Hope Leadership Profile
Name: Jeff Trollinger
Family: Deanne; children Abbie (23) and Sara Kent (21)
Occupation: Certified Financial Planner; Partner at Wray, Trollinger, Bolton, Edwards & Shore
Accepted Christ: last week of June 1983 at Young Life’s Camp Saranac
Member at Hope: Since the Beginning
Leadership Role: Ruling Elder
Briefly describe how you’ve seen God’s work in your life.
While I grew up in a Christian home, and was baptized at age 12 upon a profession of faith, I didn’t really understand what a relationship with Jesus meant until I got to high school and was pursued by a Young Life leader. He spent a lot of time discipling me and three other friends and was foundational in my spiritual growth and understanding of the Bible.
When I went to college at William & Mary, I got involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and had two significant experiences: I was discipled by our campus minister, who modeled listening, encouragement and biblical thinking. I was also involved in a small group of guys that spent years together sharing our lives, encouraging one another, and understanding how to really love others, even if they are different than you. Those experiences laid a foundation of understanding that all of life is ministry, and that what I really value more than anything else are authentic relationships.
I started my career as a campus staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and really enjoyed pursuing students and university life at Virginia Tech. At a staff conference, I met another staff from University of North Carolina, Deanne, who I really thought was cute and a strong leader of women, and we started dating. As I developed an interest in business and specifically investing and personal finance, I decided to go get my MBA at Wake Forest. Deanne and I were married during that time. While I had dreams of moving out west to the Rockies or Pacific Coast, my first job was in Winston Salem, so we settled here and started a family.
We attended Redeemer Church, and in 1998 we left with a group of 40 other family units to start Hope Church. While that path has not always been what I thought it would be, and Hope looks completely different than when we started, I am so thankful that God uses His Church to continue to sharpen and encourage me. I continue to be amazed at what God is doing in Winston Salem and the lives of our congregation.
How do you Rest or Play?
My daily rituals are tea (NEVER COFFEE), reading the newspaper and doing the Sudoku puzzle each day, and listening to music (everything from Jazz to Punk to Classic Rock); my all-time favorite artist is Van Morrison (Spotify said I was in the top half of 1% of Van Morrison listeners in 2022).
My favorite activities are reading (histories, biographies and mysteries), snow skiing, golfing, and real conversations with close friends. I enjoy morning running with two good friends, and I continue to learn to play the bass guitar. I am always up for a road trip/adventure, and want to travel more now that we are empty nesters.