“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’ ” -Mark 16:15
Called Into Ministry To Be A Leader
Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. One way of knowing of being called into ministry is the inward call. The inward call is where a person feels God placing desire to preach inside of them. There is a need for wanting nothing else in the world BUT to reach others for our Almighty God. If you have an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work, you have been called into ministry by none other then God himself. However, there is also an external call. To be externally called into ministry involves the congregation recognizing a person’s gifts and to then encourage their brother or sister in Christ to use their gift with joy and submission.
Consider your calling. No matter if you have been called into ministry inwardly or externally, CLI encourages YOU to further your studies of ministry to advance the kingdom! If you feel an anointing on your life, we are here for you like our many other students. Tonya Cajuste is fulfilling her calling. Read her story below to see how she was called into ministry and what ministry dreams are ready to be opened by the Lord.
Tonya Cajuste Was Called Into Ministry
My name is Tonya Cajuste and I live in West Palm Beach, Florida in the United States. Ministry in the States is less restrictive than it is in other parts of the world, I imagine. I find that I am able to minister to people by just showing them the Jesus in me. I have a burning desire to ensure that each life I touch is better off for having come in contact with me. I spend time volunteering for various causes and doing various types of outreach because I feel that, as a Christian, I have a responsibility to the community in which I live to be a bright beacon of hope and light. It is my sincere belief that if I shine my Jesus Light, it will bring people to the kingdom. I want people to realize there is something different about me and I want them to ask what that difference is so I can share with them the awesome and amazing power of our Holy Father!
My Christian journey began when I was a teenager, but I was never “all in.” I always had one foot in the world and seemed to be unable to leave certain behaviors alone. It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I realized that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. Yes, I said the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ probably 15 times, but I never really internalized the true gravity of what Jesus did on that cross for us…for me. Once I realized just how much God loved me and how much grace He had granted me and that He loved me so much that He sent His only begotten son to die for my sins I was “all in” and “sold out” for Christ and the Kingdom of God. There is nothing that God can’t do. There is no hurt He can’t heal. There is no burden too great for our Almighty Father.
My husband and I share a dream to heal marriages. It seems that people – even ‘church people’ take marriage lightly or don’t put in the effort to have a solid marriage with God at the head. We are working on putting together some curriculum and seminars for couples to attend together. Additionally, we have attended several workshops and training ourselves because we want to practice what we preach. We plan on being married “…until death do us part…” and we want the time between now and then to be happy and joyous. Of course, there will be tribulations, but with God, we know we can work through them. We want others to have that same peace. In addition to marriage ministry, I am working on seminars for young girls and my husband is working on the same for young boys. We want to heal our young people. The things they face today are so different from many of the hurdles we faced. They need guidance and a listening ear. It is our desire to provide that.
I suppose I am more of a small group leader as it stands right now. I feel like I am able to focus on individual growth in the small group setting. I do feel that God has bigger plans for me, though, and I will continue to listen to His voice and move accordingly.
God has saved my life at least three times. Even when I continued to turn away from Him he still came to my rescue. Most recently, in November 2014, I experienced what is called an aortic dissection. This is where the aorta, the main blood vessel in the heart, separates from heart. I had emergency open heart surgery and was in the hospital – actually four hospitals – for a five month period. Though it appeared that I was healing, my heart began going into arrhythmias for which I needed several cardiac ablation surgeries to correct them. On five separate occasions my husband was told to say his goodbyes. He refused and turned to God. I refused and turned to God. God was so gracious to us. He spared my life. I want my life to reflect His goodness and His grace and I want to share that with others. There is no reason that I am still alive today except because of God’s grace and tender mercy.
Interestingly, there are probably nine churches in a five block radius of my home. But on Sunday mornings, there are so many people not attending service it is shocking. The area itself represents the racial and socioeconomic spectrum. There are the wealthy to the very poor living within one mile of one another. What I see in my area is desperation and a lack of hope.
