To the glory of God, Monday, 17th August marked another remarkable day in the history of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria, where over 170 student pastors matriculated.

Walking through the gate into the Seminary, it looked seemingly free of activities, but on getting to the Multipurpose Hall, it was colourful with many matriculants arrayed in gorgeous apparel awaiting the commencement of the ceremony.

The Matriculation is one of the activities that mark the commencement of the academic session. It is an event that marks the formal admission of new students into the academic community and their acceptance of the institution’s rules, regulations, and values.

It began with a procession and gradually reached its peak when the guest speaker, Revd Dr Ezekiel A. Ajibade, mounted the podium to deliver his speech. The guest speaker is a one-time lecturer of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, who rose to the rank of Associate Professor and is the current Rector of the Baptist College of Theology, Lagos State, and delivered a Matriculation lecture. The lecture was rich and useful to the new students, the returning students, lecturers, pastors of churches and well-wishers who were in attendance.

He titled the lecture “Preparing to Pastor Tomorrow’s Church.” Given the current trends in society, student pastors need to be aware of their community and do all it takes to prepare for the future. He urged congregants to be well prepared for tomorrow’s church, stating four realities of the future church and how they should learn in the Seminary to become useful Ministers of God to this generation and the next. He added that the current crop of leaders would one day leave the stage to them, and if they are not well prepared, it would be a disaster for the coming generation. Thus, adequate preparation is needful. He thus added that, with the increasing pace of technological advancement, one needs to understand how it can be used for the benefit of the church. Hence, acquiring all one needs in the Seminary is important and necessary for performing excellently in the ministry. He also encouraged student pastors never to wait for a pastoral posting after graduation, but to launch into wherever God has led them.

After the lecture, the students successfully matriculated into the seminary. To the glory of God, the ceremony was well attended by the faculty, staff, students, parents, spouses of the matriculants and invited guests. Congratulations to all new students, and the seminary leadership wishes them a fruitful academic journey. Wishing them a successful completion that brings pride to the seminar and glory to the Almighty God.

Watch the matriculation lecture here

By Olugbenga O. Akanji
for NBTS Advancement Centre