Wedding Officiant Training

Study at CLI to be a Wedding Officiant

My name is Terri Krause, and I am studying at CLI to become a wedding officiant. I live in Elkhart, Indiana, USA. I grew up in poverty. However, my parents were Christians, so we grew up in the church. My view of God was skewed. I saw Him in heaven, holding a huge stick, waiting to beat me if I made a mistake. But, while I didn’t understand my Loving Father and His grace, as a small child, I memorized a lot of Scripture that later proved to help me grow in my faith.

During my senior year of high school, I received a scholarship to a private Catholic University in the Midwest (USA) and earned a BBA in marketing. I had no relationship with Jesus because I didn’t know you could have one.

Saved by God’s Grace

With an excuse not to attend church, I drew further away from God. I married and divorced, met another man, graduated, got pregnant, and married again. With a baby and a second marriage filled with pain, the Lord reached out to me. He spoke to me. I turned the television on one Sunday morning, and a Scripture was at the bottom of the screen. Jeremiah 29:11—”For I know the plans I have for you,” saith the Lord. “Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Suddenly, I knew God was real. He reached out to me in my grief. I gave myself to Him, and He began to teach me, bringing up the scriptures buried deep in my heart. Now, however, I understood what they meant.

My Work and Study

Today, I have been a Christian for 40 years. I wish I could say I always made the right decisions. That is not the case though. But, God has never abandoned me or condemned me. Instead, He assures me of His love and is gracious to help me. I own a small web development company and have held several managerial positions over the years. Then, in 2009, I was asked to work with an organization helping first-generation students finish high school and go on to college. It was a fantastic experience, and I fell in love with my students and their families.

In 2013, I went back to school to get my Master’s in Education because I felt I needed a learning theory to help my students succeed. Then, I was offered funding to do my doctorate in Learning Design and Technology. My dissertation is on the viability of a fully remote apprenticeship delivery system. I desire to not only expand access to an apprenticeship for students such as mine; but, also to help provide authentic apprenticeship opportunities to pastors in remote areas of the world. I am finishing my dissertation this Spring. We are implementing our first fully remote apprenticeship system in Arkansas this year.

Studying at CLI to be a Wedding Officiant and More

I was directed to the Christian Leaders Institute by a friend because I was asked to officiate a wedding. I wanted to find a training program that legitimately credentialed me rather than merely buying a one-day license. Also, I have been contemplating becoming a Chaplain so that I could visit some of my incarcerated students. I have never been in a church that commissioned or ordained lay people to ministry, so I have not had the opportunity to experience that.

After going through a few of the CLI lessons, I am starting to see that God brought me to this place. I don’t know what He has in mind, just as I didn’t when He offered me the Ph.D. However, I do know He has a plan and is working it out in my life. To Him be the Glory!