|
 Roger Shantz met his
wife, Deb, while attending Crown College in Minnesota. After serving
as the pastor of a local church he continued his education and
attended Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Their first few years of
marriage were filled with much joy as they pastored a local
congregation and he attended seminary. But there was some sorrow as
Deb was diagnosed with Lupus, an often terminal disease. Physically
life became difficult for her. Every breath she took was accompanied
by pain as well as every movement of her swollen joints. Less than a
year after their wedding Deb was admitted to the hospital. Though
limited in their understanding of healing they continued to ask God to
heal her. As she was lying in her hospital bed Roger said he believed
that someday the Lord was going to heal her body and she would live
and not die. For the next several years high doses of steroids were
prescribed.
Five years later, while
serving as a pastor in Ohio Roger asked Deb if she had taken her
medication for the day. She answered, “No, I haven’t taken it for the
last five days”. She proceeded to tell Roger that she believed the
Lord had completely healed her. Now 32 years later Deb remains off
all medication and she has been free from all pain and swelling.
After several years of
being in local church ministry Roger entered into business. When the
opportunity arose to move to Minneapolis, something they had desired
for several years, they acted quickly. Roger became the national
sales manager for a Christian greeting card company. By this time
they had two daughters, Kimberly and Krista.
While Roger and Deb had
both been raised in evangelical homes and had a strong biblical
understanding, they sensed that something was missing in their lives.
They found that they were drawn to those whose relationship with God
seemed to be alive, meaningful, and intimate. On the evening of
December 6, 1984 Roger sat in his office and prayed this simple
prayer: “God, if there is more I want it”. At the time he wasn’t
really sure what “more” meant but he was very cognizant of the fact
that there was something or some One missing in his life. He simply
knew he had a deep hunger for more of God’s presence.
For one month he never
shared this prayer with Deb but simply contemplated it in his heart.
Then one day during a conversation he told her what he had prayed.
He was not prepared for her response for she said that a month
earlier she prayed the same prayer. They knew at that moment they
were on a road that would alter their lives completely.
In February, 1985 they
vacationed in southern California and while there read a book by John
Wimber entitled “Signs and Wonders and Church Growth”. Though having
had memorized Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” they had
never known the reality or power of those words. The began to be
drawn into an entirely new level of relationship with God.
For the first time in
their lives Matthew 6:33 and the message of God’s rule and reign in
their lives brought joy and spiritual vitality they had never
experienced. The message of the Kingdom was the message behind the
“more” Roger had inquired of from the Lord.
Over the next several
years the Spirit of the Lord nurtured that seed and allowed it to take
root, grow, and produce spiritual fruit in their lives and the lives
of others. They became associated with an internationally known
ministry and founded an affiliated church in south Minneapolis.
While pastoring they
learned how the Holy Spirit desires to operate in the lives of
individuals and the church. They came to understand how he came not
only to convict of sin, lead us into the ways of the Lord, or empower
us but to glorify God and make us a holy people.
Roger and Deb grew in
the Spirit as did others around them. People were equipped and then
joined them in ministering to broken and wounded who came into their
lives and the church. They had opportunities to go overseas and to
other areas of the Midwest to share some of that which the Spirit had
taught them.
As a result of what the
Lord did in their lives, Roger and Deb witnessed the church being
used in fulfilling, at least in part, Isaiah 61:1-2 . They, along
with their friends at church, began to speak the words and do the
works of Jesus. The sick were healed, the strangle hold of demons on
people lives was broken, unbelievers believed, and the good news of
the kingdom of God was proclaimed. Small group meetings became
wonderful times of worship, sharing, building relationships and
ministry.
It has always been a
passion of Roger’s to communicate the message of the Kingdom of God to
those who have a hunger for God’s presence. He desires to do this
through the teaching of the Word as well as personally modeling the
message.
Today, Roger and Deb
Shantz, along with the members of Restoration Christian Fellowship,
are committed to doing just that. Taking the message of God’s
redeeming power to those who are broken and wounded but hunger and
thirst for God and his righteousness. Roger’s message is that God
desires to restore us completely through Christ and the power of the
Holy Spirit. He believes this message of restoration is woven through
all of the Scriptures and is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus
illustrated the restoration of His intimacy with His people through
the analogy of the Bride and Bridegroom. The book of the Revelation
states that one day the Bridegroom will come for his Bride and when he
does the intimate relationship broken in the Garden of Eden will be
completely restored. Hosea 6:2 expresses this hope when it states:
“He will restore us so that we may live in His presence. This is Roger
and Deb’s mission and passion. |
