Assam, the gateway to Northeast India, has a population of over 36 million, but only about 3.7% are Christians. In contrast, the other six northeastern states — Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh together have around 16–17 million people, with nearly 75% Christians. This makes Assam one of the least reached regions in Northeast India.
Although a few Bible colleges exist in Upper and Central Assam, there is still no strong theological seminary in Lower Assam or the eastern part of West Bengal bordering Bhutan. Many students must travel to distant states for theological education, and many poor students not able to afford the expenses. Shalom Institute has the capability to become a major center for theological education in Lower Assam, serving different tribes, castes, denominations, and neighboring communities, including neighboring countries.
The need is urgent. More than 85% of the pastors among the 440 churches under LABF are still untrained, and churches and organizations continue to face a shortage of trained and capable leaders.
The field in Assam is vast, and the need for trained leaders remains great. Shalom Institute is committed to providing Christ-centered, biblically grounded, and contextually relevant theological education with academic excellence.
The institute also emphasizes the holistic development of students in order to raise missional and transformational servant leaders who can positively impact churches and communities through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Although Shalom Institute (SI) is strategically located at Kokrajhar town, the capital of Bodoland, and provides contextually relevant, biblically grounded, and Christ-centered theological education with access to extensive digital library resources, the Institute continues to face several significant challenges. These include inadequate infrastructure, limited hostel accommodation for both male and female students, insufficient campus space, inadequate educational and residential facilities, a shortage of hard-copy library resources, and a limited number of qualified faculty members.
As a result of these constraints, many prospective students are discouraged from enrolling, visiting faculty members cannot be adequately accommodated, and not all resident faculty members are able to live on campus. Furthermore, the Institute's capacity to admit students is restricted to approximately 80, limiting its ability to meet the growing demand for theological education and leadership training.