“When I accepted the Lord in 1983, I dove headlong into lay ministry. I was involved in a senior executives’ small group at the Pentagon; I volunteered in youth, prison, and men’s ministries. But just over two and a half years ago, I felt a calling toward pastoral ministry.”
Rob Rogalski has been a military officer, businessman, and intelligence expert for the Pentagon. With an undergraduate degree in International Relations and a masters’ degree in Public Administration, Rogalski has had an impressive career. But a few years ago, Rob felt a new career calling: vocational ministry.
Since being saved in 1983, Rogalski has been heavily involved in lay ministry. After retiring from the RAND Corporation , Rob continued lending his leadership skills to the church. Not long after Rob’s retirement, his son Michael—pastor of LifePoint Church in Waldorf, Maryland—suggested that he check out New Life Wesleyan Church Network’s Pathways Into Ministry class. In his very first class session, Rob’s ministry calling was affirmed.
“During our first session, we visited a nearby homeless shelter. While there, I felt led to talk with this gentleman beside me. I felt prompted to ask, ‘Have you ever accepted Christ?’ He hadn’t; and I prayed with him. The next day, my son Michael visited the shelter to follow up. ‘Yeah, I prayed with an old guy!’ the man in the shelter said.” After his experience at the shelter, Rob decided to pursue vocational ministry in The Wesleyan Church. Five months later, three pastors from the New Life network confirmed Rogalski’s candidacy for commissioning.
After Rob researched his educational options, he chose to pursue commissioning through FLAME. The FLAME experience was an ideal fit for Rob’s needs, while also augmenting his commitment to ongoing improvement: “I can write a very nice resumé; I have a masters’ degree—but being a lifelong learner is really important to me. FLAME has encouraged that even more. I’ve been able to rub elbows with great Christian leaders. I see what they’re doing, how it works, and how we can help the church become even better.”
As Rob continued to pursue commissioning, he expected FLAME classes to provide great resources for ministerial preparation. But after going to a few sessions, Rob soon discovered that FLAME provides some other benefits, too: “Going to FLAME classes caused me to want to learn more about how I can utilize my leadership background to help churches achieve their goals. Plus, it’s a great chance to network with other ministers. FLAME also forges a common bond among pastors. Initial conversations go a lot deeper when you’re talking wi
th a small group of safe people. You’ll go wanting to knock out a class; but you just might leave spiritually refreshed.”
Rogalski now serves on staff alongside his son Michael at LifePoint Church in Waldorf, Maryland. In addition to serving at church, Rob enjoys swimming, reading, and spending time with his wife Diane, their two children, and their six grandchildren.
