Anthony serves as the Pastor of Worship & Ministry at First Reformed Church in South Holland, IL – a role he’s held for the past ten years. Anthony has been in volunteer and vocational worship ministry for the past seventeen years, and has served in a variety of diverse contexts including college ministry, a teenage church plant, large and small youth ministries, and, currently, a 172 year-old established church in a racially-diverse community in south Chicagoland. Anthony’s heart as a worship pastor is to plan and lead liturgies that are biblically-based, spiritually formative, missionally-oriented, and appropriately contextualized – a focus that is rooted in thirteen years of experience as a worship pastor and five years of graduate study. Anthony holds both a Masters of Worship Studies degree and Doctor of Worship Studies degree from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida.

Areas of Expertise/Experience: 

• The Content, Structure, and Style of Worship
• Worship Administration
• Planning and Leading Worship (and Worship Teams) in Diverse Contexts
• Missional Worship
• The Contemporary Church and the Christian Year
• Worship Rubrics and Transitions
• Convergent Worship: Past and Future

Meet Anthony

Kai Ton is program manager (curriculum development) at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, adjunct professor at Calvin University, and choir director at Blythefield Christian Reformed Church in Rockford, Michigan. Having moved internationally a few times and attended churches in different traditions sparks his interest in the study of the global church and worship and culture. Kai Ton has a background in music composition, choral music, and worship studies. He loves the congregational song and is passionate about helping church choirs to continue to sing traditional anthems as well as “new songs” to the Lord. He believes that effective church music ministry must be built on the foundation of loving God and God’s people, a deep appreciation of song lyrics, and a keen knowledge of the musical elements in songs. Kai Ton speaks English, Cantonese Chinese, and Mandarin Chinese.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Choral music and conducting
• Congregational song
• Theology of worship
• The global church
• Worship and culture

Joan is Assistant Professor of Worship Arts at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. She spent years as a lay worship leader before attending Calvin Seminary and becoming an ordained pastor. She then served as lead or transitional pastor in four CRC congregations in Ontario, working with different worship committees, worship coordinators, and planning teams in each place. This means Joan has experience planning and leading worship collaboratively from both a lay and ordained vantage point. More recently she was the Dean of Students/Chapel at Tyndale University College and Seminary where she coordinated the weekly chapel programs. In 2016 Joan completed her PhD in the area of Practical Theology, and she moved from Toronto to BC to take up her current post in 2018. Joan has a keen interest in how a community's worship practices are formative in the lives of its people and desires to help congregations be intentional in their worship design.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Planning and Leading Worship
• Formative Community Worship Practices
• Intentional Worship Design

Tom has been planning and leading worship for 18 years. He has served as Worship and Youth Pastor at Olympia Christian Reformed Church in Olympia, Washington, for 12 years, where he led a diverse, intergenerational church toward unified, blended worship. His passion is to help churches and leaders discover how their worship leadership can help people reorient their lives to the hope of the Gospel. If you’re ready to take steps toward enriching the worship at your church, Tom would love to help you navigate that journey and identify creative solutions to the unique challenges you face in your church family.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Faith Formation in Worship
• Gospel-Shaped Worship
• Developing Relevant, Life-Giving Liturgy
• Creating a Culture of Participatory Worship
• Guiding Your Congregation Through Change
• Intergenerational Worship: Reframing Traditions and Modern Blend
• Music and Effective Band Leadership
• Worship Leader Development Coaching
• Worship Leader Soul-Care
• Communication, Clarity and Sound System Challenges

Meet Tom

As a preacher, pianist, event planner, and theologian, Joy explores worship from varied and unique angles. One Elder said of her worship-leading, "Joy breathes life into worship." Joy is an ordained minister in the CRCNA, has blogged and written articles on worship and brings more than 35 years of experience and training to the role of Worship Coach including working with congregations of mixed cultures, ages, and faith expressions. She lives in Denver with her husband and teenage daughters.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Blending traditions/styles of liturgy and music
•  "Ligaments:"  Connecting Elements of Worship
• Worship as Dialogue
• Brainstorming
• Preaching Coaching
• Piano Improvisation to Enhance Congregational Song
• Public Communication and Leading Teams

