Attleboro Church Welcomes New Pastor

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The Rev. Randal Ackland was recently installed as the new lead pastor at the South Attleboro Assembly of God Church.

Previously serving as lead pastor at a church in Connecticut, Ackland was officially installed at South Attleboro Assembly of God during an April 1 service at the church. Ackland, his wife Connie and their daughters Annie and Jolynn are living in Plainville while they sell property in Connecticut and continue to seek a permanent residence in this area.

Ackland succeeds Ronald Squibb as the church's lead pastor. Squibb assumed the position of senior pastor at the International Christian Center in Graniteville, N.Y. last summer after serving in Attleboro for 12 years.

Raised in DeKalb, Ill. (a suburb of Chicago), Ackland is one of four children. He earned a bachelor's degree in pastoral studies at North Central University in Minneapolis in 1981 and a master's degree in theological studies at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. in 1987.

Ackland is pursuing a doctorate in theology at Bangor University in North Wales, United Kingdom, with a target date of 2015 for completion.

The pastor said his career intentions were solidified at an early age.

"When I was about 10 years old, I felt that God was calling me to serve Him by pastoring," Ackland said.

He served as a missionary in the Assembly of God World Missions for seven years in Japan, helping to establish a new church in Tokyo. He was Interim Pastor at Oak Brook Community Church in Oak Brook, Ill., for one year before accepting the Lead Pastor position at Cornerstone Assembly of God Church in Oxford, Conn., where he served since November 1999 before coming to Attleboro.

Ackland also worked as an adjunct professor at Zion Bible Institute in Barrington, R.I. for two years.

While admittedly "happy and content" with his posting in Connecticut, Ackland said he felt a need for his services in Attleboro.

"I felt a nudging from God that this is where he wanted me to go," Ackland said. "I had never been in Attleboro in my life, but I felt that God wanted me to be here."

At South Attleboro Assembly of God, Ackland will head a spiritual staff including Associate Pastor David Fisher, Youth Pastor Joel Dahlstrom, Children's Pastor Jessyca Golembowski and Seniors Pastor Ralph Lambright. Its congregation is larger than his Connecticut posting and the church's numerous ministries include , a daycare and school facility for infants through eighth grade.

Ackland said he aspires to motivate the congregation to expanding their interactions with God and others.

"I hope to be a model of Christ's likeness and to encourage others on their journey to Christian maturity," Ackland said. "I have a relational philosophy of pastoring. I believe that personal relationships with God and between people are very important."