As of 1st January 2023, the Theological Seminary in Elstal has a new Rektor as Prof. Dr. Andrea Klimt took over the role from Prof. Dr. Michael Kißkalt. This was officially marked and celebrated with a ceremony in Elstal on 12.01.23. She has been Professor of Practical Theology in Elstal since 2014 and is now the first woman to lead a free church theological seminary in Germany. This important moment was celebrated by the contributions of various people, including greetings from the State Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture, the General Secretary of the BEFG and the Rector of the Theological University of Reutlingen.
After words of thanks from Prorector Prof. Dr. Ralf Dziewas for Kißkalt’s 8-year tenure as rector and his preceding 15-year tenure as Professor of Intercultural Theology and Missiology, the former rector expressed his own words of thanks and wished his successor blessings in her new role.
Prof. Dr. Henrik Simojoki from the Humboldt University in Berlin gave the keynote speech and afterwards Andrea was officially welcomed as the new rector by Prorector Ralf Dziewas. Greetings followed from Tobias Dünow, State Secretary in the Brandenburg Ministry of Science and Culture and from Christoph Stiba, Secretary General of the BEFG, as well as student representative Max Kassühlke and Prof. Christof Voigt, Rector of the Reutlingen Theological University.
The ceremony ended with a prayer of blessing for the new rector by Dr. Volker Spangenberg and Prof. Dr. Uwe Swarat, former professors at Elstal Theological Seminary before the guests enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at a champagne reception.
We as a union are very proud of Andrea and wish her all the best and God’s richest blessings for her new role.
