Roles Of Theological Education in Enhancing Women Leadership in The Church

The need to train and retrain leaders for the church cannot be overemphasized. One of the formal ways of achieving this is through theological training which has no preference for either male or female gender. Thus, it is imperative for a church which desires effective women participation in leadership positions to sponsor women in theological education, leading to a good exposure which will eventually enhance their leadership. The writer used both primary and secondary sources (Books, Journals, and Interview) to validate the argument pushed forward in this paper. Paper considers the nature of women in history and roles they have being playing in the church; discusses various formations taking place through theological education curriculum, and draws its implications on women leadership in the church. The findings showed that women have direct, indirect and mixed roles to play in the church. Ultimately, when women are maximally exposed to thorough theological education, it has the capacity to help them to accurately interpret the word of God and champion the leadership of Christian Education at the home front and in the church. Exposure of women to theological Education will also enhance ministerial counseling skills, makes them to development leadership skills, and assist them to balance family responsibility with ministerial demand. In the light of these, the writer recommends that women who have proven to be called of God should be encouraged and sponsored by the church for theological education; theological institutions should intensify their efforts towards giving women quality education like their male counterparts; women in church leadership positions should use their influence to enlighten more women on their real identity; theological institutions should make their admissions more flexible to women; and that theological institutions should also make their training to be more flexible for women.