W3 Professorship in Practical Theology

Institution: Faculty of Theology
Date of Announcement: 30.10.2025
Application Deadline: 27.11.2025


The Faculty of Theology at the University of Göttingen invites applications for a permanent professorship with civil servant status (grade W3 NBesO) starting on October 1, 2026:

W3 Professorship in Practical Theology (f/m/d)

We are looking for a team-oriented and committed scholar who will represent in her/his teaching the entire field of Practical Theology – largely in German, but also in the English-language degree programme “Intercultural Theology”. The University attaches importance to research-oriented teaching.

Research shall focus on the areas of Theory of Church/Cybernetics and either Homiletics/Liturgical Studies or Poimenics. The ability to communicate within the faculty (including intercultural theology) and the willingness to work in an interdisciplinary manner are expected.

Application requirements are an outstanding dissertation and a Habilitation or equivalent achieve-ments in the field of Practical Theology. Further high-ranking achievements in research and teaching are desirable, such as success in acquiring third-party funding or the testing of innovative teaching formats.

Participation in intra-faculty research projects and inter-faculty research networks is expected (a), as is commitment to acquiring third-party funding (b) and to active participation in academic self-administration (c) as well as the willingness to perform the task of the university preacher, for which the job holder should be qualified through ordination (usually in one of the member churches of the EKD) (d).

Appointment requirements are stipulated by Article 25 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act in the most current version of that law. As a rule, junior professors and other members of the University of Göttingen can only be considered for a professorial appointment if after the completion of the doctoral thesis they have transferred to another university or worked for a minimum of two years in research elsewhere. The University of Göttingen is a Public Law Foundation and thereby entitled to award professorships. Details will be provided upon request. A further prerequisite is the membership in a Protestant church.

Applications from abroad are explicitly welcome. Taking into account the contextual nature of Practical Theology, the ability to communicate in German is essential. The University of Göttingen strives to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and therefore explicitly invites qualified female scholars to apply. The University has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports its employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. In the case of equivalent qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference. In order for the University to be able to protect the interests of the applicant, information about a disability or equal status should be included in the application.

Please address your application including the usual documents and the completed application form to the Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Göttingen and send it in a single PDF file to (dekanat@theologie.uni-goettingen.de) by November 27, 2025.

For further information please contact the Dean of the Faculty of Theology (reinhard.mueller@theologie.uni-goettingen.de).

The submission of the application constitutes consent under the data protection law and allows us to process your application data. For more details on the legal basis and data use, please refer to the information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Please note that only the German version of this job announcement is legally binding.