Training Christian Leaders
I’m excited to have come in contact with Christian Leaders Institute as I am training Christian leaders here. My name is David Musonda. I’m a Zambian residing in Pretoria the capital city of South Africa. I’m married with three children: one son and two daughters. We have been married for 28 years.
I was saved in 1981 and filled with the Holy Spirit three years later. I attended church at United Church of Zambia in Luanshya, where I served as a youth leader till 1987. Thereafter, due to doctrinal issues, especially on baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, we were asked to leave the denomination. This was a countrywide excise. We immediately mobilized ourselves and formed a youth ministry with the core purpose of keeping and guarding the youth against falling away from the faith. We called this movement “Youth Revival Ministries.” I was elected to lead this mission till 1990 when Grace Missions became a church.
My call to ministry came in 1985 in a night vision where our Lord appeared to me and gave me a mandate for the harvesting of souls for his kingdom. I got so excited and almost left school to pursue the vision but the full time only came in 1989, when I received an invitation to study for ministry in Botswana. By then I had just gotten married to Susan and a month later by January 1990, we were on the bus to Botswana. A step that has kept us on the mission field training Christian leaders since.
I graduated with a diploma in ministry under Faith Christian faith training school, founded by Dr. Buddy Harrison in conjunction with Bible Life Ministries in Botswana. We planted the second branch of Bible Life Ministries in 1991 and pastored it until 1994 when I felt the need to improve myself academically. In 1994, I enrolled as a foreign student with National Bible Institute, Oxenhill, Maryland, USA. I graduated the following year with a degree in ministry training. I felt the Lord lead me back to Africa, to South Africa. I went back to Botswana and served as dean of students until a way was opened to move to South Africa in 2000. Our mission to South Africa has been centered on training, church planting, and pastoral care. In 2005, we extended our mission to Malawi, which has proved to be more fulfilling. We currently oversee 27 churches in mainly the southern part of the country. We are experiencing phenomenal growth and hence the need to continue training Christian leaders is my focus.
Most of these churches are in remote parts of the southern district. We have a national local overseer who reports to me and he’s doing a great job. Every year, we hold a three-day conference and attendance keeps growing. A great number of salvation of souls are registered. In South Africa, we are serving under God’s Kingdom as pastors responsible for training.
We feel strongly to step up our commitment to Malawi by sourcing for funds to help put up church building structures in these villages.
Since 1994, I’ve not furthered my self in terms of studies except that I love reading Christian literature and this has helped. But the need to upgrade my qualifications is a must and gives me an advantage to get in nations to do Gods work. Thus, I came in contact with Christian Leaders Institute while browsing at the internet cafe and immediately submitted for enrollment.
The scholarship at CLI will help me serve and improve my quality of service and of course expand my association with other servants of God in the field. It will also give me material I can pass on to leaders to improve their competence. I need to mention also that my wife is a trained minister of the word as is our firstborn son who majors in Christian poetry. I enjoy preaching, teaching, church planting, and music.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Preaching Ministry Training
My name is Marie-Louise Kellner and I feel called to get preaching ministry training. I’m 21 years old. I live in Leuven, not far from the capital city of Belgium. I have two nationalities, I’m half Belgian and half Algerian. Therefore I grew up in a strong Muslim family. From my most early childhood, I grew up with the traditions of being a Muslim. The matter of fact is that I NEVER believed in God until I turned 16. When I was 12, I lost my father and that led to my downfall into drugs. I couldn’t cope with the pain of losing the man of my life, my hero and my best friend. When I turned 16, I overdosed for the second time. It was pretty serious as I stayed in a coma for 15 days and 3 months in the hospital. Pretty messed up, right? During my stay in the hospital, a pastor visited me regularly. Thanks to him, I started to ask myself the big questions about life and about God. From one thing to another, I started to believe that there was a God that actually loved me. But it wasn’t the God that my mother believed in but a God whose Son’s name is Jesus. Five years later, I’m still believing in Jesus, with ups and downs, and I love my new life!
