Dr. Ruth Vida Amwe Named Associate Director of Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary

Amwe brings a decade of experience as a world Christianity scholar, programmatic leader, and educator

PRINCETON, NJ, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After a global search, Ruth Vida Amwe, MTS ’19, PhD ’25, has been selected the next associate director of Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary (OMSC@PTS). She begins on June 1.

Amwe brings a decade of experience as a world Christianity scholar, programmatic leader, and educator to OMSC@PTS, which is dedicated to supporting and promoting scholars and artists from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania, and diaspora communities. In her new role, Amwe will help lead OMSC@PTS’s Lamin Sanneh Research Fellowship, develop new online world Christianity courses, assist in editing the program's flagship journal, International Bulletin of Mission Research, and support ongoing scholarly initiatives and research.

“OMSC@PTS’s mission profoundly resonates with my own interest in curating regenerative and mutual learning spaces that center perspectives from the margins at the intersection of academia, church, and society,” said Amwe. “I am beyond grateful to be able to actively influence the center’s unique power to convene on such a global scale and sustain an earnestly rigorous, yet deeply communal, atmosphere.”

Dr. Soojin Chung, OMSC@PTS director and search committee chair, said Amwe’s extensive experience and excellent research record made her the top choice for the role.

“We received an overwhelming number of applications from all over the world and conducted multiple rounds of interviews,” she said. “Dr. Ruth Amwe was the clear choice and will thrive as the associate director at OMSC@PTS. I look forward to working with her in developing future online curriculum on world Christianity, with a special focus on women and diaspora communities."

Amwe’s research has centered on Africa and the Black diaspora, and at the intersection of world Christianity, gender, and society. She looks forward to collaborating with Chung on ways to advance conversations about women and gender in world Christianity.

“I think that the field of world Christianity is at a critical inflection point as it continues to expand in a rapidly changing world,” Amwe said. “I believe that OMSC and Princeton Seminary are uniquely positioned to boldly reimagine the concepts, strategies, resources, and methodologies. I look forward to working alongside OMSC and Seminary leadership to develop truly innovative and enduring initiatives that match the urgency and gravity of the questions and challenges facing our time.”

Amwe most recently served as a postdoctoral fellow at the historic Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City and is a research associate at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She is an invited reviewer for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and the International Bulletin of Mission Research, which has the highest circulation rate of any peer-reviewed journal in the field of mission studies and world Christianity; she is also the deputy managing editor of Utambuzi: Journal for the Study of the Religions of Africa and its Diaspora.

Among her numerous leadership roles, Amwe serves as the North American representative of the International Sociological Association’s Research Council on the Sociology of Religion, as a steering committee member in the African Religions Unit for the American Academy of Religion (AAR), and as a member of AAR’s Status of Women and Gender Minoritized Persons in the Profession Committee.

Throughout her career, Amwe has designed and taught a number of in-person, online, and travel courses, even recently developing a new Princeton Seminary course, “Religion and Gender in Africa and Beyond.” She has also organized major international academic conferences and worked on several grant-funded projects, exceeding $3 million.

Amwe earned her bachelor’s in theology from ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos, her bachelor’s in religious studies from the University of Jos, and her Master of Theological Studies and PhD from Princeton Seminary.

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About Princeton Theological Seminary

Founded in 1812, Princeton Theological Seminary equips women and men for faithful, compassionate, and competent leadership in ministry, academia, and public life — preparing them to serve Christ with integrity, scholarship, and joy.

Linda Romano
Princeton Theological Seminary
+15163141913 ext.
communication@ptsem.edu

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