Greetings from Maarten Wisse as new director

First and foremost, on behalf of everyone, I thank Pieter for everything he has done for IRTI over the past fifteen years. That has been a great deal. An impressive series of conferences and summer schools was established under his leadership. The IRTI network has proven to be robust, even through complicated circumstances such as the COVID-19 crisis.

Both during my time at the VU and at the PThU, I have been involved in IRTI. I have attended various conferences and co-organized the conference in Potchefstroom in 2011. For me, the great added value of the IRTI network compared to other associations is the meeting between different members of the Reformed family. It is highly valuable that we organize the conferences in ever-changing locations around the world, because in this way the conferences are not only a meeting between people, but also a meeting between concrete lived contexts. At the same time, the climate crisis confronts us with the limitations of such a global perspective. Therefore, the conferences will henceforth no longer take place every two years, but every three years, and in addition to this, we will create virtual meeting moments.

In the coming years, I hope to contribute to the vitality of the network, together with the other members of the management team, and not to forget, with all institutes and scholars connected to IRTI worldwide. IRTI is nothing without this worldwide network of associated institutions and scholars! If you have suggestions for organizing a meeting within the framework of the IRTI network, for example, a webinar, please do not hesitate to contact me at pmwisse@pthu.nl