Pastoring Ministry Dream
I am Klayton Korver and I have a pastoring ministry dream. I live in the United States of America. It’s a privilege to join the ministry vocationally. What an honor to get to plan all facets of my day around the body of Christ.
I grew up in a Christina home and watched my elders lead churches. Our family adage is our faith is “caught not taught”, which I always thought interesting coming from people who “teach” on a weekly basis. But watching men and women’s words and actions line up laid a foundation for me to be a follower of Jesus. This plays into my “Spiritual Dream”: Love God and love people. I have learned in my 34 years of life that one never knows what the future holds. But if I can remain in step with the Spirit, I will be able to be nimble and move where the Spirit prompts.
As a new father with a one-year-old and another on the way, I really appreciated the close to the class as it was primarily about creating a home that is Jesus-centered. Those are all good things for my wife and me to be actively thinking through now so we can create a family spiritual rhythm.
I associate with the word Pastor. From a young age, people whose opinions I trust have been calling that out in me. A couple of years back, my wife and I felt it was time to change our life’s trajectory. We were at a church in Atlanta which was beginning their own in-house seminary partnership for members who desired to really learn. I was allowed to join the test course, and from that course knew it was time to say yes to what my elders had seen in me.
I am pastoring in a small town in Iowa, so I don’t know if there are any unique challenges that you wouldn’t find in other small towns. We are living in a day as we all know, where we are more connected than ever but also disconnected. The desire to create disciples has dwindled in my church experience, which is what makes me so excited about where I am right now because that is what our mission is.
The local church here has not only hired me on staff, but it is also helping me take these courses at CLI for my pastoring ministry dream. So we are learning and doing, which is the best way in my opinion to grow.
I desperately desire to learn so a scholarship with CLI is needed. The more I read and learn the more I want to read and learn. Our God is so big and incredible, what I love about Him is we will never cease to learn about Him. So an opportunity to do so with Christian Leaders Institute will grow me, my family, my church, and my city, because as we all become disciples of Jesus the kingdom spreads.
Learn about local ecuministry ordinations with Christian Leaders Alliance.
CLI May Be the Answer to My Prayers in Prison Ministry Work
Hello, my name is Karen Baetz of the United States of America. I have a prison ministry work dream. I was born in San Francisco, California in 1968 and grew up in the Catholic Church in West Marin County, California.
In my teens and young adulthood, I struggled with alcohol and drifted further and further away from God. I had been in and out of the 12 step program with Alcoholics Anonymous for many years and although it has a deep God element to it, I found myself closed off.
In my late twenties I got married, and within the next three years had two sons. As teenagers, both of my boys struggled with substance abuse. Sending them to rehab led me to two other 12 step programs, Al-Anon and Co-dependent’s Anonymous. It was in these programs that I was able to reconnect with God in a very deep, profound way. The serenity prayer hit my soul like it never had in AA. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This prayer says it all. I began praying constantly and learned to trust God to carry my load and it’s outcome. I then developed a relationship with Jesus that I never thought possible. Eventually, I returned to the church which fed my faith more and more.
My oldest son became addicted to heroin and ended up in prison for three armed robberies. This is a boy with the biggest heart imaginable. He is genuinely a good person who’s affliction made him do things completely out of his character. This got me thinking about all inmates in prison who are most likely good people that went down a dark path; also most likely due to addiction. I was overcome by compassion for them and felt a calling to minister to them. I am so happy to have found the Christian Leaders Institute so that I can work towards a degree in ministry and hopefully do a lot of work with the incarcerated.
Learn about minister ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.