Roger Henry Malstead, one of three sons, was born in Nebraska on June 24, 1941. His family moved several times during his youth between Nebraska and California. Malstead was converted through the ministry of a Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Good News Club and his Christian faith and commitment were strengthened through his participation in and leadership of Youth For Christ activities in his high school in California, as well as in church activities. While in high school, he also gained experience in ministry by working among migrant workers in northern California and Mexico.

Malstead began his college education in 1959 at Wheaton College. While at Wheaton he was elected president of the freshmen class, played football and participated in the Wycliffe prayer group. During his freshman year, he became involved in a Chicago-area prayer group which included Operation Mobilization's founder, George Verwer.

During that year the group Send the Light emerged under Verwer's leadership, emphasizing evangelism through literature distribution. In 1960 Malstead transferred to BIOLA College, where he completed a second year.

In 1961, Malstead and Dale Rhoton, a fellow Wheaton student, traveled to Europe to establish an evangelistic outreach in Turkey. Upon reaching Europe, Malstead and Verwer traveled into the Soviet Union to distribute Gospels before being arrested in Rovno, Ukraine. They were expelled through Czechoslovakia into Austria. In 1964, Malstead married Alwyn Yvonne Fittz, a 1963 graduate of Wheaton. Later that year they were stationed by Operation Mobilization in Istanbul, Turkey, where Roger studied English linguistics and his wife taught English. In 1965, Roger was expelled from Turkey. Followed by his wife, the Malsteads settled briefly in Frankfurt, Germany, where they carried on work among Turks.

In 1966 they moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where Roger studied at the American University while establishing a witness among Muslims there. The Malsteads were evacuated from Beirut during the 1967 Six-Day War in the Middle East. They briefly returned to Lebanon in 1968, but relocated in California later in that year. After studying at UCLA between 1968 to 1970, he earned his M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. Between 1970 and 1978 Malstead taught at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO.

The Malsteads discontinued their affiliation with OM between 1968 and 1978. In 1978, the Malsteads rejoined OM, coordinating the onshore evangelistic outreach of its ship, DOULOS. In 1980, Malstead was reassigned to work at OM's international headquarters in London with a variety of duties; he continued in this capacity until 1985. In 1981 the Malsteads began planning to return to Turkey, which they did in late-1986. The Malsteads were again asked to leave Turkey in 1987, and awaited their readmittance in the US and Great Britain until 1989, although both the Malsteads made brief return visits as tourists.

The Malsteads had five children, two of which were foster children.