diff --git a/src/ruby/.rubocop.yml b/src/ruby/.rubocop.yml
index ff5cf8db83190a6fab07d6c37cbf4f626a2fb29e..d13ce4265537732de5770455009f6008dc43c4e8 100644
--- a/src/ruby/.rubocop.yml
+++ b/src/ruby/.rubocop.yml
@@ -15,3 +15,6 @@ Metrics/CyclomaticComplexity:
 
 Metrics/PerceivedComplexity:
   Max: 8
+
+Metrics/ClassLength:
+  Max: 250
diff --git a/src/ruby/lib/grpc/generic/rpc_server.rb b/src/ruby/lib/grpc/generic/rpc_server.rb
index ef2997c991809acadc435df9242dc641a1096a2c..b30d19dd2bbb676ef989b460f500b3eeaad25754 100644
--- a/src/ruby/lib/grpc/generic/rpc_server.rb
+++ b/src/ruby/lib/grpc/generic/rpc_server.rb
@@ -107,7 +107,9 @@ module GRPC
 
     # Starts running the jobs in the thread pool.
     def start
-      fail 'already stopped' if @stopped
+      @stop_mutex.synchronize do
+        fail 'already stopped' if @stopped
+      end
       until @workers.size == @size.to_i
         next_thread = Thread.new do
           catch(:exit) do  # allows { throw :exit } to kill a thread
@@ -264,10 +266,10 @@ module GRPC
       @pool = Pool.new(@pool_size)
       @run_cond = ConditionVariable.new
       @run_mutex = Mutex.new
-      @running = false
+      # running_state can take 4 values: :not_started, :running, :stopping, and
+      # :stopped. State transitions can only proceed in that order.
+      @running_state = :not_started
       @server = RpcServer.setup_srv(server_override, @cq, **kw)
-      @stopped = false
-      @stop_mutex = Mutex.new
     end
 
     # stops a running server
@@ -275,27 +277,42 @@ module GRPC
     # the call has no impact if the server is already stopped, otherwise
     # server's current call loop is it's last.
     def stop
-      return unless @running
-      @stop_mutex.synchronize do
-        @stopped = true
+      @run_mutex.synchronize do
+        fail 'Cannot stop before starting' if @running_state == :not_started
+        return if @running_state != :running
+        transition_running_state(:stopping)
       end
       deadline = from_relative_time(@poll_period)
-      return if @server.close(@cq, deadline)
-      deadline = from_relative_time(@poll_period)
       @server.close(@cq, deadline)
       @pool.stop
     end
 
-    # determines if the server has been stopped
-    def stopped?
-      @stop_mutex.synchronize do
-        return @stopped
+    def running_state
+      @run_mutex.synchronize do
+        return @running_state
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Can only be called while holding @run_mutex
+    def transition_running_state(target_state)
+      state_transitions = {
+        not_started: :running,
+        running: :stopping,
+        stopping: :stopped
+      }
+      if state_transitions[@running_state] == target_state
+        @running_state = target_state
+      else
+        fail "Bad server state transition: #{@running_state}->#{target_state}"
       end
     end
 
-    # determines if the server is currently running
     def running?
-      @running
+      running_state == :running
+    end
+
+    def stopped?
+      running_state == :stopped
     end
 
     # Is called from other threads to wait for #run to start up the server.
@@ -304,13 +321,11 @@ module GRPC
     #
     # @param timeout [Numeric] number of seconds to wait
     # @result [true, false] true if the server is running, false otherwise
-    def wait_till_running(timeout = 0.1)
-      end_time, sleep_period = Time.now + timeout, (1.0 * timeout) / 100
-      while Time.now < end_time
-        @run_mutex.synchronize { @run_cond.wait(@run_mutex) } unless running?
-        sleep(sleep_period)
+    def wait_till_running(timeout = nil)
+      @run_mutex.synchronize do
+        @run_cond.wait(@run_mutex, timeout) if @running_state == :not_started
+        return @running_state == :running
       end
-      running?
     end
 
     # Runs the server in its own thread, then waits for signal INT or TERM on
@@ -360,11 +375,14 @@ module GRPC
     # @param service [Object|Class] a service class or object as described
     #        above
     def handle(service)
-      fail 'cannot add services if the server is running' if running?
-      fail 'cannot add services if the server is stopped' if stopped?
-      cls = service.is_a?(Class) ? service : service.class
-      assert_valid_service_class(cls)
-      add_rpc_descs_for(service)
+      @run_mutex.synchronize do
+        unless @running_state == :not_started
+          fail 'cannot add services if the server has been started'
+        end
+        cls = service.is_a?(Class) ? service : service.class
+        assert_valid_service_class(cls)
+        add_rpc_descs_for(service)
+      end
     end
 
