Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I studied theology at the London School of Theology and the University of Birmingham, where I completed a doctorate on Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity in Nigeria. Between 1991 and 2007, I taught theology in Nigeria, most recently at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (affiliated to the University of Jos). In 2007, I was appointed a research fellow in the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, University of Birmingham. In March 2013, I became a Lecturer in Ministerial Theology at Roehampton. From 2015 to 2018, I was the programme convenor for the MA in Theology and Religious Studies. From September 2020 to December 2022, I was co-convenor of the MA in Theology and Religious Studies. I am currently the convenor of the MA in Christian Ministry.
Qualifications
MA (Brunel University, Biblical Hermeneutics 1991), PhD (University of Birmingham, Theology 2004)
Research interests
My research interests include Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity and its intersection with politics and development; religion and migration; Christianity in Africa and the African diaspora; and religion and conflict. I am happy to supervise PhD projects on any aspect of Pentecostal/Charismatic studies, African Christianity and practical theology, but especially in the areas of Pentecostalism in Africa and the African diaspora, religion and development, and Christian-Muslim conflict in West Africa.
Research projects
- October 2017 to December 2018, co-PI on the project "Signs of Wonder: Iconography and Aesthetics of New Black Majority Churches in the London Borough of Southwark" (PI: Andrew Rogers), funded by Southlands Methodist Trust.
- September 2016 to May 2017, principal investigator on a research project exploring the learning experiences of students on ministerial-theological programmes in the UK, funded by Southlands Methodist Trust.
- September 2012 to December 2013, commissioned scholar, John Templeton-funded Religious Freedom Project, administered by Georgetown University.
- May 2010 to August 2012, principal investigator on a John Templeton-funded research project within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative, administered by the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California.
- June 2010 to February 2011, research fellow on the research programme "Global Prayers: Redemption and Liberation in the City" , a joint project of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), the cultural studies faculty of the European University Viadrina (Frankfurt/Oder) and metroZones - Center for Urban Affairs.
- May 2007 to May 2010, research fellow on the GloPent (European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism) research team within the NORFACE-funded research programme 'Re-emergence of religion as a social force in Europe?'
Professional affiliations
- Member of the European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism (GloPent).
- Member of the British & Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT).
- Member of the European Pentecostal Theological Association.
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
- Book Review editor of the journal PentecoStudies.
- Member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association (JEPTA) and Occasional Papers in Faith and Higher Education.
Consultancy work
From 2013 to 2016, I was a member of the Advisory Group for the AHRC-funded "Megachurches and Social Engagement in London" project, University of Birmingham
Teaching
I teach on the FdA/BTh programme in Ministerial Theology, the MAs in Christian Ministry and Theology and Religious Studies, and the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology (DTh). I teach the following FdA/BTh modules: Study Skills; Pentecostal Theology in Context; Christian Doctrine in Ecumenical Perspective; Education, Faith and Society. My MA modules are Pentecostal Theology and Practice and Theologies of Encounter, Conflict and Reconciliation. My DTh module is: Research Design 1: Literature Review and Research Questions.
External positions
External Examiner for the BA (Hons) Theology (Biblical & Pastoral Theology) & BA (Hons) Theology (Missional Leadership) , Birmingham Christian College
1 Sept 2020 → …
External Examiner for the BA in Applied Theology, Regents Theological College (valided by the University of Chester)
2015 → 2018
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Signs of Wonder: Iconography and Aesthetics of New Black Majority Churches
1/10/17 → 31/12/18
Project: Research
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The pedagogical challenges of teaching ministerial theology to students from non-traditional community churches
Burgess, R., Garner, M. & Thorpe, A.
1/09/16 → 31/05/17
Project: Research
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“The Nigeria-Biafra Civil War and the Birth of Indigenous Neo-Pentecostalism in Igboland, 1967-1980”
Burgess, R., 2023, The Pentecostal World. Wilkinson, M. & Haustein, J. (eds.). London and New York: Routledge, (Routledge Worlds).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Religious Spaces of Care in the Postsecular City: Nigerian Pentecostals and Civic Engagement in London
Burgess, R., 4 Jan 2022, In: Journal for the Academic Study of Religion. p. 1-26 26 p., 34.3.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Megachurches and "Reverse Mission"
Burgess, R., 21 Nov 2019, Handbook of Christianity: Megachurches. Hunt, S. (ed.). Leiden: Leiden: Brill, Vol. 19. p. 243-68 (Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile324 Downloads (Pure) -
Ogbu Kalu and African Pentecostalism
Burgess, R., 30 Apr 2019, Making Evangelical History: Faith, Scholarship and the Evangelical Past. Atherstone, A. & Jones, D. C. (eds.). Routledge, (Routledge Studies in Evangelicalism).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile476 Downloads (Pure) -
Nigeria
Burgess, R., 2017, Church Growth and Decline in Global Anglicanism: 1980 to the Present Day. Goodhew, D. (ed.). RoutldegeResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Activities
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Healing and Health in Pentecostalism workshop
Andrew Rogers (Organiser), Richard Burgess (Organiser), Sheryl Joanne Arthur (Organiser), Julius Jamiru (Presenter), Shola Oladipo (Presenter) & Richard Burgess (Presenter)
20 Mar 2023Activity: Public engagement and outreach › Workshop and other training
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Prophecy and Pentecostalism: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Andrew Rogers (Organiser), Richard Burgess (Speaker), Sheryl Joanne Arthur (Speaker), Simeon Oladokun (Speaker), Richard Burgess (Organiser), Sheryl Joanne Arthur (Organiser) & Simeon Oladokun (Organiser)
22 May 2023Activity: Public engagement and outreach › Workshop and other training
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GloPent Conference 2022: Pentecostalism and Socio-cultural Change, University of Cambridge
Richard Burgess (Speaker)
1 Apr 2022Activity: Talk or presentation for an academic audience › Invited talk for an academic audience
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Internal examiner of doctoral thesis
Richard Burgess (Internal Examiner)
15 Sept 2022Activity: Examinations › Examination
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External examiner of doctoral thesis
Richard Burgess (External Examiner)
14 Jan 2022Activity: Examinations › Examination