The challenge of power distance to women participation in theological education in the Nigerian Baptist Convention Seminaries

Abstract

In many local Baptist congregations in Nigeria, it is common to find females as dominant in comparison to men. In these places, they continue to play significant roles enhancing the growth and sustainability of such churches. However, looking at the three seminaries of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC)- the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso; the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kaduna; and the Baptist Theological Seminary, Eku-statistics reveal a disparity between females and males. Such a disparity is observable at all levels of the functions of these seminaries particularly, in terms of theological educators and the students. More often than not, contemporary statistics show male dominance over females. This study aims at understanding the causative factor(s) behind this development. Among other things, this study identifies the socio-cultural contextual issue of power distance, which relates to the extent to which a community accepts and endorses authority, power differences and status privileges as one of the major causes of the disparity against women in their involvement in formal theological education in the Nigerian Baptist Convention Seminaries. The study makes bold to recommend to the Nigerian Convention family to jettison power distance by serving as a model to the secular world in enhancing the status and participation of women in theological education. In addition, the study recommends that women who feel called into theological education should not feel intimidated or hindered by power distance. Rather, they must remain unabashed in their commitment to the pursuit of formal theological education.