Rate My Professor Jelle Creemers

Prof. Dr. Jelle Creemers serves as Professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies and Missiology, as well as Academic Dean, at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (ETF) in Leuven, Belgium. He obtained his Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies from ETF Leuven in 2014, a Licentiaat in de godgeleerdheid (M.Th.) and Aggregaat voor Protestants Godsdienstonderwijs in de hogere graad from ETF Leuven in 2002, a Kandidaat in Philosophy from KU Leuven in 2005, and a Certificate from the NOSTER-programme (Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion) in 2013. His career at ETF Leuven began in 2005 as Assistant in Systematic Theology, advancing to Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology (2014-2017), Associate Professor of Religious Studies (2017-2021), and his current roles since 2022. Earlier positions include teacher of Protestant-Evangelical Religion in primary and secondary education (2001-2012, tenure at Royal Atheneum, Keerbergen) and seminary teacher at Baptist Theological Seminary of Malawi, Lilongwe (2002-2003). He held postdoctoral fellowships from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) from 2015-2021, including Vice Dean (Education) and Deputy Chair of the Department (2018-2021).

Creemers specializes in religious freedom, church-state relations in secular Europe and Belgium, evangelicalism, missiology, ecumenical dialogues with Pentecostals, and global Pentecostalism. Since 2020, he co-directs the Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief (ISFORB) at ETF Leuven, coordinating research projects funded by the Flemish Research Foundation, European Commission, and Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and organizing annual international conferences on religious freedom, vulnerability, and persecution. Notable publications include his monograph “‘In de wereld, niet van de wereld’: Strategische Identiteitsbepalingen in de Vlaamse evangelische vrijkerkelijke beweging (1980-2022)” (2022); “Theological Dialogue with Pentecostals: Challenges and Opportunities” (2015); edited volumes “Religious Freedom in Times of COVID-19: A European Perspective” (2025, with Tatiana Kopaleishvili), “Religion and State in Secular Europe Today” (2019, with Hans Geybels), and “On Nations and the Churches” (2020, with Ulrike Link-Wieczorek); and articles such as “Freedom of Religious Assembly in Belgium” (2025) and “Same Ingredients, Another Recipe?” on religion-related legislation in Georgia (2024). He supervises BA/MA theses and contributes to courses on religious freedom and human rights.