A service of :
Research Foundation
Culture and Religion
Rathenaustraße 5-7
D-35394 Gießen
The Institute for Protestant Missiology collects and digitizes documents from culture, religion and mission. Our goal is to create a database as a broad research base: digitally retrievable and constantly growing. In this way we preserve important research results and valuable practical experience and make them usable for many.
The Institute for Protestant Missiology is active in the field of Disability Studies. It has established the network Disability Studies and Intercultural Theology for this purpose. Researchers with and without physical or mental disabilities are allowed to link up in it. We want to generate and promote research in the field of postcolonialism, gender studies and the reappraisal and transformation of Christian development aid.
The Institute for Evangelical Missiology is active in the field of scholarship on Bible translation. The aim is to generate and promote research around first Bible translations (so-called missionary Bible translations) as well as revisions and new Bible translations (in a context with existing Bible translations).
Because we are convinced: mission must be researched.
We are committed to opening archives and making diverse material accessible so that young researchers have an even better foundation and missionaries are even better trained and prepared for their ministry. Journals are timeless news sources for us, newsletters of missionaries sustainable practical reports, seminar papers content-rich information collections and materials of mission societies individual collections with high value. All these are treasures for eternity, which should not perish in archives, but be usable in practice. This is what we work for.
History
1982: Klaus W. Müller is commissioned by Prof. G.W. Peters as his scientific assistant to establish a research center for evangelical missiology – within the framework of the Seminary for Missionary Training in Monbachtal.
From 1984: steady development and expansion of the stock at the Free College for Mission.
1994: Establishment of the Foundation Culture and Religion.
1998: The research center is dissolved at the location of the Freie Hochschule für Mission in Korntal. The holdings are handed over to the director, Dr. Klaus W. Müller. At this time the center includes information on more than 1000 missionary works in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
2000: Foundation of the “Society for Education and Research in Europe” (now located in Gummersbach)
2000: Start of the work of the new institute in Biebertal with a board of trustees of missiological experts from different denominational backgrounds in cooperation with the GBFE
2001: The first staff member works full time for the institute as part of her retraining as a specialist for media and information services. Some volunteers actively help. The Institute takes over tasks for the Working Group for Evangelical Missiology, such as book series and journal em. First bibliographic registration of journals.
2004: Establishment of the Research Foundation Culture and Religion as a legal basis.
2004: Establishment of the Institute for Asian Minorities in Hong Kong with Dr. Gerner, who establishes his own foundation for his institute a few years later.
2012: Appointment of Dr. Eberhard Werner to the board of the foundation and to the management of the institute.
2013: Start of the digitization process.
2014: Restructuring of the institute’s work and renaming to “Institute for Protestant Missiology”.
2015: Appointment of new trustees
2017: Foundation of the network Disability Studies and Intercultural Theology. Appointment of Samuel Groß as research assistant.
2019: Beginning of a Bible translation project for the Middle East.
2020: Appointment of Jonathan Fröhlich and Samuel Groß to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Appointment of Dr. Eberhard Werner as 1st board member and Prof. Dr. Klaus W. Müller as 2nd board member. Appointment of Jonathan Fröhlich as research assistant at the Institute for Protestant Missiology to lead digitization. Appointment of Dr. Tianji Ma as research assistant at the Institute for Protestant Missiology and head of the Bible Translation Department.
Staff
Prof. Dr. Klaus W. Müller
2nd Chairman of the Research Foundation Culture and Religion;
Founder of the Foundation; Director of the Institute
Year of birth: 1945
Scientific Career
- 1964-1968 Study of theology in Bad Liebenzell
- 1970-1981 Missionary service in Micronesia
- 1976-1977 M.A. studies at the School of World Mission, Pasadena/CA
- 1981-1998 Seminary for Missionary Training in Monbachtal/Bad Liebenzell; Lecturer in Missiology at the Free College for Missions in Korntal.
- 1985 M.A. Missiology with research paper “The Protestant Mission Work on the Truk Islands in Micronesia. A Missiological Analysis.”
- 1985-2014 Board member and chairman of three mission works.
- 1991-2011 Chairman of the Working Group for Evangelical Missiology. Editor of journal “evangelikale missiologie” Edition afem. Ed.
