Youth Ministry Leader Training
I live in the United States of America and I am in youth ministry leader training at Christian Leaders Institute. Ministry in this country is easy compared to what I imagine it to be in some other countries. For the most part, people are supportive of the gospel, though there are some exceptions to those who disagree with one ultimate truth: Jesus Christ.
I came to know the Lord in 3rd grade. I attended a Christian school and was listening to a chapel service where I heard the gospel, and it connected to my heart. I knew at that moment that God was asking me to be His child. I accepted Him into my heart and have desired to serve Him ever since.
My ministry dream is to be a liaison between hurting people and those who need help. I see myself as a “servant leader”, a behind the scenes type person. I don’t want to preach, but I’d love to set up chairs or bring water or be the details person to the person who is doing the preaching.
This class has renewed my walk with God by reminding me of the basics of the Christian faith. I identify with the word “youth leader” as that is the role that my husband and I currently serve in. I’d love to eventually be a small group leader as well and to expand our ministry with youth leadership, perhaps to older kids.
Several ministry leaders who served in my life served as the “key experience” that prompted me to pursue ministry. Mentors have and are filling me up–I desire to do the same with others!
Some unique challenges in my geographic area include the more liberal view that comes with living in an urban area. Due to this, some people/neighbors/relatives believe in Jesus but may struggle with how best to respond to more social justice type issues.
Currently, I am doing Bible Study Fellowship at my church. Studying Romans, specifically, has brought me back to that awful response to sin/what it does to our lives, BUT GOD… I desire to share that same truth with others in my life/ministry.
My local church has supported me in my ministry calling by encouraging my husband and me to continue in the positions that we are in and serving us lunch every 2nd Sunday of the month served by our youth pastor’s wife, and it is so good! My kids, especially, my oldest loves when we teach in his class and enjoys the weeks that we are his teachers.
A scholarship with CLI is very important to my ministry dream as I receive youth ministry leader training. Especially because my husband and I are still paying off my bachelor’s degree, and I cannot afford to attend seminary on my own.
Pray that my husband and I serve the kids well and that I (specifically) don’t become resentful on days that I need to serve instead of attending service. That is something that I struggle with since I live with two toddlers–I often do not feel as though I am being filled up, but the other people who are serving really help me in this by showing me their attitudes and working right alongside me. They don’t just leave me to swim alone–they are working just as hard or harder than I am, and I so appreciate that.
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Future Mission Leader Training
My name is Carolyn Middleton and I am receiving my future mission leader training at Christian Leaders Institute. I was born in the United States in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I grew up in a Christian home. I attended Sunday School and church every Sunday. I was baptized at age 11 when I realized that accepting Jesus into my life meant that I would spend eternity in Heaven. I continued my walk with God throughout my college years. There were times when life and relationships impacted my walk with God. I wavered now and then, but by God’s grace, I never strayed far. I am grateful and thankful for grace, and that the Holy Spirit’s conviction followed me whenever I left the narrow path.
My home church was very small, but the members gave generously to foreign missions. From a very young age, we were encouraged to give to foreign missions through the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention—an organization named for the first black missionary to Africa. At Easter-time, we children were given “gleaners”. The dictionary definition of “glean” is to gather or collect anything little by little. These gleaners were cards with slots for dimes. Each day leading up to Easter, we would insert our dimes until the card was full, after which we would add it to the rest of the missions’ donations which would be sent to the convention and then on to accomplish the missions work.
I married and moved to Maryland in 1982. We are blessed with three children and six grandchildren. Thankfully, my children are believers. I believe that one of my ministries is to my children and grandchildren. Even though my children are adults, they never outgrow the gentle guidance of their mother. As they raise their families, questions of a spiritual nature will arise that merit the experience of an older, more mature Christian.
I worked for 20 years in private industry, retired 2 years ago, and am now praying and waiting for God’s direction concerning my next occupation. I am active in my church as a Small Group Leader and a leaders’ coach. However, my calling is to foreign and domestic missions. This is a passion born out of exposure to missionaries, pastors, and laypersons with the same vision. The beginning of this desire was at my home church in Pittsburgh. I remember sitting beside my grandmother’s cousin (we called her Cousin Ruth) in church, and telling her that I wanted to be a foreign missionary. At the time, I was a pre-teen, and my dream was to be a full-time missionary in Africa. I believe this was a God-given desire. Attending the Lott Carey Foreign Missions convention every year, from the time I was seventeen until I got married, fueled my desire for missions’ work. However, the dream was deferred during my marriage and raising children.
