About Us

Founded in 2002, Caring for Others exists for the purpose of equipping churches, mission agencies, and other ministries to better care for their members and the people they serve. When the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of missionaries, pastors and church members are cared for, the gospel of Jesus Christ will spread as effectively as possible, to as many as possible, for as long as possible. Those serving in our ministry include:

John Certalic is the executive director of Caring for Others. He does debriefing work with missionaries and mission agencies, in addition to facilitating an Upper Room Group for pastors. John also conducts Caring Congregations Conferences for churches that help equip ministry leaders with basic pastoral care skills. He has trained lay counselors and has taught pastoral care seminars to missionaries and pastors in Brazil, Turkey, Central Asia, and West Africa. In addition, John has also served as a retreat and seminar speaker, pulpit supply, and board member of a Christian camp. He has a M.S. in Counseling and is a licensed instructor for Christian PAIRS, a highly successful nationwide program that teaches practical skills for emotional literacy in Christian marriages. John is also a certified trauma counselor. He and his wife Janet live in New Berlin, Wisconsin.

Roger and Rose Rand are hosts and facilitators for Caring for Others' Personal Growth Week for Missionaries, in addition to their debriefing work with missionaries. Roger and Rose have many years of experience working with couples in their church in the Milwaukee area where Roger serves as a ministry assistant to the couples’ pastor. They conduct and oversee marriage seminars at their church, and as trained lay counselors work with couples through their church’s counseling ministry. Roger and Rose are both licensed instructors with Christian PAIRS. Roger and Rose have also ministered with several short term missions’ teams overseas through their church and Food for the Hungry, along with serving at a missionary retreat center in Michigan. The Rands live in Waukesha, Wisconsin and have four grown children and six grandchildren.

Janet Certalic is the wife of John Certalic, and serves as host and facilitator of Caring for Others' Personal Growth Week for Missionaries, along with doing debriefing work with missionaries. She has served in many different ministries, including a senior citizens ministry, missions committees, and a wide variety of hospitality ministries. Janet and John have housed missionaries on home assignment and she has served on several occasions as a host and care giver at a missionary retreat center. In addition, Janet is a trained lay counselor and served as mentor in a large ministry to young mothers. She was selected to serve as its head mentor, where she mentored mentors. Janet is also a licensed Christian PAIRS instructor. Together with John, she hosts missionaries in their home who come for debriefing and/or counseling for a week at a time. Janet and John have two adult children and four grandchildren.

Larry Gorin-g is a former member of the Caring for Others board of directors and now serves as an advisor on issues related to missions. Larry has been with New Tribes Mission since 1973, and currently serves on its leadership team as Field Ministries Coordinator where he has oversight responsibilities for 3,000 New Tribes missionaries worldwide. Before moving into his current position, Larry and his wife Jill invested 15 years in evangelism, church planting, and Bible translation among a previously unreached tribe in Indonesia, the Gerai. After the Gerai church began to function with its own leadership, Larry and Jill became coordinating consultants for numerous church plants and translation projects in Asia and other parts of the world. Larry and his wife now live in Sanford, Florida where New Tribes Mission has its headquarters.

Board of Directors

Dr. Russ Kinkade. Born in Hong Kong to missionary parents, Russ is a licensed Christian psychologist, former pastor, and currently Executive Vice-President of Shepherds’ Ministries in Union Grove, Wisconsin – a Christian residential and vocational treatment facility for adults with mental disabilities. Growing up the first sixteen years of his life on the mission field, and serving six years as a pastor of a non-denominational Bible church, Russ brings a unique blend of life experiences and skills to the ministry of Caring for Others. In addition to his active Christian counseling practice, Russ also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Judson College in Elgin, Illinois, and is a sought after speaker for church workshops and retreats. He earned a masters degree in counseling from Georgia State University in Atlanta and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology. Russ and his wife have three adult children and live in Genesee, Wisconsin.

Pastor Mike Frans is the pastor of Grace Church, a church he planted in November of 2006 for the purpose of reaching the unchurched in the fastest growing county in Wisconsin. Prior to this Mike was senior pastor of Westbrook Church, an independent Bible church in Hartland, Wisconsin that he founded in 1983. Mike shepherded the growth of the church from its infancy to a staff of 9 pastors/directors and 21 support staff, who together with many volunteers, ministered to approximately 800 adults and 450 children each weekend. Before starting Westbrook Church, Mike served at another large Bible church as an associate pastor of small groups, after several years as their junior high youth pastor. It was during this period that Mike wrote one of the few books on junior high ministry that were available at the time. In addition, Mike has written a number of study guides for books written by Billy Graham, Stuart Briscoe, and Warren Wiersbe. He served as pastoral coordinator for the Billy Graham crusade held in Milwaukee, and in the 1980’s was active in a nationwide church planting group. Mike is from Tulsa, Oklahoma and prior to getting into full-time ministry he played viola in the Wichita Symphony. He also served as a medic in the Vietnam War. Mike and his wife Jan have 2 adult children.

Mary Perso is General Manager of Just Between Us, a Christian magazine published to provide encouragement, inspiration, spiritual support and practical insights for ministry wives and women in church, parachurch, and missions leadership. Begun as a newsletter for pastors’ wives in 1990, JBU has grown into a quarterly magazine with international impact, with 8,000 subscribers in 75 countries and in all 50 states. Besides its magazine, JBU ministers to pastors’ wives through it annual conference for ministry wives. Mary and her husband Phil live in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Ed Larsen is from South Plainfield, New Jersey and is currently Industry Standards Manager in the legal department of Square D, a division of Schneider Electric – a $12.8 billion manufacturer of electrical controls and power management equipment. He earned a M.S. in Engineering Management and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and throughout his business career has held various positions in product marketing and engineering. Ed has held a wide range of ministry positions within the local church, including Sunday school superintendent, adult Sunday school teacher, and short-term missionary to the Dominican Republic. Ed’s spiritual gifts are in the areas of service, teaching, and leadership – gifts he has used in serving on numerous church committees. He and his wife Ginny have two adult children, both of whom have served on the mission field. Their son ministered in Thailand for two summers and their daughter served a year in the Czech Republic. Ed and Ginny live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Attorney Mark Shiller is a partner with the law firm of von Briesen & Roper in Milwaukee and heads up their estate planning and business succession planning practice. He also has expertise in business law and frequently speaks on these topics to other attorneys, accountants, other financial professionals, and the general public. Mark is president of the Society of Milwaukee Estate Planning Attorneys, and is a member of several other estate planning boards and planned giving councils. In addition, Mark serves on the board of the Christian Stewardship Foundation and the American Cities Campaign – a ministry whose purpose is to promote a greater awareness of Christian economic development needs in the nation’s urban areas. He is also a member of the Christian Community Development Association, an organization that is both national and international in its scope of helping meet material needs as a means of meeting the spiritual needs of the city. Additionally, Mark serves on the advisory board of a Christian school, and is active in small group ministry in his church. He has also served as an elder. Mark is from the Detroit area and is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he earned a B.A., a M.S. in Applied Economics, and his J.D. degree. He and his wife Jennifer live with their four children in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

Charley Shirley is from Indianapolis and is a CPA with 20 plus years of executive experience in mostly faith based, non-profit organizations and ministries, including the Josh McDowell Ministry and Campus Crusade for Christ. He is active in his local church in a variety of ministries and is an experienced financial counselor. Currently Executive Director of the Elmbrook Memorial Hospital Foundation in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Charley holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a B.S. in Economics from Butler University. He resides in Brookfield, Wisconsin with his wife Ruth and their two teenage daughters.