Apostle Enesi On The Roles Of Theologians In Nigerian Church, Society

Apostle Dr Peter Enesi is a unique minister of the gos­pel. Dr Enesi, who was at the helm of an American Infor­mation Technology company as the Managing Director, quit after receiving a call into ministry.

After running a Pentecostal Church for several years, he received a high­er call of going into the training of ministers for the Church. Thus, he founded the Royal Light Institute of Biblical Studies (RLIBS) located at the Iyana School area of Eba in Ojo area of Lagos.

Dr. Enesi, the President/Rector of the Royal Light Institute of Biblical Studies (RLIBS), recently bagged a Fel­low of Theology. In a chat with Sunday Independent Dr Enesi, discussed the place of Theologians and the ways they have been impacting positively in churches and the Nigerian society. His views on the place of theology is a MUST Read for all ministers of the gos­pel and Religious Scholars. Hear him.

We understand that you recently bagged the Fellowship of Theology. Could you tell us about it?

To God be the glory. The Fellow of Theology is the peak of the Theologi­cal education. If you want to look at Theology in levels, we start from Di­ploma, then the Bachelors, Masters and PhD or D.D (doctor of Divinity), which is the apex in Theology. Any other certification is specialisation, like Doctor of Divinity (DD), Doctor of Christian Studies and Doctor of Ministry. We also have a Doctor of New Testament, Doctor of Eschatolo­gy. All these are professional areas of specialisation.

However, like in Honorary Doctor­ate Degrees, Fellows can be awarded based on contributions to Christian Education and other areas of integ­rity. In my own case, I completed a course with the Truth and Light Bible School, an affiliate of the University of Ibadan, to obtain the Fellow as I am a Bible School Teacher. I am aware that we also have the Nigerian Institute of Theology as well as some associations which also award Fellows.

Who would you say is a Theologian?

A theologian is someone who has gone through a Bible School, a graduate of a Bible Institute, Theo­logical Studies and an interpreter of the nature of God, religious be­liefs and practices. A theologian examines the relationship between Humanity and Divine, exploring questions of faith, morality and spirituality.

A Theologian may not be a full-time pastor, but teaches in Bible School and the Church. He may have a deeper knowledge of God. We encourage all pastors to study Theology. A lot of pas­tors do not go through formal theolog­ical institutions and Bible schools, but are trained in-house by their churches, based on the needs and doctrines, but not in universal doctrines. The church­es can ordain them into the five-old ministries, but not as theologians. The Churches can ordain them as Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists, Prophets and Teachers, based on their callings.

However, a theologian must have gone through deeper studies. We therefore encourage churches to have Schools of Ministries to raise min­isters for church growth. But, some churches have developed their Schools of Ministries to Schools of Theology, to bring up sound ministers.

We have Systematic Theology, Philosophical Theology, and Biblical Theology, which make ministers more grounded in analysing biblical issues. Theologians can work in different settings as academia, teaching and re­searchers in universities, seminaries and colleges. They can also work in the Armed Forces and Paramilitary as Chaplains. They can also be involved in writings and consultancy. Note that we also have Islamic Theologians who are doing great exploits in Islamic re­ligion.

Would you say that Nigeria has sufficient Theologians?

Nigeria does not have sufficient theologians. However, some churches have numerous theologians based on their academic structure and insti­tutions for raising manpower. Such churches include the Catholic Church, Anglicans, Baptists, The Redeemed Christian Church, Foursquare Church, The Living Faith (Winners Chapel), etc.

However, there are different private Bible Colleges that also raise theolo­gians. A lot of secular universities also run theological programmes. No mat­ter the number of theologians, they are never enough because Nigerian students are not attracted to study the­ology in secular universities, as against other areas of studies. People prefer to study courses like Law, Medicine, Com­munication, Philosophy, Economics, even Anthropology, etc.

But, now, educated people from different fields return to study Theol­ogy when they receive the call of God. Thus, Theology is a master of all stud­ies. Theologians are better qualified to be called ‘Learned Fellows’ because they studied widely, covering different areas of studies, and also learnt about Jurisprudence and the Law of God, from where all laws emanated.

Solutions to most human prob­lems are found in Theology. It is said that where medical doctors stop, theo­logians start. This is because it takes God to resolve issues. When people are going to court or to war, they go to God in prayer. In the Biblical times, kings enquired from God through the Prophets. Even today, people go to God for solutions to their problems. At the end of the day, all professions come to church and the Pastor becomes their leader. We have had several PhD hold­ers in Nigeria who received the Di­vine Call and returned to the Church or Bible Colleges to study Ministry to become Pastors. Some go into deeper studies to become theologians.

What impact would you say the theologians are making in Nigerian society?

They are making a great impact in their different spheres of life as Pas­tors, lecturers and Chaplains. They are making a lot of impact in building the moral consciousness of the nation. They help to make the society a better place to live in.

How would you say the theologians contrib­ute to the increase of knowledge of God?

Theologians publish a lot of books. They are also leaders in churches. No matter the profession, everyone comes to the church. As I said earlier, as we have theologians in Christianity, so we also have in Islam. All of them contrib­ute to making society better.

Would you say that Theological education has helped in church growth in the country?

Theologians play significant roles in church growth. They help in capac­ity building in the church. This has helped to shoot up growth in all ram­ifications in the church. There would have been limitations in knowledge and scope of the churches without theologians.

Could you tell us about your theological institution and how it has been helping to impact positively on the manpower needs in the Nigerian Church?

Well, I am the President/Rector of the Royal Light Institute of Biblical Studies located in the Eba, Ojo area of Lagos. We run both physical and remote classes (Distant Learning pro­gramme). We run both full-time and part time studies. We run full theolog­ical courses in Ministry and Christian Education. Each section comprises General Studies and Selective courses.

Our courses run from Certificate to Doctoral levels. We also do in-house training for churches. We invite peo­ple and churches to embrace our in­stitution. When invited, we help local churches to build their capacity, train­ing their ministers and workers to be more vibrant and viable.

Would you say that the ministers of God should be well grounded in Theology to make more impact in the running of churches?

Yes, especially those in leadership positions in churches. General Over­seers and Senior Pastors, Bishops and Archbishops are supposed to be well grounded in Theology as they supervise the raising and working of the other ministers in their fold and groups. In today’s world, we are now in a global space. The world is said to be a global village through the help of technology and social media. Different churches are coming up and the an­ti-Church issues also come up. We need Apologetics. These can only be trained by theologians.

In our Bible School, we train stu­dents in Technology Update. We run a Computer Study course which is com­pulsory and general so that students (trainee ministers) can use it as tools of research.

Also, it may interest you to know that I am an Information Technology expert who was at the apex level before I came into ministry. Now, I am a con­sultant in InfoTech; a former Manag­ing Director of a US InfoTech company. All these experiences have helped me in setting up a well grounded Bible School.

What would you say is the state of the Nigerian Church?

The state of the church in Nigeria is healthy, inspite of the general econom­ic situation and impact on the society. The church as an institution, apart from its challenges, is strong. But, the church in Nigeria needs a revival, both general revival and internal revival, to be able to meet its divine mandate of preparing humanity for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we all are in the last days of the End-Time, it is time for the church to wake up from its slumber. We need a revival that will bring men to the fear of God, building men. The church should be able to influence affairs in society and governance. It should be strong enough to fight the menace of the world of darkness and wickedness. It should promote peace and unity. To do this, the church must be united. It must do away with denominational­ism.

The Christian Association of Ni­geria (CAN) and all its affiliate blocks should work together to bring about Christian unity so that we can have one voice. With one voice, the church can influence what is happening in the nation.