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Nagaland is an autonomous state in the northeast corner of India along
the Myanmar border. The Naga people's physical features are more
similar to east Asians than the general Indian population. Nagas were
once fierce headhunters. Internally, differing dialects and tribalism
among the Nagas built walls among themselves and is reflected in the
Naga church. Nagaland's Christian heritage dates back to the golden
days of intense missionary activity in India. They were evangelized in
the mid-1800s by an American missionary who specifically sought out the headhunting tribes. That explains why some 90 percent of Nagas are at least nominal Christians.
But in the 60 years since India expelled missionaries from Nagaland in
1946, many Christians lost the fire of the gospel and their churches
turned into structured institutions that offered people little in terms
of spiritual growth. In spite of a significant revival (people
movement), many young people feel displaced from the church.
Many of these young people make their way to New Delhi to advance their studies. Spiritually adrift, it is easy for these young students to get involved in drugs and other vices.
The Nagaland state government along with the Nagaland Baptist Church Council supports a youth ministry by providing accommodations for a chaplain for
the spiritual needs of these students. Dr. Rev. Ricky Medom was
appointed as chaplain in 1992. As chaplain, he conducts the weekly
worship service, discipleship studies and fellowship activities that
meet on the compound. Services are held in the basement below the
Medom's small living quarters. He spends hours counseling and
discipling individuals who come to him for help. His wife, Viring, was
a long-time staff member of REACH in the Philippines. She ministers to Naga women and to an international group of women from various foreign embassies.
Even before Ricky's appointment, he nurtured a vision for his people.
He sought to train in a seminary where the curriculum would be
appropriate for the spiritual needs of his own church and community. He bypassed offers of admission from two Western schools of theology and opted for the Asian Theological Seminary (ATS) in Quezon City in the
Philippines. While in the Philippines, he also learned the practical
side of discipleship ministries from such organizations as the
Navigators and REACH, Inc. While studying at the seminary, he met and married Viring.
After obtaining a master's degree, Ricky and Viring returned to India where Ricky was offered the position of lecturer in Bible in one of the prestigious liberal arts colleges in Nagaland. After several years of service there, they went back to the Philippines where Ricky enrolled for the doctoral program in Systematic Theology in the Baptist Seminary in Baguio and Viring also completed her Masters in Christian Education.
Eventually Ricky was offered the chaplain's position among the hundreds of Naga students in the universities of New Delhi. He and Viring built a student ministry from scratch, applying the principle of ministry which involves training disciples to multiply as they grow in Christ.
Ricky and Viring's vision for Nagaland is plain and simple. By building
disciples among the students now, Naga society will be influenced later as the students return as professionals capable of impacting every
aspect of community life. But that is only part of their vision. People
like Ricky and Viring would like too see the Nagas serve as a light in
this Hindu nation.
Ricky is also pastor of the Naga Christian Fellowship (NCF) in New
Delhi that evolved from the student ministry. Similar fellowships have
been established in 12 other major Indian cities where Naga students
attend university. Ricky is a respected leader in the NCF movement and has many opportunities to travel and speak to Naga groups in Nagaland and throughout India.
The NCF has held retreats where students can be trained and grow in
their relationship with the Lord and has sponsored mission exposure
trips to places such as Jammu and Kashmir and the neighboring country of Nepal, to help students develop a vision to reach Hindus and Muslims. RMI founder, Gene Tabor, and RMI staff, JoAnn Ray from Hong Kong and Joe and Kate Boeve from the Philippines, have had the pleasure to visit, encourage, and serve as resource people with the Medoms. Several key Naga students have attended the REACH collegiate summer training programs in the Philippines. It is hoped that similar exchanges can continue in the future for the mutual benefit of both ministries.
Another aspect of the Medoms and the NCF's ministry is the joint work with Tyrannus Hall International. The Delhi Tyrannus Hall is a residential dorm designed for Christian young men attending secular universities. The main goal is to help these young men grow in discipleship through close supervision while they continue with their studies. In this way committed Christian young men will be equipped to give leadership to the churches and influence their world for Christ through their key positions in government, business, academia, and missions.
Although the Nagas were headhunters in previous centuries, today, by
God's grace, people like Ricky are heart-hunters for the Kingdom.
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