MOVEMENT FOR THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN

Keren Terpstra

General Representative

The Very Reverend Keren Terpstra is currently the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale, in the Diocese of Gippsland. Before moving to Gippsland, Keren had roles in the Dioceses of Melbourne and Brisbane. She is a General Synod Representative for Gippsland, as well as on the Provincial Council for Victoria. Keren has served on a number of school boards, as a lay ministry chaplain, and as a member of various reference groups and working committees in each of the dioceses in which she has served. In the course of her ministry, she’s been an Area Dean and a Natural Church Development coach, as well as being an advocate for Heartedge. 

Prior to ordination, Keren trained in composition with Anne Boyd at the University of Sydney, gaining a Master of Music degree, as well as qualifications in organ performance. She’s had a lifelong love of choral music, and of writing liturgical music for choirs. A number of her works have been premiered at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, and written for celebrations of anniversaries of the Ordination of Women in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Gippsland. One of her core areas of work as Dean of Gippsland is developing the music programme, which is to be sponsored by a Trust set up by her predecessor. 

Her modus operandi in ministry is about transformation/transfiguration, and Keren yearns to see human communities led by the Spirit and flourishing as we grow more and more into the likeness of Christ.  

Keren has a wide range of passions to which she is devoted in her hours and hours of spare time (!!): Asian dramas and novels (in translation), Star Trek, fan fiction (reading and writing), quilting, crochet and other hand crafts, walking – and she is currently learning to play the harp.