Rolland Slade
San Diego, California

"After I led Dad through the plan of salvation and prayed with him, I asked him if he had any questions. He said no at first, but then he said, 'Yeah, I have one question. If you really believe this and you're concerned about me, why did it take you so long to tell me?'"

Slade's change in heart was as immediate as his father's words were piercing. "I was already in the ministry, but that was the turning point for me. When he challenged me like that, I determined I would never again have that same feeling as when he asked me why. It set me loose and ignited my fire for evangelism."

Growing up in San Diego, Slade had dreamed of becoming a successful CEO in a Fortune 500 company. With an aptitude for business, it made perfect sense.

But another plan began to eclipse his old dream when he became a bivocational pastor in 1987. The dream ended at a 1992 "Experiencing God" conference.

"I came back from that with a renewed sense of urgency but also an understanding that God was already at work, and I had to make adjustments in my life to join Him. It was clear to me that my business career was over," Slade said.

His first adjustment was selling the athletic shoe store franchise he owned. Slade also left his position as a senior financial analyst for an aerospace company.

"The company encouraged me to simply take a leave of absence," Slade said. "But I told them that God had called me to full-time ministry, and taking a one-year leave was kind of like going on a cushion. So I resigned immediately." Slade then joined Highland Park Baptist Church in the San Diego suburb of Paradise Hills as associate pastor. He and his wife, Adrienne, moved there to begin their new ministry.

As it turned out, they were well-positioned. When a police officer was killed at the apartment complex across the street from Highland Park, the apartment management sought help from the church. In the wake of the tragedy, Slade ministered to the residents and found ways to reach out to the high crime area.

One of his first efforts was to begin "Meadowbrook at the Movies," which offered inexpensive family entertainment. Highland Park found a new part of its mission field, and police soon reported a 40 percent drop in calls.

But something even greater was happening at Highland Park.

"In one three-month period we had 140 professions of faith, and it wasn't because of me. My preaching isn't that good. It was just that we had the boldness to ask questions and talk to people," Slade said.

Now a church and community ministries director for the San Diego Baptist Association, Slade continues his style of leadership by example.

"I encourage the [140] churches in the association to branch out of their four walls into their communities. And I make sure that I'm doing the same thing. A public health nurse at the winter shelters asked if I could mobilize people to come and talk with folks at the shelters. We now go and spend time with them, talk with them, encourage them. That gives us the opportunity to share the gospel.

"We also mentor people coming off welfare. They need advocates who can help them with emergency childcare and transportation. We build a team of four or five church members around them and provide support. They ask why we help them for no pay. Again, the 'why' gives us the opening to share our faith in Christ."

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