Meet Joy

Over the past 13 years as Worship Coordinator at Meadowlands Fellowship CRC in Ancaster, Marja has worked with many pastors and hundreds of volunteers. She has developed a worship culture of trust, openness, responsiveness, and creativity. Working with the Faith Formation team of the CRCNA, Marja has also participated in worship cohorts and developed rich faith formation practices. Marja has attended many conferences, both as a participant and workshop leader, teaching on Intergenerational Worship Teams, Collaborative Art Projects, and Designing Worship. Marja has completed a course in Transformational Coaching and would love to walk alongside and navigate the journey with you! Marja is particularly interested in creative approaches and solution-oriented practices that both stretch and embrace the culture of local congregations. Marja lives in Mount Hope, Ontario with her husband, some nice kids, a dog, and a bunch of fish.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Developing Leaders of All Ages
• Integrating All Ages and Skill Levels into Cohesive Teams
• Worship Leadership
• Collaborative Art and Worship Projects for the Whole Community
• Sourcing and Integrating Alternative, Global, Traditional, and Contemporary Music
• Writing and Sourcing Scripture-rich Liturgy
• Proposing Projects or Large Expenses

Chan is the Director of Worship and Music at Seymour CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a Resource Development Specialist at Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. He holds an MDiv from Calvin Theological Seminary and a BA in music theory and psychology from Calvin University. Chan’s curiosity toward Christian worship began at his home church, a Korean-speaking congregation in China that was deeply influenced by both Presbyterianism and Pentecostalism in Korea. Now having been trained and serving in Reformed churches in the United States, Chan is passionate about seeking understanding in each element of the Reformed liturgy, bridging gaps between different perspectives on worship, and discerning ways for worship leaders to thrive in our calling. He strives to be a versatile musician, scholar, and minister who draws wisdom from theology, history, psychology, music, and pastoral care.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Worship planning and administration
• Theology of worship
• Liturgical year resources
• Congregational song
• Dichotomies in worship
• Leading from the organ, piano, and acoustic guitar

Ahnna is an ordained minister of the CRCNA. Born in Korea, raised in Saudi Arabia, and immigrated to the US at the age of 12, Ahnna’s understanding of Christianity has always been global in scope. She leads worship in both Korean and English and has led worship in a diversity of settings. Ahnna is an astute theologian and a gifted musician who desires to amplify God’s glory on earth through the strength of His truth and the beauty of His creation. She loves to think critically and strategize for effective service of God’s Kingdom. She would be honored to help church leaders align their worship with their God-given mission to the world.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Gospel formation through worship
• Aligning worship with the mission of the Church
• Multicultural Worship
• Reimagining liturgy in the global context
• Understanding art as a vessel of truth
• Worship Leader Development
• Leading from the piano
• Fluent in Korean 

Adam is a Postdoctoral Associate in Worship with Duke Divinity School working with their Certificate of Worship Leadership program. He is a graduate of Trinity Christian College (B.A. music education), and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (M.A. religion and the arts). Both a scholar and practitioner, Adam holds together his worship leadership experience and a critical academic lens in a deep commitment to worship that is formative and expressive, reflective and engaging, symbolic and practical.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Up Front Leadership Using the Body and Voice
• Spoken Worship Leadership
• Reframing Worship Planning
• Going Beyond 'Fill in the Blank' Worship Planning
• Choosing and Leading Congregational Song
• Theological and Historical Reflection on Contemporary Worship Practices
• Self-assessing Congregational Worship

Sean is a worship leader, musician, and singer-songwriter living in Cambridge, Ontario. He has worked with many different Christian artists, worship leaders, pastors and music directors from around the Waterloo region in organizing and co-leading interdenominational, regional worship events and song projects. Sean is also a college professor bringing his experience and love of teaching into his worship ministry in order to inspire and support others as they grow in their gifts. Sean’s passions include helping local churches expand their worship music ministry by coaching worship leaders and equipping worship teams. Sean is also a songwriter, with a specific focus for writing songs for the local church that are rooted in ancient biblical truth and are relevant to the modern-day church–music that the local church needs to sing.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Developing inductive worship
• Fostering a worship lifestyle (Faith formation through worship)
• Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth
• Crafting an engaging and experiential liturgy
• Teaching prayer through song
• Developing authentic arrangements for your community
• A song for every season
• Song-writing for the local church
• Incorporating technology effectively into your worship services

