 Having been engaged in the youth work of the Methodist Church in Zürich-Oerlikon, he decided to embrace church service.He studied from 1962 to 1965 at the theological seminary of the then Methodist Episcopal Church (Bischöfliche Methodistenkirche) in Frankfurt (Germany), with special studies in individual psychology and journalism.1966 he married Martha Zellweger with whom he has three children, Harald Bolleter, Muriel Guntelach and Yvonne Rüegger.