Hello my name is James Branton, I live in North Carolina USA. I have been married for 14 years to a very wonderful Godly lady. God has blessed us with two beautiful girls that He has placed in our care to raise up for Him and His glory. I was Ordained a Minister in November 2014 and now serving along side my pastors of 12 years at my local church.
I came to know the Lord in 1978 at the same church I am now serving in. As a child my parents took great care to raise me and my four sisters up in the love of Christ. I can’t ever remember a time in my early childhood life of never not being at church when the doors were open. That being said when I was in my teen years and young adult life I fell away from the Lord for a number of years but I could always feel God pulling me back to Him. The word of God tells us in Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. God in his mighty grace brought me back and I have dedicated my life to Him.
My ministry dream is to serve the Lord in His will for my Life. I ask God to guide me and lead me in the way he would have me to go. I want to see people set free from sin and come into a long lasting relationship with Christ. I identify with the name Minister for I know God has raised me up to be a minister of His word and to teach and preach His word.
I felt God pulling me into the ministry in 2003 during a very large church meeting at a local school. At that time I could not understand how God could make a way for me to become a minister at my age and being lost for such a long time. The peace of God passes all understanding and God has shown me things that I never thought possible. In 2003 the Lord placed in my heart to learn how to play the guitar and in 2005 God started using me in the worship ministry playing the guitar and leading the praise and worship on Sunday mornings. Leading worship is still part of my ministry today and through that worship I have come into a strong loving relationship with Lord my God.
My learning has been mainly from my mentors and the word of God which I hold dear to my heart. My mentors have helped me reach some very high goals that I could have not reached on my own. I am very shy by nature and I struggled for a very long time speaking in front of crowds. But with their help and the hand of God guiding me I have broken out of my shell and I long to see souls saved and people set free.
We never know what God has planned for us in the future and God has opened a door for training through your ministry that will help me grow in knowledge needed for a life of ministry. I feel the training you offer can help me reach my goals to take the message of the cross to a lost world. Please pray that God will show me His will for me and the ministry I know He has called me into.
Training Bible Study Leaders
A church in Abbotsford, BC, Canada is Training Bible Study Leaders using Christian Leaders Institute (CLI). Pastor Marcel deRegt from Gateway Community Church started a mentor center where 19 students meet every other Wednesday to watch videos and go over material from CLI’s Getting Started Courses. They were awarded the Christian Basics Certificate on November 16th. The “Christian Basics Certificate” is available to students by enrolling at Christian Leaders Institute. This course covers the essential elements of Christian beliefs. It also includes how to live out a personal walk with God. You can enroll for free now by clicking here.
It helped a person like Alex Macarie who attended this course at Gateway. 
“My ministry dream is to be a good and faithful servant. to my Lord and Saviour in whatever way that He calls me to be; whether it is pastoring a church, teaching in a seminary or being a faithful friend and family member. Gateway church is hosting this class in partnership with CLI. I hope to be more and more involved.”
Training Bible Study Leaders is what CLI is all about. We have introduced our Bible Study Leader Certificate. This certificate will include courses like Old and New Testament Survey, Church and Ministry, People Smart for Ministry and more. It will give you the tools necessary to become a Bible Study Leader in your area. The classes are made to give you the confidence and training you need to be a success.
Gateway Church is one step closer to training more bible study leaders. On November 23rd, they began to go through Old Testament Survey. Pastor Marcel deRegt has a passion for the church. He has led ministry trips to over 15 countries. He sees the value of trained leaders and so do we.
Enroll today!
