Free Ministry Training College
My name is Charles D. Butler and I am attending Christian Leaders Institute a free ministry training college online. I was born in Dallas, Texas, and then we moved to Pontiac, Michigan when I was the age of 7. I was brought up in a Christian home. I was introduced to God at a very early age. Having to become a man at an early age due to having a child at the age of 17, I drifted from the church into the street life. I was in and out of different churches for a long period of time. I was just going but not really worshiping God.
In 1994, God put this man in my life, Dr. Todd Evan a Former NFL Player, who was a Superintendent of a Charter School in Pontiac. He hired me as a Security Guard for the school and later I became the Office Manager there. I retired twenty-four years later.
Then, God also put Pastor Ezra Tillman in my life in 2008. My partner and I were not married yet during that time, and we had a bad break up. Pastor Tillman talked to her separately first. Then during a marriage retreat that she asked me to attend in February of 2010 and through counseling from Pastor Tillman, we were married on May 29, 2010. I did my trial sermon on October of 2010. So, through all of these experiences in my life, I know God will never turn his back on me or any of His children. He will let us make our choices, but He will never leave us or forsake us.
Now God has led me to the free ministry training college, Christian Leaders Institute. What a blessing! I am eager to see what God has in store for me in the future as I follow His leading in my life.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Ministry Spiritual Journey
My name is Deanna Sellars, and I am on a ministry spiritual journey. My nickname is ‘Fancy’ and I am happily married to Jared Sellars. We live in a small retirement community called Leader in Saskatchewan, Canada. In our town, most everyone was born and raised here. The children attend school to twelfth grade and leave for University. Some return to raise their children in the same small town. The cycle then begins again.
Easter Sunday 1971, two schoolmates invited me to church. I received Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and spontaneously spoke in tongues. All of this was new to me. My ministry spiritual journey has had its difficulties, through foster homes, schools, and churches. The fact that I am here says it all. Forty-seven years of serving Christ, I am hoping that I will get a degree and continue to bigger and greater things for the Lord.
There are five churches here: United, Victory, Alliance, Catholic, and Lutheran. It is difficult to keep leadership within these churches because attendance and giving are low. Some leaders cover more than one church at a time itinerantly throughout the Province. The infrastructures within the churches here are wanting. Usher’s and Deacon’s training is lacking; it seems it is the blind leading the blind. Christ commands that we equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. It is affirming to find others who believe the same. A small group of Spirit-filled saints gathers here weekly to intercede for the Body of Christ and for revival. This is where I found out about this free ministry training program at Christian Leaders Institute through my local Pastor. He is working on his degree in this program. In this small town, a degree is everything, especially if you want to introduce something new into the community.
Friday, January 22, 1988, I had a near-death experience. I died for 35 minutes. For the first year after my experience, I combed through my Interlinear Bible, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, expository dictionaries and many Bibles to confirm all that I had experienced. My local Pastor became my mentor. He helped me set up the church bank accounts. We rented his church for a while but my congregation grew faster than his did. I completed all the required studies and received my Pastoral License to Minister.
As instructed, I began a custody battle for my three siblings. While visiting my siblings I was invited to host a radio program, which I called “Golden Nuggets” on WXKL, in Sanford, North Carolina. The owner Betty Ciliberto and I became good friends and we traveled in ministry together. Then I made several appearances on local cable TV. My siblings were able to listen to and watch me preach and teach. The Holy Spirit brought the increase. In addition, I taught three Bible Studies in three different cities each week.
Once my three siblings arrived, we consolidated these three Bibles Studies into our first home church. We had 26 new converts. From small beginnings, the establishment of churches and schools required the writing of by-laws and the acquiring of a 501c3. It was a massive undertaking with a dramatic domino effect. The church outgrew the house. We began to fast and pray for an existing church building. On the last day of the fast, a pastoral friend presented me with the keys to an existing church building. A few weeks later, we opened the church, with those 26 new believers, their family, and friends, plus more. Next, we opened our first Christian Academy. We planted five churches in all, which went independent. We planted two Academies grades K-12. We oversaw the ministries, churches, and schools for 25 years.
The reason I am here today is I have learned that we need one another especially when bad things happen to us. Because we will receive a repetition of blows one right after the other and we do have to learn to recover from each experience as fast as we can and move on. But, sometimes we cannot do that by ourselves.
I have had the privilege of ministering in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Russia, Israel, Lebanon, Damascus, England, Iceland, and many states in the USA including the Apache Nation. My spiritual dream is to be prepared for a large church with home churches. I want to be fully prepared with the pieces to fill in the blanks on my ministry spiritual journey. I am seeking lifelong Christian friends. I know I am called to be a Christian leader in Saskatchewan for the Last Days Revival. The time is almost upon us and the Body of Christ needs faithful and prepared leaders. I want to be ready. I am not financially able to afford Bible College Tuition here, it costs $50,000.00. I believe your program at CLI is for such a time as this! In my prayers, I have expressed to the Lord that if He provided the education I would do it! So here I am!
