Meet the Chaplain
Ron Robinson is Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion at Wofford College. Previously he served Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte for 15 years. He has also been a campus minister at Duke University. His writings include two books that connect servant leadership with the spiritual life.
A 1978 Wofford graduate, Robinson earned two postgraduate degrees from Duke University, an M.Div. and Th.M. He earned his doctor of ministry degree (D.Min.) at Southern Methodist University and also received a certificate in church management at the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University. His interests include popular film and music, sports, travel, fly fishing, and swapping stories.
As chaplain, Robinson leads several types of religious services: traditional worship services on Sunday mornings, weekday services that utilize music, film and art, and communion services on Thursdays at noon. He offers pastoral care, spiritual direction, service opportunities and vocational exploration for the Wofford community.
His research interests in spirituality in higher education have resulted in receiving a Templeton Foundation Grant that enabled Wofford to participate in UCLA Study on Spirituality in Higher Education. He has participated in the Conference on College Student Values at Florida State University and is the college’s representative to the Lilly Fellows. He serves on the Ministry Fellows National Selection Committee for the Fund for Theological Education. He has reviewed A Way of Life in the World: Spiritual Practices for United Methodists for Abingdon Press, Sermons from A Great Towering Church for Duke University Press, and Touchdown Jesus: The Mixing of Sacred and Secular in American History and Credo, both for Circuit Rider.
Robinson delivered the keynote address, “Four Factors Influencing Faith Formation on Campus: Cohorts, Religious Preferences, Spiritual Sensibilities and Marketing” for the United Methodist gathering of the National Association of College and University Chaplains. He has recently preached in churches in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky, and was the Staley Distinguished Christian Lecturer at Union College in Kentucky.
Along with Professor C.E. Abercrombie, III, Robinson led students on a Katrina Relief construction trip to Pascagoula, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana. An activist who is involved with issues related to poverty and justice, he annually leads students on the Alternative Spring Break, and most recently participated in a Borderlinks Project on the US-Mexico border.
Robinson says his greatest joy in life is helping students discover their talents and strengths. He is known throughout the Wofford community for his ability to connect students with meaningful experiences that help them discover their calling in life. He offers counseling and coaching for individual students and leads workshops for small groups.