My Journey to Formal Training at CLI
My name is John Kofi Williams of Ghana. Here is my journey to formal training at CLI. I heard stories of men whose beginnings were awkward, and it didn’t seem like they would end up in life as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet they turned out to be zealous men of the gospel. While I saw such a story as the irony of other people’s lives, the trajectory applies to me too. When I reflect on what I wanted to be in terms of career, being a minister of the gospel was not in my plans. But I am, today, a fulfillment of the infallible word of God in Jeremiah 1:5, that says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart as a prophet to the nations.”
In this bio of mine, therefore, I share the journey of my transition as an unbeliever to a believer. Then, ultimately into my current state as a minister of the gospel. I caption my story as being saved from being “religious to Christian.” This caption is essential to me and many out there. I have come to know that many people are stuck in religion and fail to progress to have a full life in Christ.
Life as a Child
I was born in 1981 in Ghana, West Africa. My early years were in Apam, a coastal town situated in the central region of Ghana. My family was myself, my two brothers, and my parents. Father was a member of the Roman Catholic Church while my mum was a member of the International Church of Pentecost. However, though both parents were Christians, we did not grow up with any strict demand on us to attend church or even be Christian. Unlike other families around us, we had the choice to decide our religious belonging.
I had my primary, elementary, and junior high school education in Apam. The main occupation in Apam is fishing, and the standard of life was quite low. Growing up, therefore, I always challenged myself to be different and have a better life. Consequently, I took my school life very seriously. The hardship, however, was a real threat to my vision and that of my family. So my mum determined to ensure that her children grew up different from what was prevalent in the town. She decided to relocate to Côte D’Ivoire with us children to pursue greener pastures.
Life in Cote D’Ivoire
We moved in 1989. Life in Côte d’Ivoire initially began well, but suddenly took a steep downward turn when I was struck by an unknown sickness. This experience was so severe for me and my mum, and the outcome was miraculous. My mum took me everywhere possible for a cure but to no avail. One day, she took me to the hospital of Kumasi, Abidjan. There the doctor reviewed the many laboratory investigations done on me. He advised my mum not to waste any more resources on searching for a cure because I was not going to survive. My mum listened to the advice of the doctor but refused to agree that I wouldn’t survive the sickness. Therefore, my mum turned toward prayer. Praise Jesus, my healing was miraculous, and I remain healthy.
After my healing, my mum had had enough in Côte d’Ivoire. She decided that it was time to return to Apam in Ghana. So in 1992, we headed back to Ghana.
Faith Journey
On our return to Ghana, we found ourselves among Christian families who were relentless in encouraging us to attend church and live godly lives. Every week, our neighbors invited us to attend church with them. My two siblings regularly went, but I refused and remained home alone until they return from church. This pattern continued for some time.
Then, one day after everyone left for church, I began to feel intense emptiness, loneliness, and sadness within myself. This feeling was so intense that I immediately dressed and went to the church by myself. The message preached that day touched me so much that I decided to give my life wholly to Jesus Christ the following week. Eventually, I had my baptism in water.
After I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, I lived a life as a Christian. I had no thought of being a minister of the gospel despite some previous experiences which pointed to the fact that I was to be a minister of the gospel.
Called by God
One night in 1995, I had a dream where I saw myself surrounded by about six elderly people. One of the people who surrounded me took a clerical collar and put it around my neck. Afterward, they all began to sing a song whose lyrics were, “your life is dedicated now.” This singing continued until I woke.
I felt confused after that dream despite the message being seemingly clear. I decided to seek an interpretation of the dream since they mostly do not have literal meanings. So I went to speak to a senior man of God who confirmed to me that I have not only been called but have been ordained in the spiritual realm to proclaim the gospel. My perspective changed from that day forward. My love for the things of God increased, and my utmost joy is to preach the word to people.
Since 2016, I have been ministering the word of God to people. I preach in churches and schools, visit people at home and in public places. As I stand now, I am being prepared for great things in the kingdom of God.
Formal Training at CLI
Despite my knowledge in the word of God by the grace and teaching of the Holy Spirit, I felt inadequate and felt the need to bring myself under some kind of formal training system. I discussed this feeling with a friend I met through the Facebook platform, and she introduced me to Christian Leaders Institute (CLI). The formal training at CLI has been a great blessing to me, and I never cease to thank God for this answered prayer!
Are you interested in a credible online ordination? Check out the Christian Leaders Alliance. If you are looking for a low-cost degree, check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Yoga Faith Ministry Call
My name is Sarah Werthman from Connecticut, USA, and I am called to develop a Yoga Faith Ministry. I grew up in the Methodist church as a child. After my father passed when I was nine, church attendance dwindled. Despite that, I always had a strong faith that God was there, guiding me and answering my prayers. Maybe you think that nine is a young age, and perhaps the loss wasn’t that bad as there couldn’t have been many memories. I agree with one thing: the loss wasn’t “that bad.” Stick with me on this one.
I had a special relationship with my Dad. When he passed, I had nothing but wonderful and happy memories. They are as vivid as if they were only yesterday. Part of my dealing so well could be contributed to the fact that my mom put me in counseling immediately after he died. To this day, I honestly never hurt. I missed him, of course. However, that’s not where I’m going with this.
As a young teenager, I became pregnant. After having my son, I went back to my childhood church. More than anything, I loved connecting with people. However, outside of the church, there were years of looking for love in all the wrong places. I misplaced my priorities, and if I’m honest, I drank too much. In my mid-thirties, I finally learned my worth. Then, God placed in front of me, the man I would marry, my soul mate. Together, we have a beautiful blended family.
Something was Missing
It was early in our relationship that I realized I was missing something. It was clear that it was my connection with God. I church hopped, week after week. Then, I decided to attend a Bible study at a church I’d visited years prior at the invitation of an old classmate. At the time, the new worship wasn’t for me. I was accustomed to church buildings with steeples, hymns, and traditions. But not this time. Within days, I turned the radio on and found K-Love. And now, the music I wasn’t too keen on struck a chord with me (no pun intended…but good for me – haha! I love a play on words).
During this particular weeknight teaching, an announcement told of an upcoming women’s breakfast. It was at this event that I was forever changed and set on a new path. After listening to one woman’s testimony, I cried and thought, “I can be forgiven too. Praise God!” She convinced me to come back, and I’ve never looked back!
Several more women’s events followed and left me crying and being prayed over as I felt the healing hand of God through these glorious women. After a while, I wondered, “Will I always be the one in tears? Or will I be able to pour into others, as they have for me?” The depth of God’s love for his children is overwhelming. Once I learned that forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus was mine, and I truly understood Him as my Lord and Savior, I received baptism. Never have I felt such an overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit.
Ministry Dreams and Finding CLI
Working within a city filled with many homeless people, I felt the calling to minister to them. I once heard of a woman who was in a homeless community trying to help by donating. One of the homeless women got upset and told her that they didn’t need donations; they needed jobs! So this woman found a way to incorporate and hire the homeless to make clothes. Day after day, I contemplated…what can I do to truly help? What can I do to provide employment to these individuals? I imagined opening various shops and doing the same but that was not in my immediate future. But, what I can do is offer support and God willing, hope and salvation to these individuals. But how? A single mom, working more than full time. I couldn’t afford to go to a seminary.
Through my church, I’ve seen members get ordained through the Christian Leaders Institute and thought, “maybe someday.” On a Sunday, a particular member was ordained, and something about her made me want to reach out to her. She was a woman whose walk I would love to mirror but in my way. She was so full of joy! I sent her a congratulatory message and became friends on Facebook. Years later, she gave testimony via Facebook about what CLI had done for her with an offer to share more about it. I asked her for more information and immediately signed up!
Yoga Faith Ministry Call
At one point in my life, I was taking secular yoga classes that I loved but did feel convicted. Because I loved the practice of yoga, I would spend time in my head talking to Jesus. Then one day, due to minor surgery, I took a break and never went back. Since then, the Lord put it on my heart to take up Christian yoga. Hence, I’ve begun my 200 hour Yoga Faith ministry training.
I toiled over this for a few years questioning whether it was really God that planted this seed and then, once again, He placed it right in front of me, in the perfect circumstances. Not only will this fuel my passion for yoga, it allows me to minister the love of Jesus to others through this growing popular means of exercise.
