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Joel Rissinger

Member Since: 02/2023

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Joel L. Rissinger and his wife Karen have been married for more than 38 years and have two adult children, a marvelous son-in-law, and two gorgeous granddaughters. Pastor Joel is a co-founding pastor of LifeWay Church in Newington, Connecticut and he has been in fulltime ministry since 1992. In this capacity, he has led several congregations through major transitions prior to planting. He and his wife Karen, a School Psychologist have helped hundreds of couples through counseling, their popular “Marriage Timeout” retreats, Iron Sharpens Iron Seminars, and other public ministry. In addition to his pastoral duties, Pastor Joel is a Certified Speaker, Trainer and Coach with the John Maxwell Group. Joel speaks in corporate, non-profit, and civic group settings on a regular basis. In the recent past, Joel served as a presenter for the “Perspectives” Missions course, and as a seminar presenter for Life Innovations, Inc., and their popular Prepare-Enrich marriage counseling program. He is also a graduate of the famous “Bill Gove Speech Workshop.” Pastor Joel has a BA in theology from Ambassador University, as well as MAs in both religion and religious education from Liberty University. Karen Rissinger has her BA in Theology also from Ambassador as well as a Masters in School Psychology from the University of Hartford, CT.       

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I'm a husband, father, grandfather, coach, chaplain and pastor of over 30 years. I love camping, fishing, hunting and watching movies with my wife. Love serving and helping churches, companies, and people implement change.

When and why did you start writing books?

Felt compelled to share the story of a remarkable church merger. Once I finished the first book, I "had the bug" and continued to write a dozen more and contributed to others by different authors as well.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

Just a love to teach and share.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

Probably what some consider my opus, "Things Your Pastor Would Love to Say...(But Can't)."

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Probably the first, "The Crucified Church."

Who is your favourite author and book?

I love the Bible, authored by God. In addition, the Purpose Driven Church and Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

What book are you reading right now?

"The Other Side of the Church."

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Prayer and through my work with churches and leaders.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Fishing, Camping, Hiking, and Hunting.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Thinking about a follow-up the my opus called, "Things Your Church Would Tell You...(If they could)."