     # runs the server
@@ -375,16 +393,13 @@ module GRPC
     # - #running? returns true after this is called, until #stop cause the
     #   the server to stop.
     def run
-      if rpc_descs.size.zero?
-        GRPC.logger.warn('did not run as no services were present')
-        return
-      end
       @run_mutex.synchronize do
-        @running = true
-        @run_cond.signal
+        fail 'cannot run without registering services' if rpc_descs.size.zero?
+        @pool.start
+        @server.start
+        transition_running_state(:running)
+        @run_cond.broadcast
       end
-      @pool.start
-      @server.start
       loop_handle_server_calls
     end
 
@@ -413,9 +428,9 @@ module GRPC
 
     # handles calls to the server
     def loop_handle_server_calls
-      fail 'not running' unless @running
+      fail 'not started' if running_state == :not_started
       loop_tag = Object.new
-      until stopped?
+      while running_state == :running
         begin
           an_rpc = @server.request_call(@cq, loop_tag, INFINITE_FUTURE)
           break if (!an_rpc.nil?) && an_rpc.call.nil?
@@ -430,11 +445,14 @@ module GRPC
         rescue Core::CallError, RuntimeError => e
           # these might happen for various reasonse.  The correct behaviour of
           # the server is to log them and continue, if it's not shutting down.
-          GRPC.logger.warn("server call failed: #{e}") unless stopped?
+          if running_state == :running
+            GRPC.logger.warn("server call failed: #{e}")
+          end
           next
         end
       end
-      @running = false
+      # @running_state should be :stopping here
+      @run_mutex.synchronize { transition_running_state(:stopped) }
       GRPC.logger.info("stopped: #{self}")
     end
 
@@ -484,9 +502,10 @@ module GRPC
       cls.assert_rpc_descs_have_methods
     end
 
+    # This should be called while holding @run_mutex
     def add_rpc_descs_for(service)
       cls = service.is_a?(Class) ? service : service.class
-      specs, handlers = rpc_descs, rpc_handlers
+      specs, handlers = (@rpc_descs ||= {}), (@rpc_handlers ||= {})
       cls.rpc_descs.each_pair do |name, spec|
         route = "/#{cls.service_name}/#{name}".to_sym
         fail "already registered: rpc #{route} from #{spec}" if specs.key? route
diff --git a/src/ruby/spec/generic/rpc_server_spec.rb b/src/ruby/spec/generic/rpc_server_spec.rb
index be6331d68bb9a392d773af59a8c3dceb53ca187a..dfaec6d6edc01dabb9be8b0b70a4a04e44a3c946 100644
--- a/src/ruby/spec/generic/rpc_server_spec.rb
+++ b/src/ruby/spec/generic/rpc_server_spec.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright 2015, Google Inc.
+# Copyright 2015-2016, Google Inc.
 # All rights reserved.
 #
 # Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -220,19 +220,10 @@ describe GRPC::RpcServer do
       @srv = RpcServer.new(**opts)
     end
 
-    after(:each) do
-      @srv.stop
-    end
-
     it 'starts out false' do
       expect(@srv.stopped?).to be(false)
     end
 
-    it 'stays false after a #stop is called before #run' do
-      @srv.stop
-      expect(@srv.stopped?).to be(false)
-    end
-
     it 'stays false after the server starts running', server: true do
       @srv.handle(EchoService)
       t = Thread.new { @srv.run }
@@ -247,8 +238,8 @@ describe GRPC::RpcServer do
       t = Thread.new { @srv.run }
       @srv.wait_till_running
       @srv.stop
-      expect(@srv.stopped?).to be(true)
       t.join
+      expect(@srv.stopped?).to be(true)
     end
   end
 
@@ -266,9 +257,7 @@ describe GRPC::RpcServer do
         server_override: @server
       }
       r = RpcServer.new(**opts)
-      r.run
-      expect(r.running?).to be(false)
-      r.stop
+      expect { r.run }.to raise_error(RuntimeError)
     end
 
     it 'is true after run is called with a registered service' do
@@ -293,10 +282,6 @@ describe GRPC::RpcServer do
       @srv = RpcServer.new(**@opts)
     end
 
-    after(:each) do
-      @srv.stop
-    end
-
     it 'raises if #run has already been called' do
       @srv.handle(EchoService)
       t = Thread.new { @srv.run }
@@ -528,10 +513,6 @@ describe GRPC::RpcServer do
         @srv = RpcServer.new(**server_opts)
       end
 
-      after(:each) do
-        @srv.stop
-      end
-
       it 'should be added to BadStatus when requests fail', server: true do
         service = FailingService.new
         @srv.handle(service)