Elly serves as the Pastor of Worship at Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario. She holds an MA in Worship from Calvin Theological Seminary, which not only helped in equipping her as a worship leader, but also taught her a lot about how to relate to pastors. Elly is passionate about engaging the church in congregational song, incorporating all ages in worship leadership, and gaining a deeper understanding of the role worship plays in shaping us and sending us out.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Leading worship with and for all generations
• Blending styles/traditions of liturgy and music
• Working with pastors
• Worship Planning

Meet Elly

Ruth Ann (Dykstra) Schuringa graduated from Redeemer University College (now RU) in 1989 with a BA in Music, piano major. She went on to Calvin College (now Calvin University) to study worship and music [conducting, organ, voice] and has attended more worship conferences than she can count. Involved with worship planning and worship leading for over 25 years, Ruth Ann was the part-time Worship Director at Immanuel CRC (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) from 2004 through early 2021.  She worked from 2015-2019 as the part-time Worship Ministry Team Leader at CrossPoint CRC (also in Brampton).  Ruth Ann has led many workshops and seminars over the years in all sorts of worship-related topics: her most rewarding being in worship planning, leading worship, and making music with worship teams.  At the end of January 2021 Ruth Ann began working as the half-time Worship Director at Mountainview CRC in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. 

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Worship Planning
• Blending Traditions
• Worship Leading
• Working with Worship Teams

Meet Ruth Ann

Rod is a career educator and practical theologian living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His passions lie at the intersection of faith formation, Biblical worship, and Christian mission. In addition to his 20+ years as a Christian school teacher and church worship leader/musician/pastor, Rod serves as a sessional instructor at The King’s University, a consultant and curriculum writer for Christian schools, and is an affiliate faculty member at Taylor Seminary serving as Professor of Christian Worship. Rod holds a Bachelor of Education, a Master and Doctor of Worship Studies, and a Master of Education with a specialization in adult and community education. As a lifelong student of worship renewal, Rod loves to explore pastorally sensitive and theologically imaginative ways of designing communal worship that are faith-forming, love-shaping, and kingdom-building.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• The Story, Shape and Style of Biblical Worship
• Worship & Missional Identity
• Intergenerational Worship & Faith Formation
• Participatory Communal Worship Practices
• Worship Planning: Designing Liturgy That Does God’s Story
• Serving as a Pastoral Musician (Song Selection & Spiritual Diet)
• Communicating Purposefully as a Worship Leader
• Leading a Band/Rehearsing/Musical Dynamics
• Dynamic Ways of Incorporating Scripture and Prayer in Worship

Sandra Van Opstal is the Executive Pastor at Grace and Peace Community, a CRC church on the west-side of Chicago. Previously, Sandra served through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in multiple capacities including as Director of Worship for the Urbana Missions Conference, Chicago Urban Program Director, Latino National Leadership Team (LaFe), and Northwestern University Team leader (Multiethnic fellowship). In addition to her ministry experience, Sandra holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She has authored Small Group Leader’s Handbook, God’s Graffiti Devotional, The Mission of Worship, The Next Worship and most recently was a contributor to Still Evangelical? Insiders Reconsider Political, Social, and Theological Meaning.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Developing Diverse Teams
• Mobilizing for Justice through Worship
• Worship that Embodies Solidarity, Hospitality and Mutuality
• Intergenerational Worship
• Reformed Worship That is Spirit-Filled and Expressive
• Contextual Preaching Regarding Location, Culture, and God’s Word

Chris currently serves as Pastor of Worship and Arts at Covenant Life Church in Grand Haven, MI, his church home since 2010.  He has worked in varying forms of worship ministry since 1997, previously serving as Director of Music at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids.  He has studied at Cornerstone University (B. Mus) and Western Theological Seminary (M. Div), and was ordained as a Minister of the Word in the CRC in 2018.  Although Chris has found a home in the CRC, he’s a denominational and liturgical mutt, grateful for multiple worship contexts that have shaped him in his journey.  He’s passionate about how worship shapes us, the intersection of liturgical forms and contemporary expressions, and clarifying the Gospel in the way we sing, speak, pray, and preach.

Areas of Expertise/Experience:

• Formational Worship
•  Worship Planning
•  Pastoral Worship
•  Worship Leading
•  Contemporary Worship Music

Meet Chris