Education
ron.rienstra@westernsem.edu
Courses
CM101 Introduction to Preaching
CM124 Worship: Theology and Practice
CM585 Issues in Contemporary and Emerging Worship
CM592 Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry
TF104 Introduction to Theology & Worship
I often tell my students that worship is like sailing: we work hard at preaching and presiding, but we aren’t in control of what happens. The Spirit blows where it will; our joyful task as preachers and worship leaders is to let out as much sail as we possibly can. When we trim the sails well – when we preach with clarity and vividness, when we celebrate the sacraments with richness and vitality, when we enact the church’s liturgy with authenticity and faithfulness – then we cooperate in God’s transforming work, bringing our full presence into the presence of the Triune God who meets us on Sunday and shapes us for Christian living all week long.
Background
Since his ordination in the RCA in 1993, Ron Rienstra has lived and ministered at educational institutions in Iowa (Central College), Michigan (Calvin College), and California (Fuller Seminary), pursuing his primary interest: helping preachers, congregations, worship teams, and individuals learn to deepen and enliven their gatherings with God. All the while, he remained active in local church life as an interim pastor, preacher, worship leader and consultant.
He is currently finishing his dissertation while advancing a number of diverse research projects: exploring postmodernism and its affect on worship and preaching, mapping the place of corporate worship in seminary education in
Ron has published numerous articles in Reformed Worship (where he is a contributing editor), he is the author of Ten Service Plans for Contemporary Worship, volumes 1 & 2 (Faith Alive, 2002, 2006). He recently published a worship curriculum for small groups, as well as the book, Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry (Baker), co-authored with his wife, Debra Rienstra.
rienstra.blogspot.com