The H. Henry Meeter Center has been fostering theological and historical discovery since 1982.

The H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies is a research center specializing in John Calvin, Calvinism, the Reformation, and Early Modern Studies. Since opening in 1982, our extensive book, rare book, article, and microform collections has attracted scholars from all over the world.

The Meeter Center sponsors lectures, hosts seminars sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, awards scholarships to faculty, pastors, graduate students and high school seniors, offers occasional courses on Early Modern French paleography and hosts events for the Friends of the Meeter Center and the local community throughout the year.

Our Story

The H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies began with a collection of important books and a bibliography by Calvin College professor Dr. H. Henry Meeter during his tenure of teaching in the Bible (now Religion and Theology) Department from 1927 to 1957. At the initiative of Dr. Meeter, Calvin College and Seminary established the Committee for Scholarly Research and Development of Basic Historic Calvinism in 1961. This Committee was the genesis of the H. Henry Meeter Center and its governing board.

The primary goal of Dr. Meeter was to make scholarly research on Calvinism available to students and laypeople. This goal was articulated and achieved in his classic 1939 work, The Basic Ideas of Calvinism. Published by Baker Book House, the book is now in its sixth edition and has been translated into five languages: Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian.

The need for space for the growing collection of materials on Calvin and Calvinism was recognized and supported by Dr. Meeter’s son Hugh and daughter-in-law Eve Meeter of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and by the Pew Foundation who made possible the 1981–1982 construction of the H. Henry Meeter Center and Heritage Hall as a wing of the Calvin College and Seminary Library.

The Hugh and Eve Meeter Calvinism Awards for High School Seniors were established in 1993 by Hugh and Eve Meeter to stimulate an interest in and a knowledge of the Calvinistic world-and-life view among high school seniors.

Today the Meeter Center, with its rare items, books, articles, literature and bibliographies is acclaimed worldwide as one of the most extensive and user-friendly of all Calvin and Calvinism collections.

Read more about the History of the Meeter Center.

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