Theological Education in the Light of 2 Timothy 3:10-17: An Evaluation of Pastoral Ministry in Nigeria

Abstract:

God’s calling of humankind for the work of the ministry is as old as the beginning of the world; but God does not call a man without a period of training known today as theological education. Unfortunately, these days, there is an emergence of anti-intellectualism in the pastoral ministry, where many pastors go into ministry without basic token of theological training. Also, many seminarians attend the seminary for formality purposes, just to acquire certificate for their licensing and ordination; they jettison theological and divinity courses like Greek, Hebrews as well as Dogmatics, insisting that success in pastoral ministry does not lie on theological education. However, this research aims at evaluating the necessities of theological education in the 21st century Nigeria pastoral ministry on one hand and the ephemerality of anti-intellectualists and impostors in ministry on the other hand, drawing inference from 2 Timothy 3:10-17. The research adopts lexico-grammatical exegetical method of data analysis in order to achieve its aim, using primary and secondary sources of data collections. The research claims that why there is a multiplicity of pastors in Nigeria presently, who are not successful in the ministry is because many churches and individuals take theological education for granted. Thus, it recommends that churches should take theological education serious and those who disdain and undermine theological education should refrain from that, so as to have successful pastoral ministry in Nigeria.