“I am deep in my walk with God. God has guided me to walk alongside all kinds of people. By being a vehicle of God’s grace, I have been able to touch so many.”  Rev. Bob Ruedebusch, who currently serves as the Southwest District superintendent for the Dakotas Conference. Pastor Bob reflects on 42 years of ministry, a ministry that has allowed him to officiate at thousands of weddings and funerals.

Ruedebusch grew up attending a Missouri Synod Lutheran church. In eighth grade, he sang his first solo in church. As a youth, he remembers watching his pastor preaching. Bob thought, “Maybe I could do that.” 

Rev. Bob Ruedebusch presenting for CCFA at Annual Conference, 2019, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Photo by jlynn studios.

After high school, he attended Dakota Wesleyan University and majored in Music Education. It was at DWU that his call to ministry flourished.

“I was a member of the singing group, the Highlanders, at DWU. In my junior year, we went on a singing tour to various churches. We sang at Greenleaf UMC, outside of Miller, South Dakota. A man approached me and asked if I ever thought about being a pastor,” says Pastor Bob.

Rev. Dave Heetland, a retired elder of the Dakotas Conference who most recently served in extension ministry as the Vice President for Planned Giving at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, was serving as the campus pastor during Ruedebusch’s undergraduate years. Heetland nurtured the call to ministry and supported him while serving as the student pastor at Alpena, South Dakota.

“There were so many things that happened during my years at DWU that help me answer my call to ministry,” says Ruedebusch.

He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Iliff Theological Seminary in Colorado. His first ministry jobs were serving as a youth pastor in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and in Canton, South Dakota, which was also his sponsoring church. Rev. Ruedebusch has also served the Dakotas Conference congregations of Riverview UMC in Huron, South Dakota, Virgil UMC in Virgil, South Dakota, the United Methodist Church in Canton, South Dakota, and 17 years at Canyon Lake UMC in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Rev. Bob Ruedebusch, left, enjoys a laugh with Rev. Rod Gist during an ice cream social at Sunnycrest UMC, during Annual Conference 2021. Conference Co-lay Leader John Srstka, right, offered ukelele ambience.

Bob is no stranger to the district superintendent role he's leaving, or the Southwest District. Prior to his 2012 appointment to Sioux Falls First UMC, he served as the district superintendent for the former Prairie Hills District, now Southwest District, of the Dakotas Conference from 2009-2012.

In retirement, Ruedebusch will continue to serve on the Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CCFA) during this time of denominational turbulence, and on the board of Tree of Life Ministries. 

“I attended the Higher Ground retreat a few years ago. It allowed me to look back on the seasons of ministry that I have experienced and to reflect,” says Pastor Bob. “It  allowed me to think about how I might serve God as I move towards retirement. It allowed me to open myself up to ministry in new ways like coaching and consultation.” 

“Ministry is not an easy task,” he says. “Through God’s faithfulness, I hope to mentor senior clergy and the next generation of leaders. As I meet people, I want to invite them to ministry.” 

Rev. Bob Ruedebusch, Southwest District superintendent.

Rev. Ruedebusch also reflected on the current season of unrest within the denomination. "I feel very positive about where the Southwest District is– in its pastoral leadership and its churches – as they carefully respond to this season of church life, especially coming out of the pandemic, as well as moving forward into this season of the church's life around disaffiliations." 

"I am looking forward to spending more time with Paula and visiting our children, Katie, Megan, Dan and our grandson Miles and our son John and Brittney and travelling, playing golf, riding my new e-bike, and continuing to volunteer." He and Paula are excited to spend winters near their grandson Miles  (and, of course, Miles' parents, Megan and Dan) in Orlando, Florida.

I will continue to coach senior pastors in our annual conference.  Retirement is a transition to a different pace of life, which I'm loooking forward to, but I still want to look for ways to be connected and to serve that will be helpful." 

“God will use all of this for a new birth. Some divisions are surfacing. Our relationships, here in the Dakotas, are still strong. We can take those strong relationships and build as much unity as possible.”