theological College, Aolijen, Mokokchung; B.D from Bishop's College, Kolkatta; M.Th in Missiology from Serampore College, Serampore; and Ph.D under the Consortium from Indian Missiological Education (CIME), Bangalore. She had been on various positions at different renowned institutions and colleges. Since 2012, she is a teaching faculty at the Servanthood Bible College, Dimapur. She has also contributed numerous articles in various leading journals.

Foreword The Latin term Missio Dei can be translated as the "mission of God," or the "sending of God." Thus, Missio Dei is seen as a movement from God to the world; and the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. As David Bosch has said, "To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God's love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love." As God's instrument, the mission of the church is directed to the whole inhabited world. In the recent past, the term mission has been applied usually to foreign missionary activities. Now, the mission of the church is perceived as the task of the church wherever it is found, which includes building and strengthening Christian communities. It involves crossing all human boundaries for the purpose of witnessing, proclaiming and serving a lost humanity. As followers of Christ we do mission as a loving response to the triune God who suffers for humanity and who calls us to do mission together with Him. The challenge of mission is inescapable.

Preface The focal point of the book is to investigate the ways in which the Sumi Baptist Church can participate in missions with regard to the socio-economic context of Nagaland.

The discussion provides a critical analysis of the past and the recent developments of the socio-economic situation. The economy of the people, once subsistence with credibility of their work culture, is hardly noticed. The following are the observed findings: leadership, recognition, power, possessions, political differences, money, unemployment, underemployment, lack of resources and management for survival. In this situation, people aspire for social integrity, political freedom, economic progress, and development which lie far behind in reality.

Introduction This chapter first introduces the people and the setting of Nagaland, and later presents the research problem and statement, importance of the problem, objectives, scope and limitations, definition of the terms related to the purpose, previous research and reviews, methodology and chapter divisions of the book.

The word 'Naga' can originally be traced back to the following theories. First, the Burmese word for 'Naka' means people with pierced ears, considering the fact that all Nagas in the earlier days. had pierced ears.' Second, from the Assamese word 'Noga' which meant 'mountaineer' or 'mountain man', with the consideration that Nagas lived in mountainous places.

**Contents and Sample Pages**