According to Rev H Lianngaia, former General Secretary and Rev Lalbiaksanga Chinzah, former Associate General Secretary of the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM), corruption is also "the misuse of power by people in authority according to their will."
Statement on corruption made by the top leaders of the BCM was in response to a church Assembly resolution in 2013 seeking to reduce corruption in Mizoram.
Is the church in a position to preach against corruption, especially the kind that the former BCM officers mentioned in their official statement http://bit.ly/25YZkgf?
Back in 2008, the Baptist Church of Mizoram Assembly passed a resolution banning all pastors and ministers' wives to work full time from 2015. The reason cited was to strengthen and enhance pastoral ministry. The church claimed that there have been "numerous" problems because pastors' wives donot accompany their husbands. And to rectify the problem, the church proposed and adopted a strict rule that said a pastor must bring along his wife to the place of his work - meaning his pastorate.
The means to accomplish this new rule was to ban all pastors'/ministers' wives to work full time past 2015. Around 20 pastors (and their wives) were affected by this church resolution.
Now, here's a question. Is the church more interested in pastors' wives accompanying their husbands or forcing the wives to quit their jobs?
Case 1: Rev R Lalbiakliana is a minister in the BCM. Up until a few weeks ago, he was a pastor in Lunglei. His wife is a senior lecturer of Political Science at a government college in Lunglei. During his tenure as pastor, his wife was with him at the place of his work (Lunglei) thereby fulfilling the desire and intent of the church resolution. Yet, the church leadership under Rev H Lianngaia (General Secretary) and Rev C Ngurhnema (President) insisted that the wife quits her job. At one point, an ultimatum was given to them (and others) where non compliance would result in the pastor being dismissed from his service.
As a result of intense pressure, his wife forwarded her intention to resign to the General Secretary. The pastor was elected to head the Lawngtlai administration of the BCM soon after.
Case 2: Rev LB Khawpuimawia is also another minister in the BCM. He was pastor of Rahsiveng pastorate in Lunglei until a few weeks ago. His wife is a nurse practitioner under the government of Mizoram. Like the other pastors, his wife was forced to resign her job even though she was with her husband in Lunglei the whole time he was pastor. Under pressure from the church authorities, she forwarded her intention to quit her job to the General Secretary. Her husband was elected the new Director of Communications at the BCM headquarters.
If the wives of these two pastors were already accompanying their husbands in their pastorates, the pastors already fulfil the desire of the church leaders' resolution. But they were made to put pressure on their wives to quit their jobs.
Going by Rev H Lianngaia and Rev Lalbiaksanga Chinzah's definition of corruption and numerous church documents, there seems to be a clear case of the General Secretary and other church officials using their position to do things according to their will.
If the church leadership itself indulges in what can only be described as a misuse of power (which is corruption according to Rev H Lianngaia and Rev Lalbiaksanga Chinzah), is the church, then, in a position to preach against corruption, especially the kind that seems to engulf the state government?
