Ronald E. Kastens, D.Min.; B.A., Milligan College; M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; D.Min., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Dr. Kastens spent many years ministering in New England before joining Milligan in 2018. He holds the D.Min. in Pastoral Theology in Practice from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He completed the M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Ron spent his undergraduate years at Milligan College, graduating in 1989 with a B.A. in Bible.
Ron is an ordained minister who has 30+ years of local church ministry experience in Tennessee, Kentucky, and New Hampshire. He has served in youth ministry, worship programming, small groups, spiritual formation, pastoral care, global outreach, and senior ministry. His full-time ministry includes 12 years as an associate minister at the Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and 17 years as the lead pastor of Crossway Christian Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. While there, he oversaw the congregation’s growth from 300 to over 850 members. Under his leadership Crossway became a multi-site church with two additional campus locations.
Dr. Kastens’ academic focus is preparing women and men for ministry in very practical and tangible aspects, and his courses reflect this. His interests include Preaching/Homiletics, Leadership Development, Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Care, and the Enneagram. He has published articles on topics such as elders and preaching. He presented a paper on The Enneagram and Spiritual Formation at the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference. He preaches regularly in churches around the country, and, as time allows, provides consulting or coaching services to ministers and churches.
Ron serves on the boards for Christian Missionary Fellowship, Inc. and the Great Lakes Chapter of the International Enneagram Association. He is a member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and the International Enneagram Association.
Ron and his wife, Stacey, have three adult children, Brennan, Dallas, and Marlee. They live in Johnson City and are members at First Christian Church in Johnson City, where Ron serves as an elder. Ron enjoys reading, movies, and an occasional round of golf. He faithfully cheers for the Tennessee Volunteers, Boston Red Sox, and Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.