Church Life Africa (CLA), a Catholic organisation, has launched its first certificate programme in Theology for Service Leadership (TSL), aimed at providing formal theological formation for lay faithful and preparing them for service within the Church and the wider public space.
The two-year programme began with a week long intensive class held from August 24 to 29 at CLA’s African hub at the Gaudium et Spes Institute in Asokoro, Abuja.
Participants will take six courses throughout the programme. The first year will cover Introduction to Theology, Introduction to Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching.
The second year will focus on the Mystery of God and the Mystery of the Church, as well as Local Catholicism and the New Evangelization . It will also include a three month hybrid internship in pastoral and public service settings.
Director of CLA, Kenneth Amadi, described the TSL programme as the organisation’s most extensive theological training programme for lay Catholics.
He explained that although many lay faithful encounter formal theology through catechism classes and continued participation in the faith, the new programme was designed to provide deeper theological formation and help participants apply their knowledge to different areas of life.
Amadi said the programme had two major objectives: to equip people who would serve the Church and their communities, and to identify participants who may wish to pursue advanced theological education as a vocation.
“Our aim for the programme is two fold. One, to serve as a terminal certificate for people who would be serving the Church in their respective communities and parishes, in different placements in the public space, who can bring to bear the fruits and gifts of their theological learning to the service of their people,” he said.
He added that the programme would also help identify people interested in pursuing advanced theological education and serving the Church at higher levels.
Amadi, who is an assistant professor at the Augustine Institute in the United States, said the institute is CLA’s major partner in providing financial and academic resources for the programme.
He noted that African lay faithful remained under represented in theological service within the global Catholic Church, despite the role theologians play in advising bishops, bishops’ conferences and pontifical commissions.
“We hope that from amongst these students that we are training will arise people who are called to advanced theological education to serve the Church at any level, be it local and international,” he said.
According to Amadi, theological education also has an important role to play in society, particularly in a religiously diverse country such as Nigeria.
He explained that sound theological formation could help Christians better understand the moral implications of their decisions and apply their faith more deliberately in areas such as politics, business and science.
He cited the intersection between theology and science in discussions surrounding human dignity, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Amadi also argued that theology could contribute meaningfully to political engagement by helping Christians understand how their faith should inform their participation in public affairs.
“Similarly, theology can sanctify politics,” he said.
“With good political theology, we hope to offer our laypeople guidance on how best to engage in politics, how best to engage in business, and how best to engage in science,” Amadi added.
