Rob’s Story

When I was twenty-four years old, I was alone with God and I heard the Lord say to me, “You will be an assistant pastor of discipleship and evangelism. You will plant a church. You will teach at seminary. And you will write books and speak to pastors and leaders internationally. Everything you do, do for revival.” I told the Lord that I would do whatever He wanted me to do, but that I would never seek to open my own doors rather I would wait for Him to open doors for me. That is my calling and that iswhy I started Renewal International, so that I can write, speak, mentor, and equip leaders for the renewal of the church.

In 2010 over the Christmas holiday, I sensed the Lord saying to me, “It is time to start writing.” I asked the Lord for confirmation and over the next few weeks four different people contacted me and told me that they sensed God telling me to write a book. They had specific words for me about my writing that I have held on to for over a decade now.

Shortly thereafter, over another Christmas holiday I sensed the Lord saying to me, “It is time to travel more.” I had been traveling some for years, but I sensed the Lord was leading me into a new season. Again, I asked for confirmation that this was the Lord’s prompting, and I had four people come up to me over the next few weeks all with dreams or visions of me traveling. And the invites started coming in like never before.

For much of my life I balanced these two callings: there was the calling to be a local church pastor, and there was the calling to work with pastors. The board of the church I planted in New England graciously allowed me to serve God in both areas. While I served the church that God had called me to plant as lead pastor for almost 22 years, I also ministered as an adjunct professor at Alliance Theological Seminary and traveled around the world speaking to various church groups and pastors’/leaders’ conferences.

In June of 2017 I transitioned out of the local church pastorate and became a full-time seminary professor at Alliance Theological Seminary. It was a role that allowed for a lot more flexibility and travel, a lot more focus on creating new materials to equip the church for renewal. The Soul Care book, eCourse and Soul Care Conferences™ have helped people in many countries around the world to find freedom and fullness in Christ; Deliverance Training Workshops™ have equipped thousands of leaders to begin to function successfully in this desperately needed ministry of setting the captives free, and the Holy Spirit Weekend™ has moved churches from knowing about the Holy Spirit to beginning to hear His voice and discover His power in a Biblically grounded way. Soul Care has been translated into 4 languages and is currently being translated into 8 others as people around the world encounter these truths and want to bring them to their own nations. God is using this tool to help draw people closer to him through addressing soul issues that are holding them back, and we are so grateful!