The Nagel Institute is an educational research institute within Calvin University, focused on ways in which the study of World Christianity can change perspectives, foster knowledge, and reinvigorate Christian thought and practice.
Calvin University offers many options for learners and students of all ages and contexts.
Through a network of communal learning, we are able to anticipate current and future trends in their greatest areas of impact, engaging in regions where the greatest opportunity for learning exists, like Brazil, China, and Africa.
By listening to Christian voices from around the world, we can uncover new insights and expand our knowledge to a more global view of the Christian faith.
We believe sharing our learnings is critical. The free dissemination of our insights benefit society by accelerating the pace of discovery, reducing information-sharing gaps, encouraging innovation, and promoting reproducibility.
Dr. Parsitau has over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and leadership in different universities and research and policy institutions in Africa and beyond. She has conducted numerous research projects and published over 70 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles with two forthcoming monographs. Her research and teaching interests include World/African Christianity, Evangelical, and Pentecostal Christianity, and its intersections with women’s leadership, gender and women’s bodies, politics, and civil engagements among other interests. Damaris is also a thought leader in Girls’ Education policy and has published over 20 opinion pieces, policy blogs, and briefs in both print and digital media, all dedicated to strengthening education actors and promoting the use of evidence-based research for effective policy action and practice. She is a leadership coach, mentor, social justice educator, and gender equality advocate.
John F. Hendershot serves as the Program Coordinator at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University, where he oversees daily operations, project management, and global partnerships across multiple grant-funded initiatives. In this role, he supports research, financial administration, and scholar engagement for programs that advance interdisciplinary dialogue and the study of Christianity in global contexts.
Dr. Joel A. Carpenter is a distinguished historian of American religion and a pioneering leader in the academic study of World Christianity. His scholarship and institutional leadership have been instrumental in bridging North Atlantic Christian scholarship with the vibrant growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and the broader Global South, with particular attention to indigenous expressions, theological development, and cross-cultural partnership.
As of late 2025 and continuing into 2026, Dr. Carpenter serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University. In this role, he advises on research initiatives, faculty development, and international scholarly collaborations, remaining deeply engaged with the institute he founded following his transition to emeritus status in 2019.
Dr. Carpenter was the founding director of the Nagel Institute (2006-2019), established through an endowment from Doug and Lois Nagel. Under his leadership, the Institute grew into a globally respected center for World Christianity, administering major international grants, publishing influential scholarship, hosting faculty seminars across multiple continents, and nurturing partnerships with scholars in the Majority World. His guiding vision emphasized promoting awareness of world Christianity, partnering with Global South scholars, and provoking a reorientation of Western Christian perspectives.
Previously, Dr. Carpenter served as Provost of Calvin University from 1996 to 2006 and taught for many years in the History Department. He earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and is the author of the seminal work Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism. Through his scholarship, leadership, and continued service, Dr. Carpenter remains a foundational figure in contemporary World Christianity studies, shaping the field’s global vision and intellectual rigor.
Dr. Anne Nkirote Kubai is a distinguished Kenyan scholar of World Christianity and Interreligious Studies whose interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of religion, conflict, peacebuilding, gender, and post-conflict reconstruction in Africa and beyond. Her work explores how Christianity, indigenous spiritualities, Islam, and interfaith engagement contribute to healing, reconciliation, and justice in contexts shaped by genocide, migration, sexual and gender-based violence, and historical trauma, with particular focus on East Africa and the Great Lakes region.
As of January 2026, Dr. Kubai serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University, contributing her expertise in World Christianity, interreligious relations, and peacebuilding to the Institute’s global research networks. She is also affiliated as a researcher at So6dertorn University, holds the title of Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa (UNISA), and maintains research affiliations with Stellenbosch University.
Dr. Kubai’s scholarship—grounded in ethnographic, historical, and psychosocial methods—bridges theology, missiology, gender studies, and peace and conflict research, making her an influential voice in decolonizing World Christianity and amplifying Majority World perspectives on religion’s role in social healing and transformation.
Dr. Marilyn Naidoo is a distinguished South African scholar of Practical Theology whose work has significantly shaped conversations on theological education, ministerial and spiritual formation, decolonization, diversity, and social justice within African and global Christian contexts. Her scholarship critically examines how theological institutions form leaders who are intellectually grounded, spiritually mature, culturally responsive, and equipped to address the legacies of apartheid, globalization, and ongoing social inequality.
