iMissional.org
I N I T I A T I V E S M I S S I O N A L

Over the past 10 years Roland has been on a spiritual journey focusing on the exploration of the influence of the reign of God in forming our way of being in the world and our way of being Christian and human. In being Christian in this way, we are called not to be engaged in our own ministry agendas, but called to discern God's redemptive mission in the world. We are not about our own ministries, but participate with God in God's mission. In this way we continue the ministry of Christ Jesus in the world.
This journey has been influenced by the writings of Lesslie Newbigin, Ray S. Anderson, Eugene Peterson, Stanley Grenz, Robert Webber, Stanley Hauerwas, John Howard Yoder, as well as persons within the communities of the Gospel and Our Culture Network, the Ekklesia Project, and up/rooted.
Roland has been involved in pastoral contexts in both United States and Canada for over 12 years serving churches in California, Indiana, Alberta Canada, and now in Illinois.
He has also served in academic contexts for over 10 years as Associate Dean of Extension Education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Northern Seminary. Currently, besides helping churches become more missionally-focused, he is serving part-time as Pastor for Community Service with North Suburban Mennonite Church, with the Center for Parish Development, a church consulting organization, as the Director of Educational Initiatives, and teaches Masters and Doctoral-level courses and seminars on Missional Church, Missional Leadership, and Missional Spirituality in 6 theological schools.
He completed a BA degree in Biblical Literature - NT (and a minor in Sociology) in 1979 from Oral Roberts University. In 1983 he graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with an M.Div. degree and earned a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1998, writing a dissertation entitled Educating Christianly: The Reign of God as a Paradigm for Christian Education.
Currently, Roland is engaged in his third phase of life and ministry in which he brings his passion and experience in challenging churches, pastors, and other followers of Christ to explore what it is to live christianly and missionally so as to be salt and light in the world.
Roland invites others to join him on this journey of developing ears and eyes to hear and see what God is saying and doing in the world so that we may participate in God's redemptive purposes.