I feel my training at CLI will help me to deepen my Yoga Faith ministry in reaching others, not only “on the mat” but off of it. While I have all of these emotions and feelings, my knowledge needs extensive growth. It is a magnificent gift to have CLI and the Vision Partnership available to those who want to grow in their walk with Jesus.
One More Thing
Now, back to my dad’s passing. A couple of years ago when I heard “Good Good Father” by Chris Tomlin, it occurred to me why I never ‘struggled’ with my dad’s death. I never got angry, or bitter, or even sad, really. Get ready. It was and is because He, God, has been my Father all along!
Throughout my life, I’ve made good and bad choices. But through it all, God was there. God has literally guided every one of my steps. He picked me up when I fell. He showed me the lesson in every one of my mistakes. And without a doubt, He orchestrated my journey to be exactly where I am today. I lean on Him in doubt and fear. I try to remember to praise Him in good times. And I’m thankful to Jesus Christ for making it so! My story is to remind you that God is your Father of fathers. He loves every one of you, and you are never alone. Peace be with you!
Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Free Ministry Training at CLI in Lockdown
Greetings from Seattle, Washington. My name is Mark Donaldson, and I’m getting free ministry training in the lockdown at CLI. I grew up surrounded by the majestic mountains of the great northwest part of the United States. It’s a gorgeous place to live that desperately needs Jesus.
As a 1989 graduate of Azusa Pacific University, and someone who has walked with Jesus since 7th grade, I always knew God had a calling on my life. I survived too much self-destructive behavior not to know this.
Encounters With God
My first real encounter with God was as a child running down the hallway one night when suddenly, out of nowhere, a bright light appeared before me in the darkness of the stairwell. I was so scared I froze, even rubbing my eyes to double-check. Somehow, I began to sense it was something peaceful that had come to visit me. Still frozen at the moment, I just stared and watched when suddenly, it disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
That encounter changed me, and I began a curious journey toward God. Several divine appointments crossed my path, revealing different aspects of Christianity. A few years later, I finally made the connection. I became a Christian when my new neighbors shared the salvation of Jesus on the basketball court between our houses! Standing there with the Peace of God surrounding me, I knew in my heart, an angel of the Lord had visited me that one night, drawing me to Jesus!
As the youngest of three brothers who always flew by the seat of his pants, I often got myself into precarious situations growing up. A daredevil, full of adrenaline, I was the extreme before there were extreme sports. I wrecked, crashed, and smashed my way through childhood. I was the one who usually took the risk before really thinking about the consequences. Somewhere along the way, my lifestyle caught up to me, and I knew something was wrong with my neck. Was it the 30-foot tree I fell out of as a small boy? Who knows.
Ministry Service
As an independent contractor skilled in all phases of construction management, I have served in several church ministries through the years. I sang in a youth outreach choir traveling the United States, led church youth groups, been involved in different community outreach programs, and most notably participating in Plumb Line, a ministry birthed out of YWAM. This three-day intensive program was designed for small groups of 20 people from a congregation. They get exposed to the building blocks of God’s designed purposes for living in pure truth and pure love. They also get exposed to the consequences when they swing out of that plumb line either towards rejection or rebellion. This teaching led to time for ministry, where each person individually revealed anything the Lord brought up to be prayed over in their life.
Now, two surgeries later and a steel plate and wires holding my neck together, I’ve had a life check; a moment when my eyes opened to what really matters. In Matthew 22: 37-39, Jesus replied: “‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” I’ve always loved God and loved those he has surrounded me with, but not like that. This condition rocked my worldview and took me to a deeper level of faith, hope, and trust in Him. Zachariah 4:6 (NIV) says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit; says the LORD Almighty.”
Study at CLI
Being at a crossroads, I sense a renewed call and a renewed desire to train for what’s next. I found free ministry training at CLI in the lockdown. I hope to dive in deep to the Christian Leaders Institute, pursuing ministry in a whole new light. Gifted in love, encouragement, faith, craftsmanship, and joy, I hope to bring a deep passion to my ministry call. All the while, blessing people into a marriage covenant, speaking life, and wisdom while ushering in the Holy Spirit for an empowered life together.
Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.