Introduction of the new Director of the Institute

NEWS FROM TÜBINGEN
by Ronald Herms

Dear Friends,

Warm greetings from Fresno, California! My name is Ronald (Ron) Herms and I am very pleased to introduce myself as the next Director for the Institute for the Study of Christian Origins (ISCO). With an anticipated start date of 01. September 2026 in view, Kathy and I look forward to making Tübingen our home and joining the inspiring mission of EES. We are currently navigating the necessary steps to prepare for this move. Our first opportunity to visit the Institute will be in May 2026 where I will also give a presentation in the weekly English-German Colloquium for the New Testament. As Kathy will also serve EES in a part-time capacity (donor relations), I am so grateful for the support of the TCMI leadership team. In particular, the guidance from Dr. Dennis Lindsay (outgoing Director) and Birgit Hallmann has been truly humbling.

The mission and work of the Institute resonate deeply with my passion for training leaders in both academic and church leadership settings. The Institute has a rich history of serving students from a wide range of backgrounds with courses in theological language acquisition (English and German) as well as serving church leaders and scholars through a weekly Colloquium, a tri-annual International Seminar, and other educational opportunities. This work is done in collaboration with the Protestant Faculty at the Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen and I look forward to building on the strong foundation that is already in place. I hope to apply my experience of over three decades in both higher education and ecclesial settings to continuing to develop the ISCO’s course offerings and training partnerships.

_________________

Profile:

Ronald Herms is a community advocate, public speaker, scholar, and teaching pastor who has served in leadership roles since 1989. In higher education settings, his roles have included: academic dean, associate professor in biblical and theological studies, graduate program director, thesis advisor, and curriculum developer. Until recently he served Fresno Pacific University as Dean of the School of Humanities, Religion, and Social Sciences. He is currently serving as interim lead pastor for Butler Church in Fresno, CA. With a PhD in New Testament from the University of Durham (UK), Ron’s research interests include early Jewish apocalyptic literature, the book of Revelation, the Catholic letters, NT eschatology, Christian origins, justice studies, and contemporary apocalyptic expressions in popular culture (movies, art, literature, environmental concerns, race relations). He and his wife Kathy are parents of 5 adult children and 3 grand-pets.