Youth Minister Training
I am Benoit Koch and I am receiving youth minister training at Christian Leaders Insitute. I was born in France. However, with a surge of adventure, my father took us to Canada. We left everything we knew, all which was comfortable and safe. We settled fairly quickly in a small town in the northern part of British Columbia. After 20 years, I decided it was time for a change. So I moved my wife and son to the lower mainland of British Columbia. That is where we reside now.
When people bring up Christian ministry in the western world, they don’t think of it being in any sense terribly hard or surrounded by darkness, waiting for the perfect time to consume everything Christian. With the freedom of religion and freedom of speech act, how indeed could it be in jeopardy? I would answer that by telling you that our Christian youth are leaving the faith at an alarming rate. I could go through several explanations on why this is happening and how to mitigate this tragedy. But I would rather leave you with a quote from Frank Turek an American Christian author, public speaker and radio host, who said, “Three out of four Christian teens walk away from the church after they leave home.” Isn’t that frightening? That is why I feel called to get youth minister training to equip me.
Let’s move on to the journey in which I came to know the Lord. I will start by saying that I believe the Lord has walked with me throughout my life. From my infant baptism to my atheistic teenage self to my finally acknowledging his presence in my life. You see I have always felt protected and guided. Of course, I didn’t have a name for it for most of my life. At that point, I was being naïve and solely listening to what my father taught me. One of his famous lines, a similar line that all atheists or agnostics use:” I only believe in what I can see.” Without going into why this is a delusional belief to hold as a standard of measurement for what is real and what is not, I will leave you with only one question “Are your thoughts real?”
I was in and out of drugs, alcohol, and crime as a teen until the age of 18. Then, I became more mature. My wife also had a part in the reprogramming of my behaviors. She took up the project the Lord presented her with: me. After many years of researching God’s existences, I could only see his works in everything. I could no longer say the world was made without an intelligent designer. After a terrible situation, in which we lost our second son in the womb, I came to pray at the base of a church for guidance. While I was sitting there praying for guidance, I felt what I can only explain as a hand on my head. Surprised, I got in the car and drove away. I told my wife what happened and after that day never brought it up again.
Shortly after that incident, we decided to move to Kamloops, BC with nothing but our son and our clothes. I was working for a low wage and we were living in a small apartment in a rough part of town. Our faith in the Lord was the strongest it had ever been even if we were in what people would call poverty. I remember the day I came to know the Lord clearly. It was dark, gloomy and a storm was brewing. My wife asked me to get our son some diapers, so I was out driving, talking out loud to God by myself. All of a sudden, I had a feeling that I should be hiking a mountain. I couldn’t understand why I had this feeling but I knew I had to follow it. My instincts lead me to the base of a mountain, on which I started to pray on my knees. After the prayer, I started my climb up the mountain without lights, just me and the Lord. I was praying to the Lord all the way up to the peak, asking for a safe passage. When I finally got to the top, I yelled out loud, “ I am here Lord!” When I turned around, the sky was opened and a rainbow was in it, and on a tree under this rainbow was a shadow of a human figure with its arms out. That is when I came to know the Lord.
I would like to share my goals. If you remember, I spoke about the youth and how we are losing them at an alarming rate. In my youth minister training dream, I would love to create a live podcast in which I preach the word of God to the world. The CLI Getting Started course has given me the basic knowledge and illuminated my path. Not only that, but it has forced me to think outside the box about the different ways God works in our lives. We have started reading the Bible as a family, every day.
A youth leader is what I strive to be as I receive my youth minister training here at CLI. I want to help people to come to know the Lord and help the people struggling to grasp difficult questions about Christianity. There are hard questions out there, and this training will educate me so that I can equip the youth with the right tools to defend their faith. Please pray that my endeavors will be realized. And that the youth of the world will come to know the Lord, not only through my work but through the good work of Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Christian Leader Training Dream
I am Jessica Cordova and I have a Christian leader training dream. I am 27 years old, married, and reside in the U.S.A. in the state of Florida as a teacher. Throughout my life, I have visited various churches and struggled to find a church home. I grew up in a home of “non-practicing” believers. We didn’t attend church regularly or participate in family devotional time at home. I never really found my niche between the opposing extremes of “religiousness”. I somehow thought that maybe I wasn’t cut out for everything the Christian way of life entailed. Later in my life as I began teaching and seeking more out of my life and the world, I started to wonder, “Why am I really here? Is this everything I have to look forward to? Am I living a fulfilling life?” As we all know or come to find out, you wouldn’t ask yourself these questions if you are leading a life filled with satisfaction.
It was in my mid-twenties that I received an interesting gift from my mother in the midst of my conflicting thoughts. It was a Bible, black leather, encased in a zippered pouch. There was a short message from my mother, “Maybe you’ll find this useful.” The book was small but mighty and just the sign I needed to start my spiritual journey. Aside from the fact that I immediately felt lost when I opened it, I also felt empowered by the challenge ahead! The words were lengthy and difficult to understand but I didn’t give up. I went out and purchased my own Bible that was easier to read and had an added bonus of included daily devotionals. Reading through the new translation and relatable stories, I felt a strong reflection and desire for application of the word in my life. I also wanted to aid others in the process of getting to know their Heavenly Father. I became comforted with each reading and prayer I spoke and hungry to learn more. Before I knew it, I was growing in my relationship with the Lord. I was applying God’s word to my own life and using it to fuel and help others in the wake of my own learning. In this process, I recognized my calling into ministry and a Christian leader training dream was born. In my Christian leader training dream, I am using my gifts to work with women and children in the community.
I believe that I still have much to learn before becoming a youth leader or leading any small groups and that is why I am so grateful for the Christian Leaders Institute scholarship. I am interested in continuing my studies and growing in my knowledge of the Lord. I hope to continue to inspire others in their walk with God by teaching and supporting them. I believe that I was made to help others find their way to faith through individualized and unconventional approaches developed by my personal experiences. I know that no one set path will be applicable to every person’s relationship with Him.
I want others to know that we are all created uniquely to fulfill a different purpose. Therefore, we have unique testimonies and temptations to overcome that will eventually bring us to our full potential in glorifying God. This distinction should definitely be celebrated and embraced on the journey! Leading others to the Lord and seeking His guidance to reveal their purpose in His kingdom is a true gift. I am overjoyed by the opportunity to keep people encouraged in the process of walking with God while spreading love and unity in Christ.
I hope to continue on with my studies at CLI and I hope to find a church family nearby that we can grow with. My dream is to become a trained Christian leader within my community and start my own ministry with my husband to share the word of God. Please, pray for our dreams to minister to others. Also, pray that I grow in my confidence in the Lord and my abilities as a mentor to better serve the Lord.
Learn about local ecuministry ordinations at Christian Leaders Alliance.