Roger S. Greenway
Roger Selles Greenway was an American missionary, missiologist, professor, and author whose career shaped Christian Reformed World Missions and the field of urban missiology. He served as a missionary to Sri Lanka and Mexico, taught at several seminaries including Westminster Theological Seminary and Calvin Theological Seminary, and became known internationally for his scholarship on urbanization, church growth, and intercultural communication.
Early life and education
Roger S. Greenway was born on January 8, 1934, the only child of Dr. Leonard Greenway, a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, and Catherine Greenway. He earned a B.A. from Calvin College and B.D. and Th.M. degrees from Calvin Theological Seminary.He later completed a Ph.D. at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1972.
Missionary work
Ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in 1958, Greenway was appointed to serve with Christian Reformed World Missions in Sri Lanka, where he worked until 1962.In 1963 he moved to Mexico City to teach at Juan Calvino Seminary. He later founded the Instituto Mexicano Bíblico to train urban pastors and church planters. He also served as editor of The Herald from 1960 to 1962.
Greenway later served as the Latin America Secretary for Christian Reformed World Mission from 1972 to 1978, and coordinated the Spanish Literature Committee during the same period. He was also active in Jewish outreach and became a member of the Lausanne Committee for Jewish Evangelism.
Academic career
Greenway taught at Westminster Theological Seminary before joining the faculty of Calvin Theological Seminary as Professor of World Missiology and dean of students, where he served from 1990 until his retirement in 2001. In addition, he served as Missionary in Residence and Research Fellow at Yale Divinity School.He also taught at courses at other seminaries including Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Fuller Theological Seminary. His international lecturing included extensive visits throughout North, Central, and South America as well as Canada, France, and Venezuela.