CONCEPT OF EKLOGEN IN ROMANS 9: 6 – 13 AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREFERMENT OF CLERGYMEN IN KWARA ANGLICAN DIOCESE
Preferment in the Anglican Church, a process of selecting and appointing Clergy to Senior positions, is deeply rooted in the Church’s tradition and involves a combination of human discernment and divine guidance. However, it is alleged that the process has been eroded by favouritism and patronage, which has significant implications for the Church’s leadership and the careers of its Clergy. Extant literatures have a little discourse on Preferment in the Anglican Church especially in the context of the selected pericope and its implications for Kwara Anglican Diocese. This study explored the concept of eklogên (divine election) in Romans 9:6–13and applies this theological idea to the practice of clergy prefermentin the Kwara Anglican Diocese. This is with a view to addressing the controversies on the process.Premised on Moo’s Theory of Divine Appointment, this work employed Qualitative methods to gather data through exegetical analysis of the selected passage and unstructured interviews of clergy and members within the Diocese of Kwara. It is observed that the biblical passage entrenched spiritual guidance for preferment. Most preferment within the Diocese is not totally in alignment with the biblical view and this sometimes leads to tribal sentiment, backbiting, rancor and clash of personality. The work underscores the fact that Preferment in the Anglican Church should be bible based and devoid of human sentiments. Therefore, it is imperative for Church to review system of church governance through the biblical lens.
Keywords: Eklogên, Divine Election, Clergy Preferment, Kwara Anglican Diocese, Church Governance.
