About The (Im)partial Church
Over the span of 10 episodes, deaconess Janine Bolling, and her brother Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling, explore how Christians embrace different cultures, celebrate diversity, and live out their faith. Their combined life experience and the energy they bring to the microphone leave listeners wanting to hear more. We hope you enjoy listening to The (Im)partial Church and follow us wherever you find podcasts.
Meet the Hosts
Professor Janine Bolling, MPA
Professor Janine Bolling, MPA is a transformative student and community engagement specialist. Prof. Bolling holds a BA in Theology from Concordia University Chicago, a Master’s in Public Administration from CUNY Baruch College, and she is currently an EdD student at Concordia University Wisconsin pursuing a degree in the Leadership, Innovation, and Continuous Improvement (LICI) program. Professor Bolling works full time in the secondary educational space as Executive Director of Our Saviour Lutheran School in New York City. She serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia St. Paul and Maryville University in St. Louis teaching and course designing in the Human Development and Family Services program.
She has also spoken on podcasts, at schools, at community events, written for devotionals, blogs, and websites and is an advocate for racial justice in the LCMS church body in her work with Lutherans for Racial Justice. Prof. Bolling is a talented home chef, a gym rat, and a fan of poetry, deep conversations, and learning new languages having studied Greek, Spanish, ASL and most recently, Haitian Kreyol. Her passion for educational equity, inclusivity, small business, and creative collaboration shapes the value she seeks to get out of each day and each area of her life.
Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling
Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling is an LCMS pastor and Lutheran university educator. Dr. Bolling holds a BA in theatre from Concordia University Chicago, an MDiv from Concordia Seminary, and a doctor of education (EdD) degree from Concordia University Wisconsin in leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement. His dissertation was focused on human resource development in under-resourced urban ministry structures of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (How LCMS Pastors Are Developed through Mentorship). Dr. Bolling currently serves in a dual call as Assistant Professor of Leadership and Theology at Concordia University in Texas, and as Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. His passion for urban ministry, education, leadership, nonprofit management, mentorship, diversity/equity/inclusion, and distance learning are all married in this dual call as he serves the saints of Bethlehem and the students of Concordia University Texas simultaneously.
Dr. Bolling has also spoken at numerous conferences, on podcasts, and at churches, schools, and events within our church body, reflecting the love of Christ and prodding deeper conversations about deaf, urban, and cross-cultural inclusive ministry. He has taught in half the schools of the Concordia University System, thoroughly realizing the depth of knowledge our Concordia schools have to offer to the world they engage. Dr. Bolling has been married to his beautiful and talented wife, Lorenda, for seven years. Lorenda serves as a preschool teacher at Word of Life Lutheran School. Together, they have a four-year-old son named Lincoln and a two-year-old daughter named Monroe. Both children were born in different years but on the exact date—October 5! They currently reside on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri.