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Linda Gould is a retired lawyer. Her law practice emphasized transactional work such as real estate, contracts, probate, estate planning, and intellectual property. She has been a Certified Christian Conciliator® since 2004. Linda has served as a mediator in cases involving disputes between members and staff of church congregations, Christian ministries and their employees, business partners, and neighbors, and has also provided conflict coaching in a variety of settings, including family and marriage disputes. Linda loves to go on RV trips with her husband Bob, especially when the trip involves seeing family and friends. Linda and Bob are active members at First Evangelical Free Church of Colorado Springs.

Ted Kober serves as Senior Ambassador Emeritus for Ambassadors of Reconciliation (AoR). Since AoR’s founding, he served as President until 2015. Retired from Ambassadors of Reconciliation in 2021 to be a caregiver for his wife, Ted continues consulting, speaking, and reconciling as Ted Kober, LLC. A Certified Christian Conciliator™* since 1992, Ted consults and conciliates in cases ranging from personal disputes to lawsuits and church conflicts. He has published articles, Bible studies, devotions, training courses, and books including Confession & Forgiveness, Conflict Resolution vs. Reconciliation, Built on the Rock: The Healthy Congregation, and Reconciling Under the Cross. He co-authored his most recent book, Unforgivable? How God’s Forgiveness Transforms Our Lives. He teaches in congregations, conferences, schools, universities, and seminaries throughout the world. He has equipped church leaders from more than 40 countries and been translated into more than 15 languages. In 2021, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis awarded Ted with a Doctor of Letters degree, honoris causa, for his writing, speaking, and impact to the global Church. He lives in Billings, Montana. Ted’s wife Sonja now lives in heaven. They have one son and two grandchildren.

Rev. Mark Loder serves as Senior Pastor and Lead Administrator at St. James Lutheran Church and School in Howard Lake, MN. Pastor Loder has served in the ministry for 12 years, graduating with his M-Div from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne in 2009. Prior to serving as a pastor, he served as a police officer in Vermillion, SD where he went to undergraduate school for music performance. While there, Pastor met his wife Molly. They are blessed with three bio children (21, 19, and 19) and one adopted child (24). Pastor Loder has been trained as a synodical reconciler and has served on two reconciliation teams with Ambassadors of Reconciliation as well as consulting and working reconciliation with congregations in the Minnesota South District. Along with his ministry responsibilities at St. James which include serving as a vicarage supervisor, Pastor Loder is the 4th Vice President of the Minnesota South District and an LWML Zone Counselor. In his time away from the ministry business, he enjoys cooking, the outdoors, reading, and spending time with his bride.

John Long is the Director of Training at Ambassadors of Reconciliation. He transitioned well from his position as Lead Pastor at Grace Harbor in Sitka, Alaska. Grace Harbor serves the Christian Community in Southeast Alaska. John has extensive experience helping people navigate conflicted situations. He worked for nearly 25 years for the State Government in the arena of Salmon Harvest Management on the West Coast. John also worked for an Association of nearly 250 churches in the Pacific Northwest as the Director of Church Development where he served as a conflict coach and lead church crisis intervention cases. John also taught conflict transformation, peacemaking, relational wisdom, and reconciliation principles at Convergence in Portland, OR. John has been married to his wife, Kirsten a first-grade teacher, since 1999. They have two sons, Carter and Matthew, both teenagers. John enjoys sport fishing with his family in his free time. His other interests include acoustic guitar and amateur radio (W7JAL).

My path from broken relationships to serving as a Reconciler has taken me through opportunities to learn and apply conflict resolution skills in my personal and family relationships and conflicts. Now, as a Christian counselor and conciliator, I help Stepmoms, Step Couples, and their families resolve the conflicts that arise within the complexities and dynamics of blending families. Every blended family is formed out of some type of brokenness (divorce or death), and conflict baggage tends to tag along into future relationships. I have seen the significant difference that conflict coaching and mediation services provide in dealing with family issues across the lifespan (from resolving financial settlements and custody disputes during divorce proceedings to addressing elder care issues and end-of-life decisions). My goal is to bring peace-living and grace-breathing to our everyday life and family experiences.

Personal Notes: I am blessed to have a loving, blended family, where his three and my four have added their spouses plus 15 grandchildren to the Millsaps-Patrick Bunch. My favorite days start with sipping hot coffee on the back porch rockers with my best friend and husband, Barry, watching the sun come up over the ridge, and listening to the bird chorus as we read and discuss the Bible and pray. My favorite evenings end with singing harmony to Barry’s lead as he picks his guitar or mandolin. I love exploring nature and discovering new flowered, furry, or feathered friends, especially in the mountains we call home, the Southern Appalachians. Some days find us tromping through old, hillside graveyards searching for new clues to old ancestors. We love collecting and telling stories and connecting people to new friends, ideas, and projects. No day is complete without a dose of laughter! Visit my website at https://susanmillsaps.com/
Services available: In-person (Robbinsville, NC) or online (Zoom).