Connection to NWC

As senior pastor at Wayzata (Minn.) Evangelical Free Church for more than 13 years, George Kenworthy, D.Min., got to know many students who attended Northwestern. Members of his congregation also introduced him to the college and over the years he developed connections with various members of the faculty, staff and administration.

Education and career
Compelled by the command in Matthew 6:33 to seek the Kingdom of God fi rst, Kenworthy felt called to the ministry fi eld. He studied at Concordia College and Trinity University (B.A.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) (Th.M.) and Denver Seminary (D.Min.). He started his ministry career in 1972 at a church in Illinois and has since served as pastor at churches in Iowa, Colorado, Indiana and Minnesota.

Kenworthy is founder and president of Reconciliation Associates Inc., a group of Christian professionals who counsel individuals and couples in order to save, restore and improve marriages. He has written two books, Marriage Makeover and Before the Last Resort: 3 Simple Questions to Rescue Your Marriage.

Kenworthy’s role on the academic committee on the Board of Trustees is informed by the fact that since 1974 he has been an adjunct professor of Old Testament and preaching at various seminaries including TEDS, Denver Seminary and for the last 18 years at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul.

Vision for NWC
“The greatest distinctive at Northwestern is its unabashed commitment to teaching students how to live out a biblical worldview,” said Kenworthy. He believes Northwestern can continue to serve as a light for years to come as the college continues to believe “with God anything is possible” and stay focused on the major themes proclaimed in the Bible.

Family and interests
Kenworthy’s family literally spans the globe as two of his three children are missionaries. He and his wife, Joan—a former second grade teacher—stay busy with seven grandchildren. Joan also travels with him around the world as he speaks at military bases and in various mission settings.

When not working, Kenworthy enjoys golf, bike riding, hiking, working on cars, fixing whatever is broken, and reading— his favorite book is the Bible. He also enjoys learning from the Bible’s original languages, Greek and Hebrew.

Values to live by
Kenworthy fi rmly believes that his sole purpose is to influence others for Jesus and hopes to impact as many people as he can for Christ in as short a time as possible.