JORAS - Nigerian Journal of Religion and Society

The paper seeks to assert the necessity for training on acquiring entrepreneurial skills in Seminary formation to the Catholic Priesthood. Whereas it is not an unobserved fact that the training for the formation into the Catholic priesthood is quite demanding and significantly expensive, especially in our present time, the everchanging world, circumscribed with its challenges, shows the honest need of pastoral entrepreneurs. These pastoral entrepreneurs are those who go where God is moving, with an additional quest to weigh both the social and spiritual return in fulfilling the ultimate missionary commitment of the Church. The seminary formation today is confronted with some challenges that necessitate a thoughtful outlook that confirms the need for the training of pastoral agents who are not only spiritually minded devoid of any social skills, but also pastors who are good strategic thinkers and learners, and all that entails from vision to execution. The time we are in is in dire need of Pastors, who aside the personal love for God and His people, have strong emotional intelligence, good interpersonal and team working skills, good conflict resolution skills, and also a strong influencing skills. Thus, the paper, taking a cue from Elisha, supposes a growing need to introduce entrepreneurial education in seminaries, especially in Nigeria, to enable the Church cope with present economic challenges and also produce pastors not only sound in doctrines, but also with speciflc knowledge, skills and expertise in other related jobs. Employing close reading, the paper is based on the fact that like Elisha, every Seminarian already has preexisting entrepreneurial ability which serve as encouraging basis for training in entrepreneurial skills in Seminary formation.

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