Chair on Practical Theology

Hans Schaeffer (1972) holds the chair of Practical Theology as professor with a special focus on practical ecclesiology (church building) and liturgy since Jan. 1, 2019. Before that, he was a post-doc researcher and lecturer at Utrecht Theological University since 2011.

Practical theology covers a wide range of practices of church being. From everything related to worship (homiletics, liturgy) to catechesis and other church teaching. From church leadership to the level of individual pastoral care and diaconal support. Much teaching within practical theology is done by faculty who emphatically spend a significant portion of their time working themselves in the practices of being church. For example, as pastors, preachers, and GV-ers.

Research within the chair of practical theology falls under the research group Centre for Church and Mission in the West (CCMW) and has two focal points. First, it focuses on church renewal. The Academic Workshop Kerk2030 follows local churches in their renewal journey. Through Kerk2030, dozens of churches have now embarked on their own renewal. What specific and generic issues come their way? How can they share the slow and extensive lessons of culture change with other churches? PhD and post-doc researchers are working together in the Academic Workshop Kerk2030.

The second focus lies in the search for inclusive communities. How can the conditions be created within and at the edges of church communities under which they are truly welcoming and open to the other and the different? How can people with disabilities find their place in the community?

During the period 2017-2023, the theme of Salvation was leading. This subsequently resulted in publications on the role and importance of Christian communities in reshaping salvation practices. For the period 2024-2029, a new theme will be established in 2023.