As of January 2026, Dr. Naidoo serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University, contributing her expertise in African theological education, spiritual formation, and contextual leadership to the Institute’s global research initiatives. She is also Professor (Research) in the Department of Philosophy, Systematic and Practical Theology at the University of South Africa (UNISA), where she has taught since 2006 and was promoted to full professor in 2016.
Dr. Naidoo’s interdisciplinary work—bridging practical theology, missiology, education studies, and social justice—has made her a leading voice in decolonizing theological education and advancing inclusive, liberative pedagogies that empower Christian leaders across the Global South.
Dr. David C. Wang is a prominent psychologist, pastor, and interdisciplinary scholar whose work focuses on the holistic formation of Christian leaders, integrating psychology, spiritual theology, and empirical research. His scholarship examines how theological education shapes spiritual maturity, emotional health, character, and long-term flourishing among Christian leaders across diverse global contexts.
As of January 2026, Dr. Wang serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University. In this role, he leads major international research initiatives aligned with the Institute’s mission to advance rigorous, cross-cultural scholarship in World Christianity. He is principal investigator of a multi-year project funded by a $1.9 million grant from the Templeton Religion Trust, examining spiritual formation, virtue, and flourishing in theological education worldwide through extensive global partnerships.
Dr. Wang is based at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he serves as Associate Professor of Psychology and holds the Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders. A licensed psychologist and ordained pastor, his work bridges psychology, theology, missiology, and leadership studies, positioning him as a key contributor to contemporary scholarship on global Christian formation and leadership development.
Dr. Robert Woodberry is a globally recognized sociologist of religion whose research examines the historical and social impact of Christianity on societies around the world. He is best known for his influential work on the long-term effects of Christian missions on education, democracy, civil society, and religious freedom. Dr. Woodberry’s scholarship integrates rigorous quantitative methods with deep historical analysis and has been widely cited across the social sciences and humanities.
Dr. Woodberry now serves on staff at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University, where he contributes to the Institute’s mission of advancing high-level research, global collaboration, and scholarly formation in World Christianity. His presence strengthens the Nagel Institute’s interdisciplinary work at the intersection of sociology, history, theology, and global Christian studies, and further elevates its role as a leading international center for the study of Christianity’s worldwide expressions and impact.
The original Nagel logo was based on the akoma ntoaso symbol, which originated from Ghana and portraying the linking of hearts. The founding director of the Nagel Institute, Joel Carpenter came to a decision on this symbol for the logo in conversation with the influential Ghanaian theologian, Kwame Bediako. It also incorporated an important motto for Nagel, which is ‘linking scholars worldwide’.
The sentiments captured within that logo very much remain at the core of the mission of the Nagel Institute. However, in conversation with Grey Matter Group (GMG), who designed our website, we became aware of the fact that akoma ntoaso has become widely used as a logo by different institutions. In the interest of keeping our branding as unique as possible, we agreed on a new, uniquely designed logo by GMG. We are thrilled to present this new logo as part of our new website, particularly since the linking of hearts symbolism remains central to this new design as well. With this design the spirit of the old logo remains very much alive within the new.
Langham Partnership is dedicated to empowering churches in the Majority World to fulfill their mission and grow in Christ. We achieve this by supporting pastors and leaders who are committed to believing, teaching, and living according to the Word of God. Since 2015, Langham, in collaboration with the Nagel Institute, has co-sponsored over 15 PhD students, providing them with accommodation in Nagel’s Prophet’s Chambers for visiting scholars as they work towards the completion of their dissertations.
The Center for Global Christianity and Mission was founded by Dr. Dana Robert and Dr. Marthinus Daneel in 2001 to research, teach about, and respond to Christianity’s “shift southward. ” In 2010, more than 60% of the world’s Christians lived in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. The founding priorities of the Center were to train western and non-western church leaders in World Christianity and mission, to do research and produce publications on western and non-western mission history, to undertake empirical research on new Christian movements, and to provide theological education among indigenous churches in southern Africa.
The Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture is a fully-accredited, postgraduate research and training institute. ACI works to promotte African innovation and excellence and is dedicated to the study and documentation of Christian history, thought, and life in Ghana and in Africa as a whole. As a university, they seek to strengthen Christian witness in modern Africa and world context through Christian scholarship.
The Nagel Institute has funded their four-year research project, Primal Religions as the Substructure of Christianity. The project began in 2006 and tasked fifteen scholars from around the world to study the relationship between primal and Christian worldviews. Two dedicated issues of the Journal of African Christian Thought have been published and a major book is underway.
The Akrofi-Christaller Institute has created a YouTube Channel to reach out to the entire world and contains short video clips of relevant issues relating to theology, mission, and culture.