Ed Butler, Royse City, TX
My name is Ed Butler. I was born in Berwyn, Illinois in 1961. I was raised in the Joliet, Illinois area. My parents were not Christians when I was born but started attending a church in Hickory Hills Illinois shortly after my birth. I grew up in that church and was saved at the age of 9.
I started attending a church in Romeoville, Illinois when I was a teenager through an invitation from one of my best friends. They had a program there called Word of Life, as well as a gym where we played basketball often. It was in this church that I met my wife, Beth.
I also had the opportunity to go to work for Beth’s dad while still in High School. As it turns out I not only had a career path laid out for me, I also of course married my wife. I now run an AV company AST-AV . We install sound, video and lighting systems in churches.
After the birth of my two children, Lauren in March 1990 and then Nathan in August 1991, God began really placing several men in my path that challenged me about my walk with the Lord. At one point I read a book called Halftime by Bob Buford. In it he described how God had led him to spend the second half of his life in service to the Lord. I remember thinking how that would be an amazing Goal.
As things began to work out in my life, we moved to Texas in 2000. I became increasingly convinced that God was working and calling me to ministry. I began volunteering as a discipleship intern at Ridgecrest about 5 yrs. ago. I am presently serving as the minister of discipleship at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Greenville, TX. While I had studied the Bible and taught SS and led small groups for years I had no formal ministry education. That was ok for a while but as I made the transition to a part time paid position, it became clear that If I wanted to grow in my work and really do the job God was calling me to, I needed to find a way to go back to school. Well with running my own company with AST-AV and working part time at the church there was no real way for me to go away to school. Obviously, that is where CLI has come in to play. To say that CLI is an answer to prayer is an understatement. Not only are the classes excellent, but the decision by CLI to now offer the degree program has been a perfect fit for me.
My goals are to complete the program and pastor a church. I work in several areas within the church. I head up the Care team and teach the young adult class on Sunday’s. We have a small group that meets on Tuesday nights and I work as a Chaplain at the local jail a couple of nights a month. In addition I handle a number of the benevolence requests that the church receives each week.
The challenges in our area are not unlike probably any other in the states. While we live in the so called Bible belt the truth is a sense of apathy and such has settled into many peoples lives. it seems as though people only really look to God when there is a crisis. That being said we still are seeing fruit from our efforts. Just not to the extent that we believe we should.
God has been really working in our ministry. He has continued to bless with opportunities to see numbers of people come to faith in Christ and numerous others get actively involved in our SS and Small groups. I find the material extremely helpful to me as I teach and continue to minister to those God puts in my path. I am looking forward to taking the class on Church Planting as soon as it is available as that may be a step we look towards. Please pray for God’s continued direction and blessing as I continue in Texas Ministry Training with CLI.
Clergy Ordination – Officiant
Christian Leaders Institute offers ministry training for graduates so that they may obtain ordination for ministry. This clergy ordination is unlike most internet ordinations. Most internet clergy ordination certificates are merely pieces of paper without real ministry training. Christian Leader Institute training for officiant Ordination, for instance, offers five classes. These classes are:
Christian Basics (7 Credits)
Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits)
Church and Ministry (3 Credits)
People Smart in Ministry (3 Credits)
Officiant Ordination Class (1 credit)
Christian Leaders Institute classes are free! This way Christian leaders will receive their clergy ordination with high-quality training that will prepare them for ministry. This clergy ordination designation is legal in the United States and most of the world.
Here is the story of Kurt Van Drie of Fernandina Beach, Florida. He sees the benefit of a valid clergy ordination for his ministry. He writes,
An Ordained Officiant designation along with the Ordination to Ministry will be beneficial as my wife, and I carry out our ministry to parks, beaches and campgrounds. Since these will be in many states, the “Letter in Good Standing” will help should we encounter Christian couples who are looking to get married. God has opened SO MANY doors and Christian Leaders Institute is a tool He is using in His work with so many graduates! God is good – always!
Kurt has both ordination designations with Christian Leaders Institute. Each student has different ministry goals as they come to Christian Leaders Institute. Clergy Ordination options that connect Christian Leaders with their local churches and mentors are a counter stone characteristic of the clergy ordination offerings. Students who complete the ministry study programs must recruit three local endorsers consisting of their spouses, and local mentors and ordained church leaders. Thus, the clergy ordination is grounded in the local expression of church.
If you are serving the Lord in your local community and you need clergy ordination, This free ministry training program may be right for you. Click here to enroll now. You will begin your free five-course program to be resulting in clergy ordination as an Officiant. If you want to go further, there is also a general clergy ordination available called the Christian Leaders Ordination.
Hello, my name is Ondrea Sanders. I live in the United States, and am an ordained Pastor. It is very difficult pastoring in the United States. I say that because in this country, everything is acceptable, and when you as a man or woman of God attempt to stand against something you are labeled as judgmental or anti-this, and anti-that.
My relationship with the Lord began when I was 7 years old, that is when I gave my life to Christ. Although I was very young, I knew that I needed the Lord in my life. By the age of 7 I had already endured so much abuse that I was contemplating suicide. So when I was presented with the gospel I was hooked. When I learned that there was a man named Jesus who loved me, and would accept me as I was, and take away all of my pain I was sold.
My ministry dream is to minister to broken women all over the world. As a young child I endured a great deal of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. I was homeless as a child, and went without food on occasion. These are the children, young ladies and women that the Lord has called me to. They need to know that their present situation is not the end of the road for them. God has an excellent plan for their lives. He has plans to prosper them, give them hope and an expected end. They need to know that there is no predicament that they can get it that the love of God can’t find them in.
The foundation of my ministry comes from:
Psalm 139:
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
I used this scripture because I found it very comforting to know that everything I had gone through was a part of God’s ultimate plan. My being abused was not happenstance, my having to sell drugs as a teenager was not a surprise to my heavenly Father.
I have known from a very young age that I was called into the ministry. However, what pushed me to answer this call was a series of prophetic dreams that I began to have. Those dreams caused me to really pursue my calling, and purpose in the Kingdom of God. I have since found that I am called to the forgotten members of society, those most people would not want to minister to. I am called to the drug dealers, the prostitutes, the poor, the abused, and the gang members. I am called to women who like me were broken and battered and as a result had become bitter, angry, and violent.
My Spiritual Parents are very supportive of my ministry. It’s very rare that my Apostle is not in attendance when I am ministering. I serve her in many capacities. I am her Armor Bearer; I serve on her leadership board and am soon to be installed as her Assistant Pastor. My family has supported my ministry endeavors, and is one of the main reasons why I push so hard. The Lord has called me to be a change agent in my family. I am determined to see my parents and sibling saved, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Receiving the scholarship here at CLI is very important to me. I have enjoyed taking the course so far. I do not want to be one of those preachers who have zeal and no knowledge.. I needed a place to do an in depth study of the Word of God. I feel I have found that here at CLI.
My prayer request would be that God would open doors for me to continue to fund my ministry. I work full time at a secular institution, and also have small children at home. I pray that the Lord will give me witty ideas on how to organize my time so that nothing goes lack. Thank you