Staff Conciliators

All our staff conciliators have earned and maintain status as Certified Christian Conciliators™ through the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of Peacemaker® Ministries.

Rev. Ed Keinath serves as Director of CrossLife Ministries, the counseling center of Ambassadors of Reconciliation in Seymour, Indiana. With an extensive background in marriage and family counseling, Ed’s work includes counseling, parenting education seminars, and grief support groups. He provides consulting to numerous church professionals, church lay leaders, Lutheran school faculty, and their families. He has served as a reconciler for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and presently serves on the Commission on Ministerial Health of the Indiana District. Ed's experience includes working with conflicted churches, church schools, and other related groups, and he serves as a mentor and an adjunct instructor for Peacemaker Ministries. In addition, Ed serves as a pastor for St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jonesville, Indiana. He and his wife, Janeen, have five children: Joel, Daniel, Michael, Joshua, and Rachel, and three grandchildren.

Ted Kober serves as President of Ambassadors of Reconciliation. Ted’s speaking includes presenting seminars on biblical peacemaking, training leaders in mediation, and leading board governance workshops. His international work includes equipping church body leaders from 33 different countries and 6 continents. Ted has published articles, Bible studies, devotions, and his book Confession & Forgiveness (CPH, 2002). He provides consulting for business and church leaders and serves on conciliation panels in a wide variety of cases, including complex church interventions. For thirteen years, Ted served in various leadership roles for Peacemaker Ministries and continues to serve as an adjunct instructor. He served as a reconciler for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and on the synod’s board of directors. Prior to his work in reconciliation, his business background includes owning or managing interests in more than 30 different companies. He successfully resolved fifty-nine separate legal disputes in one estate. He has served in numerous lay leadership positions at Trinity Lutheran Church in Billings, Montana, and occasionally plays organ for worship. He lives in Billings with his wife Sonja, and they have one grown son David.

Rev. Bruce Zagel serves as Director of Reconciliation Pastorate Ministry, preparing pastors to serve conflicted congregations as a reconciliation pastor. A Lutheran pastor for nearly 20 years, Bruce was also a juvenile court counselor prior to going to the seminary. He serves as a mentor and adjunct instructor for Peacemaker Ministries. He has also been an adjunct instructor at Concordia University, Portland, Oregon and New Life Bible College, Moscow, Russia. Bruce has taught biblical peacemaking in Russia, Ukraine, India, and Canada. He is experienced in mediation and arbitration, and he leads church conflict interventions. For nearly six years, Bruce served as Director of Reconciliation Ministries for Ambassadors of Reconciliation. In the fall of 2010, Bruce moved to Australia to serve as a Reconciliation Pastor in a conflicted congregation. He and his wife, Kathy, have two grown sons, Adam, and Mark, and one grandchild.