A British Baptist with a calling to Germany 

Joshua Searle appointed Professor of Mission Studies at the German Theological University

 

 
On Tuesday, 11 October 2023, the German Baptist University in Elstal, together with representatives from the German Baptist Union, celebrated the induction of Prof. Dr Joshua T. Searle as the new Professor of Mission Studies and Intercultural Theology. At the academic ceremony, the University's Rector, Prof. Dr Andrea Klimt, presented him with the certificate of appointment and officially welcomed Searle as a Professor at the University.
 
Joshua Searle, who grew up in North-East England, moved from London to Brandenburg with his wife and son to take up his new role at the state-accredited Baptist University, which is located just outside Berlin in the beautiful Brandenburg countryside of the former East Germany.
 
The British Baptist missiologist studied at the University of Oxford and the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague. From 2013 to 2023, he worked first as Tutor in Theology and Public Thought, and then as Director of Postgraduate Studies at Spurgeon’s College, London. He completed his doctoral studies at Trinity College Dublin, in 2012, after which he served as a missionary in eastern Ukraine.
 
At the inauguration ceremony, Searle was also welcomed to the University by the General Secretary of the BEFG, Christoph Stiba, who pointed out the importance of the missionary task for the congregations of the German Baptist Union, as the “heartbeat of the church.” Searle was welcomed by the students with a speech by the student representative, Max Kassühlke. The Academic Dean, Prof. Dr. Carsten Claußen, welcomed the new professor to the faculty with words of encouragement and appreciation.
 
'It is a great honour and I am extremely grateful for the trust you have placed in me,' Searle said in his address. With his hopeful speech, he encouraged those present and gave an insight into his personal motivation and sense of calling to mission.
 
Through his teaching ministry at Elstal and his close links to the Baptist community in the UK, Searle hopes to facilitate dialogue and promote friendships between German and British Baptists. He continues his longstanding ministry to Ukraine through the charity, Dnipro Hope Mission. Despite his move to Germany, Joshua continues to be a loyal and long-suffering supporter of Middlesbrough FC!


Image | Prof. Dr Joshua Searle (centre) with the Revd Dr Prof Andrea Klimt, Rector of Elstal Theological University, and the Revd Christoph Stiba, General Secretary of the German Baptist Union (BEFG).

For those who understand German, there is a recent podcast in which Joshua speaks about his calling to teach missiology at the German theological university and what motivates his ministry to Ukraine: th-elstal.de/fuer-gemeinden/materialien/glauben-denken-handeln/