Dr. Larry K. Asplund
28 Alcira Court
St. Augustine, FL 32086
drlarrykasplund@gmail.com
About Me
I come from a long line of Christian ministers and educators, with roots in the soil of Sweden and North Dakota. My father is a retired pastor living in Florida and my son is a pastor serving in Dallas, Texas. My journey has explored both Christian education and pastoral ministry.
But first of all, let me define myself as a family man. I was married to Lynda, my best friend, for 47 years before she went HOME on June 29, 2018. We both come from large, close-knit, Midwestern families. We have a grown daughter living with her family in Connecticut, and our son and his family in Texas. Most importantly, our kids have given us four wonderful grandsons.
I started out in ministry by pioneering a church with my Father. We served together in southern Missouri from 1972-1984. During that time we launched a K-12 Christian school which is thriving to this day. I then served as the lead pastor until 1988, when I moved my family to Portland, Oregon. During the next 18 years I taught full-time at Portland Bible College and served as a Teaching Elder at our local church. During that time I designed and administrated their Distance Learning program. I also completed my doctoral work at George Fox University and served for a short time as a Faculty Mentor in the D.Min. program.
In 2006 my wife and I moved to Columbus, Georgia to serve on the faculty at a local university and to direct the new D.Min. program. After one semester I was appointed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and in that capacity, oversaw online courses and faculty.
In 2009, Lynda and I felt the call to return to pastoral ministry, going full circle on our journey with the Lord, serving a wonderful multi-ethnic congregation in west central Georgia. While serving in pastoral leadership I continued my involvement as an online instructor for colleges and universities.
Since 2012, I have devoted myself to participation in the ongoing development of distance learning, including online learning. The struggle in the beginning was to convince accrediting agencies that online courses were not second rate. For that reason, important research has been done on providing an effective, stimulating online learning experience. Because this field is constantly growing, I look forward to ongoing involvement as an online instructor and course developer.
I have always thought of myself as a Pastor-Teacher, and thoroughly enjoy both areas of ministry.
Personal Profile
I have taken, designed and administered a variety of "spiritual gifts" assessments. recently using the P.L.A.C.E. curriculum.
The simpler assessments have always identified a "gift-mix" of Teaching/Administration.
The P.L.A.C.E. workshop assessments identified the following:
- Personality - D(8)I(2)S(4)C(10)
- Spiritual Gifts - Knowledge (35), Teaching (33), Wisdom (32), Discernment (32), Administration (30)
- Ability/Environment - Investigative (30), Conventional (30), Enterprising (22)
- Demonstrated Passions - Teaching, Improving, Challenging
The Myers-Briggs personality typology has consistently yielded certain personal preferences:
- I (56%)
- N (62%)
- T (75%)
- J (56%)
The book, "Now, Discover Your Strengths," by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton began a revolution in "strengths-based" leadership, education, etc. The "Strengths Finder" assessment identified the following key strengths or "signature themes" for me:
- Learner
- Input
- Intellection
- Context
- Connectedness
Larry & Lynda Asplund