Welcome back to our blog series of Q&As with our staff. As our team has grown in recent years, this is a chance to get to know some of our stories and quirks. Caring for creation and equipping others to do likewise is so much more meaningful — and fun — when done as a team!
Photo caption: A Rocha USA’s Director of Church Partnerships, Ron Rienstra, leading worship at the Grand Rapids Churches of Restoration kickoff in September 2025.
What drew you to A Rocha?
I knew of a few folks associated with A Rocha, and then was invited to be on the Board — probably because some ARUSA people had fallen in love with my wife Deb’s book Refugia Faith. I was most happy to ride those coattails.
When did the connection between faith and environmental work first “click” for you?
Probably in the year or two before the pandemic, when Deb and I were eagerly re-wilding our yard and learning the names of the creatures (birds, bugs, trees, shrubs) whose ecosystem we share. I saw the failure of the Church to catechize its members in love and consequent care for the environment and began to turn my professional and personal attention in that direction.
What’s your favorite species and why?
These days, I’m particularly fond of plants instead of animals, and my current fave is an oak tree — I know there are lots of varieties, and I don’t have a particular favorite — but I love that they are keystone species in so many ecosystems, supporting SO many other creatures.
Live Oak (Quercus viginiana), by Mike Shell, on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
What places are near and dear to your heart?
I love the Lake Michigan dunes.
What training/background do you bring to this work?
I don’t have any particular training in ecology or conservation — but I do have training in theology as a pastor and professor. I also have lots of experience working with churches and small groups.
What are the most challenging aspects of your work?
I love my work. I suppose the most challenging parts of it have to do with Christians who respond favorably to pleas to care for creation, but who — because of political identity and affiliation — are unwilling to recognize how central climate change is to the urgency of the moment.
It’s also pretty challenging to be a citizen of the USA right now, because the current administration and its congressional and judicial enablers are so deeply in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry and so deeply committed to an anti-science posture. I’m thinking right this minute of the inexplicable withdrawal of the U.S. from the UNFCCC agreement.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your work?
I love to see churches mobilizing to put creation care at the center of their discipleship efforts. It’s really rewarding to see this sort of activity move from a boutique issue for a handful of people to something that the whole congregation supports.
What are some ways you see A Rocha’s work bringing life to your local ecosystems?
In my own neighborhood, I see churches that are part of ARUSA’s Churches of Restoration program re-wilding parts of their property. I’m also excited not only about our work in Texas and Florida, but also about our collaborations with partners in places like Hawaii and Nashville and the Pacific Northwest.
What keeps you going when faced with all our overwhelming ecological problems?
I find it therapeutic to reflect on pollinators. Honestly, the image of these insects just doing their thing in a way that blesses the whole ecosystem is a good reminder to me about my own work and the difference it makes.
What is a little-known but fun fact about you?
I played viol da gamba and recorders and krumhorns in the “Ancient Music Ensemble” in college.
What would be your creation-oriented book recommendation?
What If We Get It Right, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
What is your favorite creation-oriented song?
“Declaring Glory,” from the “Climate Vigil” album by The Porter’s Gate.
Learn more about our Churches of Restoration program here, and about our Church Partners program here.
Check out the stories of our 2024-25 Florida Churches of Restoration in this video!