Rory was born in Akron , Ohio in 1948 and has lived in this area all his life. After graduating from Akron University in 1970, he taught English and Latin, and coached basketball in the Akron inner city school of Simon Perkins until 1976. He has been married to his beloved wife Pat 33 years and has 3 grown children: Rebecca, Christine, and Stephen.

God saved Rory's soul through the ministry of a Southern Baptist Pastor at a coffee house in Rehoboth Beach Delaware on July 17, 1971, and he immediately fell in love with the Word of God, getting involved in numerous bible studies and classes on Christian growth. After 5 years of growing and serving under the ministry of Pastor David Burnham at The Chapel in Akron , he was encouraged by several pastors to pray about entering seminary.

Following many years of leading high school Bible studies, evangelistic outreach ministries, and mission trips, he was led to enter Ashland Theological Seminary, graduating in 1977 with a Master's degree in Bible and Christian Education. In June of 1977, Rory was licensed to preach the gospel as the youth and Christian education pastor at The Chapel. After ordination and Pastor Burnham moving to Florida , he did much of the interim preaching, eventually leaving to become a senior pastor for 20 years.


Rory has been privileged to have many godly mentors in his life who trained him in evangelism, visitation, teaching and preaching the Word, and ministry in general, with a special emphasis on short term missions. After pastoring the youth with growth to the youth group from 80 to 185 due to discipleship and missions training and ministries, he hired several other youth pastors and discipled them in ministry He also started a young marrieds class that grew to 200 people in a month.

Having led and been involved in 28 short-term mission trips, Rory has a great passion to see the world evangelized through discipleship. He has had the privilege of being a guest speaker and preacher at many bible colleges, mission boards, and churches in America and overseas, with a special emphasis on discipleship training and missions.

Rory had the joyful privilege of joining Pastor Tom Gang as a co-laborer for Christ in February of 2004 at First Baptist Church of Jackson, and counts it a gift from God to serve this precious flock as a soldier of Jesus Christ, his Commander-in-Chief.