Ministry School for Free at Christian Leaders Institute
My name is James Smith, and I’m taking ministry school for free online at CLI. I live in Sweetwater, Texas, in the USA. We are known for windmill farms and rattlesnakes. I have a wonderful wife and three beautiful daughters who never cease to amaze me.
Early Years
I received my calling to the ministry at a young age. We went to church after my parents lost their third child, my baby sister. We got involved in the church. At the age of ten, I attended my first Kid’s Camp in Buffalo Gap, Texas. I remember that year because it was when I gave my heart to the Lord. It changed my life.
The call to ministry came one summer at camp, where I was filled with a fire to reach those in a dark world. Then, they could feel the light I was experiencing. As a teenager, I went to church, but I was running from the call of God. I wanted to taste the world. The things around me enticed me, and like the prodigal, I wanted to try it out. Throughout High School, I was hot and cold about going to church and not serving God wholeheartedly. I straddled the fence.
Struggles
I went to college fully intending to become a nurse and make money. However, I got into the party scene and lost myself to drugs and alcohol. Although I attended church, my heart was not in it. I finally hit bottom. Then, God got ahold of me. He showed me that the path I was on would lead me to death. During a revival service one night, I sat in the back row where I could slip out. God cornered me, and I could not get out of my seat. I sat there, crying for almost three hours, rededicating myself to Him. God renewed the fire in my heart that I dimmed.
My first wife and I married. Then, I decided to attend Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, TX. I graduated from CFNI in 1998. We began working at a church as the children’s ministers. After about two years of working in the church and six years of a tumultuous marriage relationship, our marriage ended in divorce. After my divorce, I distanced myself from God and anything to do with Him. I felt hurt and abandoned. Unsure if I was worthy of His forgiveness and the call, I hid.
New Direction
I returned to becoming a nurse so that I could offer something to people. Perhaps I would do medical missions and work in the background. I met my current wife while working at a hospital in the Dallas area, and we became good friends. She pushed me back toward God by taking me to church even when I resisted. I yearned for an opportunity to reach out, and the church we allowed us to work with the kids.
I continued to go to school to get into nursing school. However, it never seemed to work out. Finally, to position myself to become a nurse, I attended Paramedic school. I graduated from Paramedic school in March of 2008. In February, my mother contacted me to let me know that the fire department in our home town was testing for positions. After talking with my wife, who wanted to move closer to my family, I decided to take the test.
The Sweetwater Fire Department hired me on May 20, 2008. It began my career and helped me find my place. After about seven years, I was sent to the police academy and got appointed as the Fire Marshal for the city. I also was appointed as the Chaplain for the fire and police department.
My Return to Ministry and Ministry School for Free at CLI
Upon moving to Sweetwater, I was hesitant to get into ministry due to my past. Divorce never looks suitable for a ministry. So, I felt I was disqualified. My pastor in the church I attend was my pastor when I was a child. He watched me grow through the ups and downs. One day, he asked me if I would be willing to take over the youth ministry at the church. Now, I have been the youth pastor for almost 12 years. I also work as an associate and fill in for the pastors when they are away.
I am thankful that God took me, a broken and depressed Christian, and raised me up to work for Him. He continues to use me over and over again. Recently, He opened the door for me to study at the Christian Leaders Institute. Ministry School for free is perfect for me in my situation. Thank you, CLI!
I love God with all of my heart, and I will do the work He puts in front of me wherever that may take me.
Learn about ordination with the Christian Leaders Alliance.
Christian Life Coach Certification at CLI
My name is Hannah Reardon, and I am pursuing the Christian Life Coach certification at CLI. I am a homeschooling mom to four children: ages 9, 6, 4, 1. My husband and I live on a historic hobby farm in North Central Kansas in the USA. While I do not currently work for pay, I volunteer for our local pregnancy resource center. I am also a breastfeeding counselor recently certified as a bereavement, birth and postpartum doula. I also volunteer with Postpartum Support International. There, I respond to mothers in my state who are struggling with mental health issues.
My People Helping Work
In the past, I worked for a county attorney’s office, performed administrative work for a police department, and became certified as a police chaplain. Further, I worked for a company that provided resources for missing and exploited children, the Red Cross, and then coordinated an after-school and mentoring program for low-income/troubled youth. I consider myself a people-helper and enjoy serving others. However, I am learning how to balance my life by also setting boundaries.
My Faith Development
I am a pastor’s daughter, and I made a profession of faith when I was seven years old. While I believe I truly repented and trusted in Christ, I became a very self-righteous, legalistic young woman. I lived a very sheltered life, yet I refused to believe that the sins in my own heart were as heinous as the sins of those around me. I served in my church as a Sunday School teacher and Bible study leader.
God used several experiences, some early in my marriage and others more recently, to reveal how I must rely on God for everything. He is my identity, strength, approval, and hope. I grew to love God for who He is and not for what I could get out of Him. I went from having a head knowledge to having a heart passionate for God and His Word. God used the brokenness from my past disappointments and sin to draw me closer to Him and increase my love for Him.
Studying at CLI to Become a Christian Life Coach
I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to become a Christian Life Coach. I desire to encourage other women who are dealing with brokenness, betrayal, and disappointments. Some of my favorite topics are the abolition of abortion, human trafficking, pornography/sexual addiction, postpartum depression/anxiety and mental health issues, and spiritual/sexual abuse in the church. This free Christian life coach education is essential for me. We have a limited income, and I’m only able to study from home.
One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Seeking credible ordination? Check out the Christian Leaders Alliance. Looking for a low-cost degree? The CLI’s Leadership Excellence School is for you!
Ordination Journey
My name is Charles Wiegand, and I am on an ordination journey at CLI. I was born in 1971 and raised in Eureka, Illinois, the USA, which is a small farm town in central Illinois. That community had a strong Christian presence and still does today. So, I grew up around a lot of very ethical and good to the core people. My parents took me to church every Sunday. I turned to Christ around age 13 but did not give my life to Him until I was 21 years old.
My Calling in My Ordination Journey
About a year later, I heard the Holy Spirit vividly tell me to quit my job doing concrete work, which I enjoyed. I was to trust Him for my next step in life. I assumed I would become a full-time missionary somewhere, but ended up in Greeley, Colorado, working at a floor covering company. The verses of Isaiah 55:12-13 were my sending verses from God: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
My Marriage and Ministry
I met my wife, Naomi, in Greeley, and we married in 1995. She received her elementary education teaching degree the same year. We moved to northeast Indiana in 1997 and worked at a children’s home for 3.5 years before moving back to Colorado. At that time, we moved to Aurora, which is a Denver, Colorado, suburb of around 375,000 people.
We have done a lot of informal ministry work over the years with young kids, struggling adults, homeless, etc. In 2012, we started a non-profit ministry to teach teenagers how to work by applying biblical principles. It is still operating during summer breaks from school. I’m a bi-vocational minister and have a small irrigation/landscaping company to help keep our bills paid. Also, a year and a half ago, my wife took a teaching position at the elementary school. It made sense since over half of our kids are grown.
Finding CLI and CLA on My Ordination Journey
I still desire to share the Good News of Jesus with our community. There are so many who do not know Jesus and biblical ignorance seems to be increasing every year. I found the Christian Leaders Institute on the internet. I was looking for a way to get ordained to marry my brother-in-law and was impressed with the sound teaching of Rev. Reyenga.
Hopefully, getting further ministry training and ordained through CLI and with the Christian Leaders Alliance will open up other opportunities to minister here in our community. We have a great opportunity here as there are around 130 different languages spoken in the Aurora Public School system that our younger kids attend, and where my wife teaches.
Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.