Women’s Ordination and Ecclesiastical Authority in the Methodist Church Nigeria: A Theological and Institutional Analysis

This study provides a combined theological and institutional analysis of the ordination of women to ministerial office and their exercise of ecclesiastical authority within the Methodist Church Nigeria, tracing developments from the denomination's formal admission of women into ordained ministry in the mid-twentieth century to the contemporary period. The study engages with the hermeneutical debates surrounding Pauline passages frequently invoked against women's ministry, examines the contributions of African feminist theology to this discourse, and evaluates the structural provisions within Methodist Church Nigeria polity that either enable or constrain women's ministerial advancement. Using a qualitative research design, data are gathered from thirty interviews with ordained women ministers, twelve senior male bishops, and twenty lay members across Methodists conferences in Lagos, Enugu, Warri, and Calabar. Institutional documents including conference proceedings, ordination statistics, and denominational policy statements are also analysed. Findings indicate a significant gap between formal institutional endorsement of women's ordination and the practical barriers women face in accessing senior episcopal roles, high-profile preaching assignments, and decision-making bodies. Theological conservatism, cultural patriarchy, and old boy networks within the episcopate are identified as the primary structural barriers. The study recommends targeted institutional reforms within the Methodist Church Nigeria to align its practice more closely with its stated theological commitments to gender equity. Keywords: women's ordination, Methodist Church Nigeria, ecclesiastical authority, gender theology, feminist theology