As God would have it, our church, which had been planted only 6 years prior, began its missions program. In 2012, two years after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I was privileged to go on my first missions trip to that country. I have gone on missions trips every year since. My job has prohibited me from going on additional trips throughout the year, but my desire is to expand both my role and my frequency concerning mission trips. Our main goal is to evangelize.
I have been a student of the Bible for many years. However, I hunger for more knowledge and depth of understanding of God and the scriptures so that I can more effectively and accurately communicate the gospel. I desire to make disciples of Jesus Christ, who will then make other disciples, and on and on and on—thus perpetuating the cycle of spiritual multiplication throughout areas in this country and around the world. This future mission leader training, as well as receiving small group leader education is what I will receive from Christian Leaders Institute.
CLI is an enormous gift to those in the body of Christ. I am extremely grateful and look forward with great anticipation to being used to build the kingdom using this future mission leader training along with my God-given gifts and talents.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Evangelism Ministry Education
My name is David Louden and I am receiving free evangelism ministry education with Christian Leaders Institute. I live in Cape Coral, Florida. I have lived in Florida my whole life and came back home recently to be closer to my family. My wife is from Miami and is currently a social worker. I attended both community college and university and received my associate of arts degree as well as some additional schooling from the US Navy in the nuclear engineering program. After leaving the navy, I had no real interest in returning to any more college due to how expensive it is and found a job in the service industry. Recently I came across Christian Leaders Institute and I saw an opportunity that I otherwise would not have in being able to study without accumulating massive student debt.
I grew up in the church. When I was young I attended a Christian school from kindergarten through eighth grade and then continued to a Catholic high school. Throughout my years growing up, I saw and learned many things. I was able to observe teachers, staff, pastors, mentors, children, and students all coexisting in the same environment. I thought that the institutions were good, the structure made sense, and it was successful at providing certain things to people. There are regular church services, small groups, mentoring, and counseling that you can find for almost any group or walk of life. Living in the United States as a Christian is really good compared to a lot of places around the world that aren’t as free. Here you don’t have to worry about extreme persecution and can freely worship.
My dream for ministry is to free the captives, declaring liberty to slaves, heal the sick, and speak the good news of God’s kingdom to people. I’m a simple man and I wish for my ministry to be simple as well. The connection class has renewed my interest in Bible study as far as how it interacts with my various relationships. It showed how it can function for not just my individual walk, but my marriage as well and how it can ripple out to the rest of the world.
Right now, I think that I identify most with small group leader but I also have a pull toward evangelism. I love the opportunity to meet with a small group of people and get into a good conversation about deep topics. This allows for the whole group to develop and pick apart things that may be causing problems.
My pull toward ministry was always in the back of my mind until just recently where it became a major focus for me. I was fed up with the normal day in, day out pattern that I was going through. I was sick of nothing changing and I felt pretty dead like I was missing something. I came across a couple ideas that really changed how I look at things and I think the change has only just begun. I want to take this call as far as it will allow and see the depths that legitimate belief and evangelism ministry education will take me.
Connecting to the Bible has changed how I read it. Instead of going through large amounts, I take a small section or maybe even just a couple verses and read it over and over and digest it. My goal now when I read is to make it a part of me and let it change me from the inside out. My food now is believing what God has to say about me and to me through his word.
My church and family have both been a great help in getting me to where I am today. They helped provide a good foundation for me to stand on as I grew up and they continue to be a source of love and support regardless of where I am. It is great having a built-in group of people that I can bounce ideas off of.
A scholarship to CLI would be an amazing blessing to me, enabling me to study without the financial limitations that I would otherwise experience at a traditional school. It would provide me with the flexibility to study whenever I am able and to move at my own pace, which is amazing compared to most programs. The ability to access high-quality evangelism ministry education provided out of generosity is something that I didn’t know could exist until I found CLI.
Please pray that I experience the full revelation of Christ in me, that I am able to take Him to the world and allow the Holy Spirit to work through me to accomplish His will.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.