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Evangelist Chaplaincy Call
This is my evangelist chaplaincy call journey. I was born in 1968 and raised in Arizona, United States of America. I guess I can go back to the first time I felt the Holy Spirit touch me. I was about 10 years old when there was an evangelist speaking. There were an altar call and the song “Just as I am” at an old Baptist church where my parents took us to in Tucson, AZ. I felt an overwhelming desire to answer the call and came forward and received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. A few weeks later I was baptized. However, I was young and didn’t have much mentorship. I continued to live a worldly life.
When I was 16, I decided to sit and read the Bible starting in Genesis. As I read the Bible, the words spoke to me as true. I read about the amazing things God did in people’s lives, how He spoke to them and guided them, and I was in awe. I prayed that if God was real that He would reveal Himself to me in such a way. A few weeks later, on the way home from work, I felt strongly compelled to stop by my high school teacher’s house. I knew where they lived, but never had been to their house, nor spent much time talking to them outside of class. I knocked on their door and they asked why I had come and I told them I felt God told me to come there. They knew the Holy Spirit led me there and explained salvation and prayed with me and this time it stuck. I began going to their church and felt God’s presence much like I did when I was 10. I still struggled with sin. However, my mentors, Clay and Nancy, guided and supported me through it all.
When I was 17, I graduated high school and went into the military on my evangelist chaplaincy call journey. Boot camp was the most difficult thing I had ever experienced in my life, but I could feel God’s presence. I was attacked often for my beliefs and faith, even mocked, but I would still bow and pray every night and read His Word. God gave me many awesome opportunities to witness and minister to others and I knew He was with me. During this time, I started to feel the call to evangelism as God was using me this way. I also felt compelled to pray for others that were living in darkness. I was even led to some that I believed to be demon possessed as a darkness would come over them and they would speak with a different voice. Through it all, I felt the Holy Spirit around me as a powerful shield that could not be penetrated. No matter how hard the darkness fought, God fought way stronger and always proved victorious.
After the military, when I was about 23 years old, I moved to Turlock, California and joined an evangelism group from church on my evangelist chaplaincy call journey. We would go door to door, walk up to people in parks and on the streets and just talk with them about Jesus. It was exhilarating and beautiful. Street ministry is where I felt the strongest pull, especially in San Francisco where I felt the darkness the strongest. Then I had an opportunity to take a Youth Pastor position in Twain Harte, California. I felt that this was what I had always been waiting for. The opportunity to work full time in the ministry and lead young people to Christ as well as help them lead others to Christ.
Then in 1997, it all fell apart. I can’t explain what happened. Everything seemed perfect, then I felt lost. It was like all that I had been working for came to a halt. I would pray and ask why I felt so empty and lonely but didn’t seem to get an answer. I divorced my wife, left the church, left the ministry and walked away from God. Soon after I went into the Navy, traveled the world, lived overseas as a prodigal child. During this time, I caused much pain to others. I followed after whatever sinful desire came to my mind. I came to such a place of utter emptiness.
When I was living in Colorado in July of 2014, I was on a hike by myself on this mountaintop and I felt the presence of God in the wind. It was peaceful and I knew that God had never left me. Shortly after, I repented and asked Jesus to forgive me for turning away. Just like the prodigal, I knew that my place was with my Father. It was beautiful. The Holy Spirit came in like a flood and healed my heart. It was then that He made it clear He was with me all the way through my wandering, protecting me from myself and all that the devil was throwing at me. I was made aware of the times the enemy tried to take my life, but God protected me. I’m overwhelmed at God’s handiwork and plans. I am thankful that He is merciful and a God who forgives.
In 2016, my little baby Gabrielle was born, and I felt God leading us to live in Henderson, Nevada. We moved out here and shortly after we had a miscarriage. In 2017, I saw my wife’s mental and spiritual condition deteriorate and I prayed fervently. She was strong in the New Age spiritism and claimed to hear angel voices. As I had been drawing near to God, I knew that what she was experiencing wasn’t Him. A few days after Christmas she asked me for a divorce. The next evening, she physically assaulted me, accusing me of horrific things and said over and over she wanted to kill me. She was arrested that night, as well as a couple times afterward.
Now it’s just Gabrielle and I, with Jesus holding us close and protecting us. I felt God calling me back to ministry but knew I couldn’t afford it as we accumulated a lot of debt in our marriage and now that all falls on me. I’m thankful Christian Leaders Institute offers this training free of charge and hope one day I can help pay it forward. I feel my ministry dream is toward an evangelist chaplaincy call. To minister to the sick in the hospitals, especially the elderly and children. Perhaps those in prison as well.
I’m surprised I finished this class after what has happened in my life since I committed to this. It’s no joke when you said that spiritual warfare would hit hard when we commit to such a thing. I have felt strengthened by my CLI brothers’ and sisters’ encouraging words and prayers. Reading God’s Word has ministered to me time and again through this painful experience. Knowing God’s love and seeing what He has done in my life is what makes me want to share Jesus and His love that heals hearts, changes lives, brings salvation and eternal life. God led me to the church at Lake Mead shortly after my wife left me and they have been a tremendous help in God’s healing.
Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to seeing what God has planned for me in my evangelist chaplaincy call. God bless.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.