The Rev. Daniel Rinderknecht

Pastor Daniel Rinderknecht was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on October 15, 1954.  As a child, he lived in Atkins, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa.  He attended Parochial schools at St. Stephens’s, Atkins; Trinity, Cedar Rapids and Immanuel, Waterloo.  His family moved to Salinas, California and stayed for two years, returning to Iowain 1965.  After graduating from High School in 1972, he moved to Minneapolis with his family.  Pastor Rinderknecht graduated from Concordia College, St. Paul in 1979 and entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis where he graduated in 1983.  He had his vicarage at Trinity Lutheran Church in Davison, Michigan.  Pastor Rinderknecht accepted his first Call to St. John’s Lutheran Church just outside of  Stony Plain, Alberta.  He served at St. John’s for 20 years before being installed as pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Billings on September 7, 2003.

Pastor Rinderknecht has served as Circuit Counselor from 1986-1996.  He was chairman for the North Alberta Church Workers conference from 1991-1996.  He began his studies for the Doctor of Ministry degree in 1994 through Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.  In 1996, he was elected Vice President for Lutheran Church-Canada and served as a member of the Synod’s Board of Directors and held the position of chairman of the Board of Regents for Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Edmonton.  In the fall of 1999, he taught at a Lutheran seminary in Kamenka, Ukraine for six weeks.  In 2002, he was elected First Vice President of the Lutheran Church-Canada.

Pastor Rinderknecht was joined in marriage with Cathy Schiefelbein on January 29, 1977.  They have four grown children and one grandchild.

The Rev. Timothy Richholt

Pastor Timothy Richholt was born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota.  He graduated from Bismarck High School in 1972.  After several years in the grocery business, Tim became convinced that the Lord was calling him into full-time ministry.  In the fall of 1975, Tim entered Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota where he earned a liberal arts degree with a major in Biblical Languages in May of 1978.  He took his seminary training at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and graduated in 1982.  Pastor Richholt and his family moved to Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, where he served for six years as pastor of Grace and Trinity Lutheran Churches in Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson, Colorado.  In May of 1988, he became pastor of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, where he served for 16 years.  He was installed as pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Billings, Montana on October 4, 2004.

While in Colorado, Pastor Richholt was also on the district board for Social Services.  In Canada, he was chairman of the Board for Parish Services for Lutheran Church-Canada for nine years.  He has also served as circuit counselor and as L.W.M.L. zone counselor.

Pastor Richholt married Melissa Unterseher in 1971, and together they have four sons and four grandchildren.

Church Office Staff

 Connie Klundt, Secretary

Deanna Lenz, Financial Assistant

 Jackie Ingold, Office Assistant

Jason Schleicher (Shh-like-her) is a pastor’s son who grew up in Michigan and Minnesota.  Jason attended Concordia University Nebraska where he received his DCE training, played a lot of intramural sports, learned how to play the guitar, and met his wife.  Jason married Amy Walquist in 2003, and together they moved to Saginaw, Michigan where Jason completed his fifth year of DCE training as a DCE intern at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.  He then accepted a call to remain as DCE at Bethlehem and served there three more years through the summer of 2007.  After four years in Saginaw, the Schleichers accepted the call to serve at Trinity and moved to Billings in August, 2007.

At Trinity, Jason works primarily with the High School Group while he also helps lead and administer many of the other church education ministries for people of all ages.  Some of these other ministries include Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Confirmation retreats, Junior High Youth, College-age young adults, Adult Bible classes, Adult Small Groups, and the Manitoba Mission Trip.  Jason is also working at developing a Connections Team and a KINDLE Lay Leadership training program at Trinity.  Please email Jason (dceschleicher@yahoo.com) or call the church office and speak with him if you have any concerns or questions about any of the many education ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Cindy Speed
 Music Director

Email Cindy Speed

Cindy Speed was born in Whitefish, Montana.  She began her education at St. John's Lutheran School in Long Beach, California, and graduated from high school in Eureka, Montana.  She then attended 2 years of college at Concordia University in Portland. While raising 4 sons and working at Trinity Lutheran School, she graduated from Montana State University in Billings, Montana in 1997, with a major in music and a K-12 endorsement.  

Cindy has worked at Trinity Lutheran School for 30 years.  She started out by teaching a junior choir once a week - that grew to include the classroom music, 3 choirs and a band.  After her graduation in 1997, she became a half-time classroom teacher along with managing the school music program.  In 2008, with the plan in the works to soon add a Saturday Worship service at Trinity Lutheran Church, Cindy became the full-time Music Director of Trinity Lutheran Church and School.