A few days ago, I was looking through the internet to find some online classes on theology and preaching ministry training. It has been a while that I’m thinking of starting to be more involved in the church that I go to. I have felt like I have a call to lead people through the word of God. Then, a few weeks ago, the lead pastor of our church had a revelation about me that showed him I was going to be preaching the Gospel in front of a church assembly. To do that, I need the right training and education. And I believe that Christian Leaders Institute will provide me with the right tools to accomplish my calling.
As I said in the previous paragraph, I feel like my calling is in the preaching ministry. But just attending normal college classes of theology is not that easy for me. That is also why I was looking for a digital version that I could study after my work shifts. But even by working a lot of hours, I can’t afford a traditional training. Therefore, this scholarship at Christian Leaders Insitute would really help me go further in discovering the plans that God has for me in my walk with Him.
Learn about local ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Gospel Ministry Call
My name is Kitty Matz and I have a Gospel ministry call. I live in the United States where religious freedom is celebrated but also frowned on. Depending on where you are and who is around, sharing your faith in the Lord can get you scorned, avoided and in some cases fired from your job.
I was raised in the mid-west where my parents taught me ethics like hard work and loyalty, but I was not brought up in a Christian home. I did not start going to church until second grade and then attendance was very sporadic. My father passed away when I was 15 years old which sent me into a tailspin of bad choices and no Christian guidance. I still attended church, but my heart was not in it. I met an incredible woman who encouraged me to develop a relationship with God, starting me on my spiritual journey. I met my husband who was raised in a very loving and Christ-centered family. It was their dedication to the Lord that opened my eyes to the love of Christ and lead me to find myself on this path toward ministry.
My dream is to pursue a degree in ministry and to someday serve my church home in a women’s ministry role. I want to make a difference in the lives of the women in our church. The Getting Started class at Christian Leaders Institute has allowed me to search deeper into my soul to determine if this is indeed where I am being led on my Gospel ministry call. I have already learned a new way of praying and the importance of journaling my prayer. I am spending more time meditating on His word and absorbing the teaching of the Bible.
I feel like I identify with several ministry words: Pastor, Evangelist, and Small Group Leader. I would like to start small and work my way up. What prompted me to pursue ministry is I desire to share the Gospel with those who don’t know it and I want to bring those who do know the Gospel closer to God.
Challenges in my area are that this is the Bible belt. There are churches on every corner and people from different religions knocking on doors on a daily basis. Getting the truth out there for people to know is hard when so many variations are being shared.
Connecting to the Bible has brought me into a relationship with God. I always knew that He was my Father in Heaven because that was what I was taught as a child, but I know now that He really is my Father, that He loves me, He cares for me and He wants me to be all in, in this relationship with Him. I am the daughter of a King, and I matter! I did not know that someone could love me as much as He does.
My church is wonderful in praying for me, supporting me and mentoring me. Our lead pastor asks how my studies are going and he offers me advice. One of his suggestions for me was for me to study like I am saving lives, not like I am getting a degree. My mentor checks in on me and answers questions when I have them. My adult Bible study class prays with me and for me and supports me on my journey. I would certainly not succeed without their support.
My husband and children are very supportive and excited for me on this endeavor and are active in our churches. Our youngest son serves in the U.S. Army and attends church on the post where he is stationed. When he comes home, he visits our church. I am honored to be part of the praise team and our middle son sings with me. My husband helps with Sunday morning services running the visual program. I schedule a team of people to serve Communion weekly to our homebound members, and we all volunteer regularly for special events.
A scholarship to Christian Leaders Institute will allow me to pursue a formal degree in Christian education without putting my family into debt for the next 20 years. This scholarship will help me to attain the level of education necessary to make a difference in the lives of others in my Gospel ministry call. I would ask for prayer regarding God’s plan for me, that He lead me to the path that He wants me to be on regarding this ministry, and walks with me on the journey.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.