Historical Background

The first American Baptist missionaries reached North East India in 1836. Nathan Brown and O.T. Cutter, along with their wives, came to Assam hoping to find access to China through the Shans territory to northern frontier of Burma and Assam. The group sailed up the Brahmaputra river and arrived in Sadiya on March 23, 1836, and there confronted them with dense jungles, hostile tribals and rugged hills. Yet, believing they had been led to a fruitful place they began to learn Assamese language, set up their printing press, and gave themselves to the task of translating, publishing and teaching. Thus began the work of the Baptist in the north-eastern corner of India-the beginning of CBCNEI.

During the first ten years of the Assam Mission, important beginnings were made in Church organization. On 26th January, 1845, representatives of the Christian communities at the three centres met in Gauhati to organize the Baptist Church of Assam. This was really a kind of association because the Church consisted of the three “branch” churches, now brought into existence at Sibsagar, Nowgong, and Gauhati. Thus, was the first CBCNEI church established. Then the first Church in Garo Hills, was established at Rajasimla in 1867. The first thrust among the Nagas came from the small village of Namsang in Tirap.

Miles Bronson and family settled a short time in that village, but the work was abandoned due to illness in the family before the end of 1840. The next move in Nagaland was by Godhula Brown, the first Assamese to accept Christ, and Rev. E. W. Clark. The first Church among the Nagas was organized in 1872, at Dokhahaimong (Molungyimjen) village in Ao area. Rev. W. Pettigrew started the Baptist Mission work in Manipur in 1896. The work among the (Mikirs) Karbis was started quite early but it did not gain much progress. So, the work in this area has been restricted to the fringe areas adjoining the plains of Assam. The field work in North-East India was largely the responsibility of the American Baptist Mission until 1950. In fact, the Mission could not handle the full obligation of the area and so in the 1940 the area on the North Bank of Brahmaputra river was handed over to the care of the Australian Baptist Mission (for Goalpara district) and to the General Baptist Conference (for Darrang and North Lakhimpur districts).

In 1914, the National churches formed themselves into Assam Baptist Christian Convention. This organization grew in its stature, and finally in January 1950, the Council of Baptist Churches in Assam (CBCA) was formed by the amalgamation of Assam Baptist Missionary Conference under the leadership of its First General Secretary, Rev. A. F. Merrill. Later the name was changed to Council of Baptist Churches in Assam and Manipur (CBCAM), and finally, the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI) on geographical grounds. Almost all the Baptist churches in Assam, Arunachal, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland were brought within the Council. So since the year 1950 the field works has been brought under the ministry of the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI).

Chronology of the General Secretaries of the Council:

1. Rev. Alfred F. Merril – 1950-1955

2. Rev. Edward Singha – 1956-1968

3. Rev. Dr. K. Imotemjen Aier – 1969-1988

4. Rev. Dr. Lorendra A. Sangma – 1988-1999

5. Rev. Dr. J. M. Ngul Khan Pau – 1999-2009

6. Rev. Dr. Ajoy Kumar Lama – 2009-2014

7. Rev. Dr. Solomon Rongpi – 2014-2019

8. Rev. Prof. Akheto Sema – 2019