Pastor Ministry Calling
My name is Daniel Gonzalez and I have a Pastor ministry calling on my life. I am very happy to share my testimony with you all! I grew up in a Christian home and was going to church since I could remember, but it was a “religious” experience for me. I didn’t know the true love of God and did not know how His grace really works or even truly understand it. I knew one thing though, that I had this overwhelming feeling that God was calling me and that he had something planned for me.
As I got older I dealt with the death of my older sister, the sickness of my father, and with some other very painful moments in my life. I lost my identity and thought I had found it in a gang which was called the Latin Kings. Years later, I became a leader of the gang and was in a lot of trouble with the authorities. However, there was one thing that I would always remember, and it was that God was always there every step of the way with me.
It was when my grandfather who was the spiritual leader in our family died that it hit me. I could almost hear God saying to me, ” No more running Daniel! It’s time!” And that is when I made my decision to pursue God and His calling on my life. My Pastor ministry calling is to lead the lost sheep like myself back to the arms of Christ. Amen! Thank You to Christian Leaders Institute and the staff for having such a great program like this where I can truly learn how to become a qualified Christian leader and answer the call of God.
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Christian Witness
My name is Robert McConkey and this is my Christian witness. I reside now in Commerce City, Colorado. I was born in Champagne, Illinois, and when I was older, my parents and I moved to California. When I was born, my mother delivered me, and she didn’t even know she was pregnant. She thought that she was feeling ill, and went to the restroom, where she delivered me. I was born breach, and when I came out, it looked to my mother, as if I was praying. I was a miracle birth in that regard.
When I was 10 years old, I was very curious about Jesus Christ. I wanted to know about Him, and why those who hated Him, sentenced Him to death, and why He had to die. Later, I went to a Billy Graham Crusade and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. He became real to me when he touched my heart. It was such a wonderful experience that I cried.
When I was 17 years old, I joined a missionary organization called “Teen Missions International”. I joined teen teams going to Indonesia and Hungary, with some stops at other countries along the way. On one of the teams, we debriefed in Switzerland. In my 30’s, I joined YWAM (Youth With A Mission), once for a short-term and another for a long-term team. The first one was to Jamaica, and the longer one was to Brazil. So missions became part of me and my Christian witness. Before this, I also graduated from Sierra Pacific Bible College, where I received my Diploma in Ministry.
In my 40’s, I became an Associate Of The Order Of The Holy Cross, in order to maintain a semblance of balance in my life. Later I became an ordained Pastor as well as still being a missionary. I have had struggles in my life because of my disability (I am moderately autistic) that is noticeable, but I am gradually overcoming it. My spiritual dream is both to fulfill His purpose for my life and continue to spread the Gospel to all nations.
I enrolled at Christian Leaders Institute in order to help me be a more effective minister of the risen Christ, also to be strengthened in my Christian witness. I am always learning and growing through this classes at CLI. The courses I am taking here are to help me have a discerning heart and to become the pastor I was called to be. I am completely on-fire for God and his Word is like “fire shut up in my bones.”
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Youth Outreach Ministry
Greetings and Shalom to all who read this. My name is Michelle. I live in the southern corner of Western New York, where I believe Revival will start for America! Becoming an ordained Deacon Minister will greatly assist me in the calling the Lord has placed on me. I have been praying for the revival fire and cleansing power to hit this area, especially with the youth. I have been working as a youth leader along with my husband and another local couple through a youth outreach ministry called “Teens on Fire.” This youth outreach ministry has been in operation for almost 20 years, and just recently my husband and I were called to lead it. This ordination will help me better serve the youth by teaching them how to honor the Lord through communion. And the second way this will assist me is by giving me the knowledge and credentials to start a youth-led outreach ministry. The Lord has given me a vision for youth leading worship, teaching the Word to their peers, and praying for each other. I see this happening through the Teens on Fire youth group. This will be their outreach ministry with us adults mentoring them.
When I reflect on my personal testimony, I would have to say I do not remember a time in my life that I didn’t believe in Jesus Christ. My grandfather was a minister and my family attended his church when I was a child. As I became a teenager, I developed my relationship with Jesus on a deeper level. I led a girl’s Bible study and was part of the church dance team. As I grew older, there was a period of time that I rebelled and thought I could do things my way. Through this time my faith in who Jesus is never changed. I would describe this time as if God was an umbrella over me, and I chose to move away from His umbrella. Hardship came and hard lessons had to happen, but through those hard times, I began to realize that His ways are much higher than mine. I began to seek Him again in my later twenties.
My husband and I have raised all four of our children in the Christian faith. We have served as a family in our church and community in many different avenues by helping with kids church, greeting ministry, worship team, sound, and camera, encouraging card ministry, janitorial duties, leading Bible studies and pretty much anything that has been a need within our local church community. My husband and I founded a Nonprofit 501(c)3 community center in our community. Our vision for the center is to offer a safe place for youth and their families; space for County agencies to provide their services to our rural surrounding communities, and the headquarters of Teens on Fire.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank the Christian Leaders Institute for this opportunity to grow deeper in my walk with the Lord. I believe the Lord showed me the way to this school and am eternally grateful. You have asked what specific things to pray for in our ministry calling. I would say that number one would be that hearts be prepared to be ministered to and to have the co-laborers gathered to do the work of the Lord. Another critical part is to have the funds to accomplish this youth outreach ministry vision.
Learn about minister ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.