- 1993 PhD with the topic “Peacemaker. Missionary Practice of Georg F. Vicedom in New Guinea (1929-1939).” In the course of accreditation by Columbia International University Columbia/SC appointment as Professor of Missiology
- 1998- Professor of Missiology at the Free Theological Academy Giessen, Department Head of Mission and Evangelism,
- 2000-2007 Study mentor of the Academy for Mission and Community Building Giessen
- 1999- Visiting Professor for Missiology and Religion at the Evangelical Theological Faculteit Leuven/B
- 2010- Visiting Professor at the State Independent Theological University Basel
Dr. Eberhard Werner
1st Chairman of the Research Foundation Culture and Religion;
Deputy Director of the Institute;
Director Network Disability Studies and Intercultural Theology (NeDSITh);
Head of Department: Science of Bible Translation
Year of birth: 1966
At the Institute for Evangelical Mission, I am excited by the idea of supporting missiological research, building networks, and trying out creative ideas. German missiology is still in its infancy and has not yet distinguished itself from theology.
Scientific Career
- 1984-1986: completed vocational training as a middle-ranking civil servant
- 1992-1996: Training at the New Life Theological Seminary (now Rhineland Theological Seminary)
- 1995-1996: Studies “Applied linguistics” SIL Germany, SIL Eugene/Oregon (BA-equivalent)
- 2002-2006: Studies at the Academy for Mission and Community Building / Giessen (MA)
- 2007-2010: PhD University of Wales/ across (Theology; New Testament)
- 2010: Language Program Services SIL (Near East)
- 2014: SIL Consultant on Anthropology
- 2013: Further Studies with MHS (Stavanger)
Jonathan Fröhlich
Chairman of the Research Foundation Culture and Religion;
research associate at the Institute for Protestant Missiology
Year of birth: 1992
Command the LORD thy way, and trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:5)
Scientific Career
- 2009-2012 : completed vocational training as a specialist for wastewater technology
- 2012-2013: one journeyman year as a specialist for wastewater technology
- 2013-2016: vocational high school I and II
- 2016-2020: B.A.- in Protestant Theology at the Free Theological University in Giessen, Germany
- Studies M.A. in Protestant Theology (from October 2020)
Samuel W. Groß
Foundation Board Research Foundation Culture and Religion;
Research Associate Network Disability Studies and Intercultural Theology (NeDSITh)
Year of birth: 1994
At the Institute of Protestant Missiology, I am inspired by the motto “Research is the best strategy.” With my focus on Disability Studies and Intercultural Theology from a historical perspective, I would like to contribute to connect different actors and thus make the importance of the topic of disability and intercultural exchange known in the German-speaking discussion.
Scientific Career
- 2014: High school diploma Weidigschule Butzbach.
- 2014: cultural award winner of the city of Butzbach in the context of the exhibition “Legalized Robbery – The Treasury and the Plundering of the Jews in Hesse 1933-1945”
- 2014-: Study of Protestant theology at the Free Theological University (FTH) Giessen.
- 2018: B.A. in Protestant Theology in the Department of Historical Theology at the Freie Theologische Hochschule (Free Theological University)
- Since 2018: study M.A. in Protestant theology with a major in historical theology, FTH Gießen
Szu-Chin Chen
Research associate at the Institute for Evangelical Missiology with a focus on digitization of mission materials
director of the East Asia Forum
born in Taipei
“Jesus is Lord!”
Scientific Career
- 2006: B.A. in Social Studies Education at Taipei Municaple University of Education (Taiwan)
- 2010: M.A. in History at Fu Jen catholic University (Taiwan)
- 2021: M.A. in Theology at the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany)
Szu-Chin Chen is married to Tianji Ma. Both are missionaries of OMF International in Beyond Borders (Mission among Asians in Germany).
Dr. Tianji Ma
research associate at the Institute of Protestant Missiology with a focus on Bible translation
Director of the East Asia Forum
Year of birth: 1987; born in Wenzhou (China, Zhejiang Province)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
”我不以福音为耻；这福音本是 神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是犹太人，后是希腊人。”（罗马书 1章16节）
Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang
- 2012/14: B.A., M.A. in Chemistry at the Goethe-University Frankfurt
- 2016: B.A. in Biophysics at the Goethe University Frankfurt
- 2017: Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry at Goethe University (Dr. rer. nat.)
- 2019: M.A. in philosophy at the Open University Hagen
- 2019/21: B.A. M.A. in Theology at the Free University of Theology
- 2021-present: doctoral student at the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal, Germany
Tianji Ma is married to Szu-Chin Chen. Both are missionaries from OMF International in Beyond Borders (Mission among Asians in Germany).
Board of Trustees
- Thomas Mayer
- Prof. Dr. Christoph Sauer
- Johannes Klapprodt (PhD cand.)
- Samuel Groß
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Fiedler