Students' perception of relevance of the Masters of Divinity Program of the NEGST

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to bring to light the students' perception of relevance of the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Program of N.E.G.S.T. Attempt was made to see whether the students' perception of relevance was influenced by some factors such as the ministerial calling, previous ministerial experiences, areas of anticipated future ministry and the length of stay in the program. Students were also asked to list what they perceived as the peculiar needs facing the African Church which the M.Div. program should be addressing and how the program could be improved. Based on the information gathered, recommendations were made to the M.Div. Program Planners of N.E.G.S.T. on how the program could be improved. Findings of this study showed that majority of the M.Div. students perceived the program to be highly relevant to their anticipated future ministries. Findings also revealed that out of the three aspects of their anticipated future ministry, the program was seen as more relevant to the intellectual aspect than the practical and spiritual aspects. Students' perception of relevance of the program to the spiritual aspect was very low.