Kromminga, John H.

The son of Diedrich H. Kromminga, a Christian Reformed minister and president of Grundy College, Grundy Center, Iowa, John Henry Kromminga and his brother Carl both were called to the ministry. John Kromminga graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1942. He served as the pastor of three congregations before accepting an appointment to teach at the seminary in 1952. While in the parish ministry he had earned a Th.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1948 and attended Cambridge University.

Kromminga was appointed to the chair of Church History at the seminary in 1952 and to its presidency in 1956. He oversaw the move from the Franklin campus to the Knollcrest campus. While on the faculty, he stressed that faculty's primary role was to teach students, rather than conducting individual research on the cutting edge of theological study. He guided the seminary through a serious of changes during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly expanding the curriculum to meet such changing demands as students seeking training in counseling or teaching rather than parish ministry and the admission of women students. In addition, he taught in reformed seminaries around the world and was active in historical groups. After retiring he served as President of the International Theological Seminary in Los Angeles, 1984-1990, and as co-editor of The Banner, 1992-93.

A prolific author, among his books are: The Christian Reformed Church, In the Mirror, and All One Body We. Kromminga was married to Claire Ottenhoff (1919-1995), a 1941 graduate of Calvin College. The couple had three children: Kathryn Joyce Greenfield, Constance Mulder, and John Richard Kromminga.