I recently moved to this area and just changed churches about two months ago. My previous pastor welcomed my ideas and gave me a great deal of latitude as it relates to trying new things. With my health the way it is – pending a kidney and heart transplant – I had to attend a church that was closer to home. I am just getting settled in my new church and have not yet begun any type of outreach, though my plan is to get involved in a few of the ministries in the next month or so.
My husband is extremely supportive and, as I explained previously, we feel that we are being called to work together in the area of healing marriages and preparing engaged couples for marriage.
CLI is a God-send. Without CLI, my husband and I would not be able to get the knowledge we so desperately felt we needed. We want to represent the Lord and we want to know what we are talking about. Not just a base or cursory knowledge, but substantial Biblical knowledge. CLI provides that. Our financial situation would not allow even one of us to attend seminary. We are so thankful for having found CLI and we thank God for the administration. They are helping so many people to fulfil God’s plan and purpose…including me.
Please ask God to give us the words he wants us to use to reach people. Ask Him to allow people to see Jesus in us. Ask him to allow our teaching to touch hearts and win souls to the kingdom. Ask Him to bless our ministry for His glory. Ask Him to remind us each day that it is by His grace and for His glory that we are doing this.
Do You Feel Called Into Ministry?
If you feel called into ministry, then find yourself called as a student with Christian Leaders Institute. Registration is EASY and fast! Begin your training immediately with our Getting Started class to see if ministry is for you! Click here to begin. Also check us out on Facebook to learn more about our students.
Ministry Training For The Called By God
Some of us are blessed being raised in a home where God is welcome. Others were not so fortunate. God calls those close to Him, those who know Him, those who surrender their life to be a vessel for Him. He will call those who have known Him all their life. He will call those who come to Him later in life. God knows each and every one of our hearts and calls whom He chooses to call.
But now that we’ve been called, what comes next? Where do we turn to? How do we establish what we are called to do?
Get trained! Ministry training not only opens up future doors, but truly equips you in ways to be a leader in God’s army. While we need a depth of understanding in the Word of God, future ministry leaders also need to be guided in grief, hospital visits, marriage ceremonies, and the variety of challenges you will face in ministry just to name a few. All of these things can be found covered at Christian Leaders Institute where not only is high quality ministry training provided for free, but also online. This benefits you as a student in ministry training, but more importantly benefits our God to leave no man or woman called left behind. If you have been called by God, you will not be found turned away by CLI.
Jerry O’Brian found ministry training beneficial for him in his life. Read his testimony below.
Ministry Training with Christian Leaders Institute
Hello, my name is Jerry O’Brian and I live in the United States with my wife and three kids. I was born in 1981 in a little town called Paintsville, Kentucky. From birth, my life has had many struggles. Upon birth, I was dead. The doctors could find no life in me, but thanks to God above, my father (also my mentor), who is an ordained Pentecostal Holiness minister, cried out to God to spare me, and God gave me life. Satan himself knew the impact that I could have through God’s ministry upon my very birth and tried to stop it, but God said “NO”.
Beyond most people that I know, I have been very blessed since I was raised in a home that gave complete reverence to God in His plan of salvation and a holy walk with God. My father worked hard as a mechanic to provide a home and food on the table for me and my five siblings. Times were tough and many times we had little. As I am older now, I realize that what we had in each other as a family, especially being together with God, was worth more than all the riches of the world. As a young lad, I became very active in my church life by playing various instruments in church as well as singing. Prayer and worship to God was a common practice with my whole family and I can’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t know how or who to pray to. As I began to grow up, my life with God began to grow as well. I began to be more active by openly testifying and taking part in the services at church. At one point in High School, I carried a Bible with me on top of my other school books and read it sometimes between class work. Having it with me and having my classmates see it also was a way for me to let my light shine without having to say a word.
Now I am out of high school and have a family of my own. I have recently finished my Associates degree in Business from college. But my real desire is to see God’s will done within His church and to preach his gospel to a lost and dying world. I remember as a teenager I would walk the back yard at home and I could hear the spirit within me preaching as I would walk. It was then I wondered if I too had been called into the ministry. However, I was unsure of myself. What if I failed? Was I good enough? These were many questions I had that hindered me from stepping out in faith and pursuing the calling in my life. I have allowed Satan to stop me for many years by making me feel like I am inadequate to do God’s will in my life. I have had many times that I failed God, but it is important to always try. No one is ever truly defeated until they quit trying.
