I was born and raised in Burlington Iowa a small city along the banks of the Mississippi. I became a pastor, because God called me to be one. I became a Christian at age 7 after hearing the good news that Jesus died for my sins and if I asked Him to forgive my sins and believe that He is the Only Son of God I would receive the free gift of salvation. Since that day God has transformed my life. He developed in me a passion for the word of God (the Bible) and I began studying it.

In High School, my pastors and church leaders began seeing gifts in me that are unique for ministry. They began training me for ministry. I didn't choose to follow the call until college. In High School the Holy Spirit began convicting me. There were two things I knew for certainin High School. I wanted to serve God, and I wanted to be rich. Since you can't (or are not supposed to be able) get rich in the ministry, I wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer or a businessman (my grades were good so I could have done any of the three). One night I asked God which of the three paths I should choose, so I could begin looking at colleges. That night He convicted me of greed. The next morning, there was only one thing left that I knew for certain, that I wanted to serve Jesus. (I don't believe that there is anything wrong with being a Christian lawyer, doctor, or businessman; however my motivation was purely greed).

I decided to go into a ministry as a career, so I began researching missions and other Christian occupations. I did not want to be a pastor at this time. It was the last occupation on my list. I enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute but was placed on hold due to overcrowded dormitories. So I went to Southeastern Community College in Iowa in the meantime. While I was there, God began placing me in positions of leadership that I literally fell into with no effort. I had no experience or training but I served in those rolls and began discovering Spiritual gifts (Gifts that are God given to those who follow Him) that I previously did not have. It was through these discoveries that my heart for ministry began to change. I discovered gifts for teaching, preaching, administration, leadership and others. With each new discovery I wanted to use those gifts to glorify God. The best way to use them is as a pastor. When I felt convicted (my second year at Southeastern Iowa) to be a pastor, Moody called the same week and said they had room for me in the Fall.

Any dark days? I can't really complain about my life. I suppose I have what others would consider dark days, but from my perspective, they are just life. I remember it was about two weeks before school started at Moody and I had been saving for three years for college. Because it is a private religious institution I did not qualify for any government assistance and my family was poor. The cost of school was on my shoulders. I had severe aches and pain in my jaw. The dentist said that my wisdom teeth had become impacted and needed to be removed. So I had them removed only to discover that my parents insurance company dropped me when a graduated from Southeastern. I had to pay the bill on my own and it cleared my account. All I had left was an old car that would barely start in the mornings. About 5 days before I was to report to campus my engine blew and my car was dead, I talked to my parents about my finances. I was certain God wanted me in Chicago, but it didn't seem there was any way to raise the money in time to go. I asked God that night what I should do and finished my prayer with this "Lord, I know that if it is your will for me to be in Chicago next week I will be. I trust you will provide the money I need." then I fell asleep. Two hours later there was a tremendous crash which woke everyone. A drunk driver lost control and smashed into my car. The insurance company arrived the next day to investigate the accident. They offered a check to settle the claim which amounted to my first semester of school with a $100 left over. My books ended up costing just under $100. God has continued to work things like this out in my life.

I chose Rogers Park because God called me here. I was sending out stacks of resumes in the Spring of 2003. Someone sent me an email in May with the information for Rogers Park. I immediately felt moved by the Spirit of God and printed the email. I put together a large stack of resumes (I mailed about 100 in May) and placed them in the mail, but held out the one for Rogers Park and took it to my church in Libertyville (Crossroads Church). I sat down with the senior pastor and we discussed it and he also felt strongly about this church and offered to send his own letter of recommendation.

Two weeks later Rogers Park Baptist emailed me and let me know that they were interested however, they also informed me that they could not pay very much and there was no parsonage (pastoral housing). It would be left up to me to find a place to live and a very small salary. I told them I would pray about it. I asked God that, if it was His will for me to be in Rogers Park, would He make it possible for me to live on such a small salary. Two hours later, my phone rang. A friend of mine asked me if I knew anyone looking for a place to live in the city. His roommate was getting married and he wanted someone to rent the spare bedroom in his condo. I asked him about the rent and when he told me, I knew I would not be able to afford it on the churches salary. Then he said that if I were interested (I had not yet told him I was considering a church in Chicago) he would only charge me one fifth of the rent he might require of someone else.

At this point I informed him that I had been contacted by a church in Rogers Park. My friend informed me that he himself lived in Rogers Park on Greenleaf Ave. I checked the email again and the address of the church was 1900 West Greenleaf (only two blocks from my friend's condo). I knew at this point God was already preparing a way for me to come to Rogers Park. I did not tell the church this for a few months so that the candidate process would proceed as normal. They also felt led by the Spirit to call me to be their pastor.

The Rogers Park Baptist Church is located at 1900 W. Greenleaf Ave. Sunday Worship Service begins at 10:45AM.

Contact Reverand Bolander: 773-743-2200, e-mail: rogerbolander@hotmail.com