Assistant Professor of World Christianity and Practical Theology
Born and educated in Kenya, Dr. Gitau has extensive pastoral experience in dynamic congregations, as well as research experience in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and USA.
Between 2011 and 2017, she was a researcher with a multi-country project, The Africa Leadership Survey https://africaleadershipstudy.org/, funded by Tyndale House Foundation through eleven collaborating universities. Between 2013 and 2017, she was a researcher, convener, and keynoter with the World Christian Revitalization project, funded by Luce Foundation through Asbury Theological Seminary. More recently she has been co-director of a project researching Spirituality, Pluralism and Progress, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust through St. Thomas University.
Dr. Gitau is the author of Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective(https://www.ivpress.com/megachurch-christianityreconsidered/, a “smart and thoughtful analysis of an extraordinarily important phenomenon in contemporary Christianity” (Philip Jenkins). The book won the 2019 Christianity Today’s book of the year award in the Global Missions category. She is co-author, with Dr. Mark Shaw, of the Kingdom of God in Africa: The Kingdom of God in Africa, revised and updated. She has published numerous other articles and is currently involved in multiple writing projects.
EDUCATION: Ph.D. Intercultural Studies, World Christianity (Africa International University, 2015), M.A., Missiology (Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, 2006). B.Ed., honors, Linguistics and Literature (University of Nairobi, 2002)