I am so glad that I found Christian Leaders Institute. It’s a wonderful feeling to have somewhere you can get quality ministry training for free. I believe that the true calling in the ministry comes from God above, and no its not to make money, it’s to spread His word and save souls. Our payment as ministers is in the hereafter when we are able to be with Jesus and lay our crowns at his feet in gratitude for all of the wonderful things he has done for us. Being able to get this ministry training from the Christian Leaders Institute is a great way to start the ministry that God called me to do so very long ago.
Receive Your Ministry Training With CLI
Click here to enroll with us today! Receive your free online ministry training! Check us out on Facebook to learn more about our students and about Christian Leaders Institute.
Christian Leaders Institute is always looking for ways to add to the resources we already offer our students. In keeping with our high standards of quality, we were recently blessed with two new professors who agreed to do classes for us here. Christian Leaders Institute would like to welcome these new professors and thank them for coming alongside us in our commitment to excellence in ministry training.
Dr. Wayne Brouwer
Wayne Brouwer is the husband of Brenda (nee: Karsten), and they are parents of three daughters: Kristyn, Kimberly, and Kaitlyn.
Wayne has pastored congregations in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, and Michigan, United States. He has served as a missionary teacher in Nigeria, and has taught at several colleges and seminaries in North America. Wayne has written more than seven hundred articles that have appeared in journals such as Leadership, Christianity Today, Preaching, Interpretation, Calvin Theological Journal, and Vital Ministry, and has authored over a dozen books including the second revised edition of his best-selling Covenant Documents: Reading the Bible Again for the First Time (Cognella), They All Were Looking for a King… (CSS), Being a Believer in a Non-Believing World (Hendrickson), Humming Till the Music Returns (CSS) andThe Literary Development of John 13-17: A Chiastic Reading (SBL). He has a weekly radio program on WHTC, and serves as Vice-President for Curriculum Development at the Church Leadership Center. In 2005 Wayne transitioned from a role as Senior Pastor of Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, Michigan, to position as Associate Professor of Religion at Hope College, and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ministry at Western Theological Seminary, both also in Holland. He holds degrees from Dordt College (B.A.), Calvin Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.), and McMaster University (M.A., Ph.D.).
Wayne Brouwer’s class, “Biblical Wisdom: Understanding Life Through Old Testament Prophets and Sages,” is in the final stages of taping. It will be made available for students to enroll in sometime in 2015.
Ray Vander Laan
Ray received his Master’s of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1976, Ray Vander Laan has been actively involved in studying and teaching Jewish culture using the methods of Jewish education. He has continued graduate studies in Jewish Studies in the United States, Israel, Turkey and Egypt. Ray has been teaching high school for 35 years. He is an ordained minister with the Christian Reformed Church. “Echoes of His Presence” is a book Ray wrote, which was published by Focus on the Family. In 1998, Vander Laan founded That the World May Know Ministries. Over 10,000 people have joined him in study tours of Israel, Turkey and Egypt. Ray presents on field presentations that are used by CLI. Listen to Ray Vander Laan being interviewed by Jim Daily on the Focus on the Family Radio program. Click here.
Ray Vander Laan’s first class, “Biblical Interpretation 1,” is now ready and available for students to enroll in. This course explores Scripture in its original historical, cultural, and geographical context, focusing mainly on Old Testament people, places, and events. Professor Ray VanderLaan takes us to locations where biblical history unfolded and shows the relevance for contemporary cultures and people. Students who want to take this course must have completed Old Testament Survey before they are eligible to enroll in this course.
Christian Leaders Institute is honored by the willingness of these men of God to lend time and materials to help make Christian Leaders Institute an even better educational institution. We are also very grateful to the students and generous men and women whose gifts make it possible for us to have such high quality professors teaching our classes.