Becoming a Minister

Has the Lord called you? Is there a reason you are alive? Are you thinking about becoming a minister but unsure how that works? Do you feel you are on this earth to help others connect to God? Do you love Jesus Christ and want to serve Him your whole life?

Christian Leaders Institute is your gateway to becoming a church or kingdom minister. A church minister serves a local church as a volunteer, part-time or full-time minister. A kingdom minister serves in their circles of connection and is often a volunteer. But some kingdom minister roles, such as Chaplain, Life Coach Minister, and Wedding Officiant, are open to part-time or full-time income.

How do you get into a clergy program?

Returning to early Christianity, serving in ministry includes these key elements: Walk, Calling, Study, Endorsements, Recognition, and Commissioning.

Today, some websites will send you a minister certificate if you say you want to be a minister and think you are living a good life. Then, you can automatically be ordained and can purchase your credentials. In education circles, they call this a diploma mill. In ministry circles, we call this an ordination mill. They send pieces of paper that say you are a recognized minister, but you have not completed any process of time-tested credentialing.

Let’s look briefly at what you need to do.

Let’s look at Walk, Calling, Study, Endorsements, Recognition, and Commissioning.

Walk

The first and foundational step is your walk or connection to God. Are you a Christian? Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus Christ and now desire to walk with Him daily? If you start training at Christian Leaders Institute, you will learn what this means in more detail in the first getting started course.

Calling

Becoming a pastor is a response to a calling from God. God has placed that on your heart, and you know you cannot deny it. Many experience God’s calling after their salvation. They now have a call to reach those lost like they were lost. Some people receive a vision or dream where God asks them to serve. Are you discerning your calling and which type of minister you are called to be?

Am I called to Kingdom Ministry? or Am I called to Church Ministry?

What is the difference between church and kingdom service? Church ministers are usually called to minister in the local church they belong to and usually minister in that circle of influence. Kingdom ministers attend local churches and support their church pastor. However, their ministry role serves circles of relationship outside their local churches. However, for some ministers, church and kingdom minister roles overlap.

In a Church Setting

If your calling is to serve in a local church, many study programs at Christian Leaders Institute will connect with that calling. In addition, there are lay, licensed, and ordained options with the Christian Leaders Alliance that recognize your study program at Christian Leaders Institute.

Church Minister Roles

Church minister roles include Youth Minister, Associate Minister, Worship Minister, Women’s Minister, Men’s Minister, and more.

Kingdom Minister Roles

Kingdom ministers usually are volunteer or part-time ministers. Full-time employment, however, is possible for some of the kingdom minister roles. Kingdom minister roles include the Christian Wedding Officiant, Kingdom Minister, Chaplain, Life Coach Minister, Matchmaker Minister, and more. Click here to read more about Kingdom Ministers.

Ministry Study

Getting your credentials requires study. If you want to enter full-time ministry, more study is usually required. Established churches and many denominations require a bachelor’s degree. Some require a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. If you are called to full-time ministry, click at CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.

Most minister roles are voluntary and part-time. For example, early Christianity was launched with volunteer, and part-time bi-vocational ministers called deacons and bishops.

Christian Leaders Institute has many different study programs that make becoming a minister possible for many ministry callings.

Study to become confident and competent

Whatever the Lord is leading you to do, Christian Leaders Institute offers over 150 courses and mini-courses that get you grounded in the Bible and the best ministry practices.

Endorsements

Christian Leaders Alliance rejected online-only ordinations on several grounds. Most importantly, ministers need local verification that they live a life worthy of serving God in their church or kingdom connections. The online-only ordination lacks local or relational credibility. The online-only ordination opens itself up to more trouble. Verification and endorsement help the community trust the credibility of the minister and the process of becoming credentialed.

Recognition

Recognition means that someone other than yourself acknowledges that you are becoming a minister and have completed your credentialing program. At Christian Leaders Alliance, it also means that your name is posted on the Minister Directory.

After you complete your program, you can order recognition packages that include your credential, a letter of good standing, an ID card, and more, depending on which package you order. Packages range from $125-$300 for those in the United States. In addition, there are some options where you can purchase an official credential individually.

Commissioning

The last step in getting your ministry credentials is to be commissioned in the circle of relationship in which you serve. It communicates to those in your life that you have finished your study program and are now a church or kingdom minister. For a church minister, it means a church leader(s) prays over you. A kingdom minister means that a church leader, mentor, or another minister prays over you at your business or ministry practice. The key is that your circle of connection sees you as a recognized minister.

Minister Story

Hello, my name is Brad Henry, and I am becoming a minister through study at Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click He re). I am currently living in Massachusetts. I have three biological children, two adopted children, two stepchildren, and three grandchildren.

My Journey

I grew up in the Lutheran Church, mostly living with my grandparents in Colorado. Later, while my brother and I lived with my mother, we received baptism into the Mormon faith when I was 15. Shortly after that, we moved out of town and did not go to church anymore. I was not consistently active in any church for the next 35 years. However, I had many conversations with Jesus. Finally, around 2016, prompted by an old friend and in memory of my mother, I started attending the Mormon church again. That only lasted for about two years, though. After that, things weren’t clicking for me.

Saved by Grace

In the fall of 2020, a friend introduced me to an online Christ-based group. I watched a few zoom meetings and quickly wanted to join his group. We reviewed a Bible study each week, checked in on each other, and gave prayer requests. In January of 2021, I helped my friend move out of state. I ended up staying for four days. All we did was talk about God’s grace and Christ Jesus. My mind and heart finally realized that God is real. I knew that I wanted to give my life to Christ. So, my friend baptized me, and there is no looking back.

Called to Minister

I began praying hard and thinking about how I could best give Christ my life. Then, one day in March of this year, I heard the word “minister” loud and clear in my head. My friend was enrolled in the Christian Leaders Institute and had talked to me about it from time to time. So I asked him for more details, and here I am at CLI!

God has been incredibly patient with me. Looking back, I often see that God tried to get my attention. I see that He was always there watching over me. I am so grateful that I finally listened to Him and finally have a lady in my life that God is vital to her. We love to talk about Christ, faith, and scripture. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with her!

My spiritual dream is to minister to individuals and small groups in person or online. Unfortunately, I work full time with a busy schedule that is constantly changing. The only way I can receive an education in ministry is through CLI. I am grateful to be able to be a Vision Partner here.