In Nagaland today, many families send struggling youth to theological colleges hoping the environment itself will bring change. These decisions are often made out of love, concern, and desperation for transformation. Yet good intentions alone do not always produce wise outcomes.
A young person may struggle with addiction, discipline, or direction in life, and eventually the family decides to send them to a theological institution, hoping that spiritual exposure and structured living will reform them. While the intention is understandable, theological colleges are not designed to function as rehabilitation centres.
Rehabilitation centres exist to help individuals recover from addiction and destructive behavioural patterns through counselling, accountability, structured care, and long-term support. Recovery requires healing, patience, and intentional guidance.
Theological colleges, however, serve a different purpose. Their role is to train and equip individuals who already demonstrate spiritual maturity, discipline, and a credible calling to ministry. They are designed to develop theological understanding, pastoral responsibility, and leadership capacity — not to manage unresolved personal crises.
This distinction is not about exclusion, but wisdom.
When individuals still struggling deeply are placed prematurely into ministerial training, the pressures of theological education often become overwhelming rather than transformative. In many cases, both the individual and the institution suffer.
The more responsible path is to prioritize healing first. Let recovery happen in the right environment. Let churches provide discipleship, guidance, and discernment. Then, when stability and character are established, theological training can fulfill its intended role.
God has certainly transformed lives within theological institutions, and such testimonies should be celebrated. But we must not confuse what God graciously does with what an institution is designed to do.
When theological colleges become substitutes for rehabilitation centres, academic focus weakens, faculty members are stretched beyond their expertise, and the church risks producing leaders who are not yet ready for ministry.
The issue is not whether struggling people have a place in ministry — they do. The issue is timing. Recovery must come before preparation.
When rehabilitation centres, churches, families, and theological colleges each fulfill their proper role, the result is healthier leaders and a stronger church.
Mhaletsolie Vielie
Academic Dean,
Logos College, Sovima
Monday, June 8, 2026