Ministry Excitement
I’m James Schofield. I live in the United States and I am filled with ministry excitement. I’m a former atheist, who was saved by Jesus Christ through the witness of my daughter, who is a believer, and through a visit to a church designed just for an open-minded atheist, such as I was. I came in with a skeptical mind, but being an aspiring anthropologist, I decided to study this budding culture and through the study, I felt the Holy Spirit move within me the night before baptism when I felt called to pray.
My ministry excitement dream would be to bridge the gap between nonbelievers and believers in order to help those without Christ be more open to following Him. I also want to be able to find the common ground between denominations by using an open heart and mind to transform hearts to follow the Lord in unity.
The Getting Started Class at Christian Leaders Institue has confirmed and firmed up the beliefs I have and strengthened my walk with Christ. It has helped me to grow in my relationship with Him as well as in my interactions with others. It is helping me to begin ministering in a meaningful way.
I feel that the spiritual gift I received from the Holy Spirit would be service (ministry), and as such, I feel I carry the gifts of an evangelist and small group leader. I have been working with small groups for about three months now and have been able to create a deeply meaningful relationship with others and with God. As Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” So, I feel the small group is where I am best acquainted and equipped.
My call to ministry came when I was speaking with a member of the church who had been a Christian his whole life. I was able to minister to him with my freshly Christian mind and able to make ties between the Old and New Testament he had never made before. I have found myself to be an open door for others to come to with their stories and troubles.
In my area, Christianity is viewed with a very discriminatory eye and with persecution, much the same as how Paul viewed the Christians before his conversion. I, as an atheist, had had the same view of the stereotypical “Bible thumper” as those around my community have. I aim to change those stereotypes.
My local church has been very supportive of my calling. They feel that anyone called to ministry should have a chance at it. Formal education, though helpful, isn’t required in order to spread the Word and they are there with any resources I need to flourish in my calling.
The scholarship to CLI is so unique and changing to a prospective servant such as myself. I grew up very poor and although I have had success in my life, I still can’t even imagine financially taking on the burden of attending a typical 4-year university or college to receive an education around my calling. This scholarship lets me be able to get the same or higher quality of education a “standard” university would give without the enormous cost. It really is an amazing thing to be able to offer this scholarship to someone such as me. Without it, I don’t think I could ever dream of being able to get the tools I need to make my ministry dream a reality.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Christian Leader Education
My name is Joselyn Blume and I am receiving Christian leader education at Christian Leaders Institute. I live in Spokane, Washington. I am 52 years old. I grew up in a Christian household. My mom was a missionary’s kid and my grandpa was a pastor. I accepted Christ into my life when I was very young. I was raised in and grew up in a Christian environment, but when I turned eighteen, I made the decision to walk away from Christ. But, thankfully, we have a loving God who patiently waited for me to come back to Him and His forgiveness.
Two years ago, my, then 8-year-old, daughter went to Vacation Bible School and she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. Then she came home and wanted to tell me all about Jesus. That was a pretty scary awakening for me. Here my daughter wanted to tell me, “a Christian”, about God. She was eight years old and I had never told her about Jesus! That is when I realized I was not leading my daughter in the ways of the Lord. So, a short time later, I rededicated myself to Christ, and now I have a personal relationship with Christ and my daughter does as well.
I am taking the classes at Christian Leaders Institute so that I am able to be a leader, even if only in my home. Christian leaders Institute gives me the opportunity to build my relationship with Christ stronger. CLI has taught me to discover my spiritual gifts. Another benefit of CLI is that I’m also able to lead my daughter and others to walk with Christ. I am also able to help others to find and follow Jesus as well.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Minister Calling
Greetings to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. My name is Chuck Smith and I have a minister calling. I currently reside in the State of Arizona in the United States of America. I am 43 years old and have 3 teenage children. Although I feel I have known the Lord my entire life, I have not always listened to Him. I have had my bouts with drug addiction and other selfish behaviors, but God was always there when I would call out to Him. I was baptized with water in 1996 and baptized by the Holy Spirit in 1998 although I didn’t know it at the time.
I had been praying earnestly to speak in tongues while at a Bible study. The next thing I knew, I was speaking in tongues and could not control it. I remember trying to stop my mouth and couldn’t. Then I thought to myself that if this is God, why am I trying to stop. As soon as I quit trying to stop my mouth, I quit speaking in tongues. Although that experience has never repeated itself, it was quite the experience. I have contemplated going into ministry many times during my life and always let fear get in the way (fear of teaching something wrong or fear that I wasn’t good enough, holy enough, pure enough, well you get the idea).
For the last few years, I had pretty much given up on doing anything with my life. I was over 40 and working at a gas station. Then I stumbled across an ad for Christian Leaders Institute while on Facebook and something quickened inside me. I clicked on the ad and prayed about this site and whether or not I should enroll. I was unsure of this whole “free and internet-based schooling” thing. I was led to enrolling at CLI, and although the sessions seemed a bit quirky to me, I felt God telling me to stay with it; that this is what He wanted.
As I went through the class and reflected, God reminded me of numerous times He had called me to be a Pastor (shepherd of His people). There was a time about 7 years ago that a group of people was praying and one of them spoke over me prophesying about my life, but I didn’t give it much thought. Another time, a missionary from Micaiah Ministries that I had seen speak a few times (but never really spoke to personally more than 5 minutes at a time) was having lunch with my local church and asked me why I wasn’t a pastor yet. He remembered me from about 2 years prior to this meeting when I had seen him at a different church in a different town. The specifics of what he said elude me today, but that question has not. That question has hung in my head ever since. I was working at a gas station at the time and was also looking for other employment. That’s when, while praying, I heard God telling me multiple times that I would not find better employment because until I submit to his will, I am basically stuck here (at the gas station).
I also around this time went for a walk to pray and read the Bible. While at my spot reading and praying, I felt God asking me the same thing he asked Peter about loving Him and feeding His sheep. I remember feeling shamed, hurt, and convicted all at the same time. I came to understand at that point that I had a minister calling on my life. I was to be a pastor and am a pastor to those that God places in my life.
Unfortunately, slowly the fire died and I allowed the cares of this world to stunt my growth and therefore my effectiveness for the Kingdom. Then while taking the class at CLI, and doubting my minister calling yet again, God reminded me of these times. He also brought forth the scripture about everything being proven by two or more witnesses – well, I had four, plus God bringing to mind that passage. I now truly feel that regardless of my shortcomings, I have no choice but to obey. Since CLI is generosity-driven and you can work at your own pace, it is the perfect tool for me. CLI gives me flexibility for my time and resources. I know that CLI will help me to learn and grow as a Christian, father, spouse, and friend. CLI will equip me to be a better shepherd while alleviating some of my aforementioned fears. I know not where my journey will lead, but I know that I am in God’s hands. For now, He has me at CLI preparing for what is ahead.
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