The Bronnum Lutheran Seminary (BLS Yola) formally inducted 187 new students during its Commencement Service at the Jolly Nyama Hall at BLS Yola.
The seminary, which has served as a key training ground for theologians within and outside Nigeria since its founding in 1985, celebrated the intake for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Presiding over the service, the Archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), the Most Reverend Musa Panti Filibus, OFR, addressed the matriculants, emphasising the significant nature of their calling.
“The journey they have taken is not ordinary, [it is] to deepen their relationship with God,” the Archbishop said.
Drawing on the scripture of Mathew 4:18-20, he stated that discipleship begins with learning from Christ and stressed the high standing of a pastor in the community, urging them to prepare for service. He cautioned that “knowledge without grace will lead to pride,” asserting that discipleship is fundamentally rooted in grace. The students were also informed that their studies would include interfaith dialogue.
The Provost of Bronnum Lutheran Seminary, the Reverend Associate Professor Sekenwa Moses Briska, confirmed that the seminary offered admission to 222 candidates across seven programmes, with 187 students ultimately matriculated.
The matriculated students comprise 175 regular students and 12 from the women’s school, totalling 16 females and 171 males.
The breakdown of the matriculated students by programme is as follows:
Programme Number of Students
Full-time Diploma in Christian Ministry (DCM) 57
Diploma in Christian Religious Education (DCRE) 23
Post-Graduate Diploma in Theology (PGDT) 2
Degree BA 1 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 58
Degree BA 2 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) (Direct Entry) 24
Master of Divinity (MDV 1) 17
Masters of Theology (MTH) 6
Total Regular Students 175
Women School 12
Grand Total Matriculated 187
The Provost advised the new students that their training would significantly impact their “character, intellectual and spiritual formation” and urged them to “remain focused, determined to work hard, and remain open to discovering new academic ideas relevant to the contemporary world.”
Calls for Dedication and Gender Justice
Other dignitaries at the ceremony offered words of advice and encouragement. The Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Ambrose Zemba, expressed gratitude to the Archbishop and seminary staff for their commitment to “building the lives and shapers of destiny.”
The Representative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, America (ELCA), the Reverend Kristen Enestrom, reminded the matriculating students that their primary responsibility now is to be serious students, noting that once ordained, they will have less dedicated time for deep study. Separately, the ELCA Desk Officer for Gender Justice, the Reverend Dr Elitha Moyo, used her remarks to encourage the Church to consistently address gender justice issues.
Significantly, the ceremony featured the presentation of the students by the Academic Dean, the Reverend Dr Buntausa Amos, for the administration of the matriculation oath by the Most Reverend Dr Musa Panti Filibus.
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