For a long time Christian Leaders Institute was not affiliated with any accrediting organizations. Because of the nature of the mission of CLI, the expenses involved in traditional accreditation were just not feasible for this ministry. However, accreditation is a question that comes up a lot, and with good reason. Yet many of the people who ask about accreditation aren’t entirely aware of its meaning.
What is Accreditation?
When most people hear accreditation, they associate it with credibility. They know that accreditation means something in education. They know that it’s something desirable. However, if the issue is pressed most people will admit that they are not entirely sure what precisely accreditation means or why it gives educational institutions credibility.
Accreditation is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the granting of power to perform various acts or duties. In terms of educational accreditation, Wikipedia defines it as “a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.” This agency is known as an accrediting organization.
Accrediting Organizations and Their Role in Educational Accreditation
Accrediting organizations exist with the purpose of overseeing the accreditation of educational institutions. They evaluate campuses, classes, diplomas, and degrees offered based on a set of standards agreed upon by a board of qualified members. If the educational institution applying for accreditation is not found to be in compliance with all standards, they are notified of the rejection of their application with one or more codes that delineate the reasons for rejected. If they meet all standards of the organizations accreditation requirements, they become full members of the organization and receive accreditation.
There are various accrediting organizations that exist throughout the world. Since Christian Leaders Institute was founded in the United States, the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada would have been of particular interest. This organization is the major accrediting organization for theological schools all over the country, including Calvin Theological Seminary and Moody Theological Seminary.
The Association of Theological Schools, or ATS, includes over 270 graduate schools of theology in various denominations. Admission into this association and the transition from associate member to full member are a lengthy process with costly requirements such as tenured professors and extensive physical libraries. The application process includes a $1000 initial application cost and a $2300 fee for initial evaluation. This, however, is small change compared to the enormous amount of income that is required to maintain a large physical library and a physical campus with amenities, pay tenured professors, counselors, and other faculty members.
Traditional Accrediting Organizations didn’t Fit Christian Leaders Institute’s Mission
Christian Leaders Institute was founded with a single goal: to bring ministry training to everyone in the world who needed it, even those who couldn’t afford it. When you are bringing ministry training to people with no money, there are certain realities that come with that.
CLI didn’t choose the non-accreditation route because we have anything against accreditation or accrediting organizations. It was a choice based on necessity. Even with some very generous donors to start Christian Leaders Institute off, the costs required to maintain the necessary resources for accreditation were impossible if we held to our mission of training people for ministry without charging them any money. If we had chosen to seek accreditation through traditional means, CLI would be required to abandon the vision of free ministry training. There would be no possibility of maintaining an entirely free ministry training school or seminary with a physical location, physical library, and full faculty on campus.
The Strength of Non-Accreditation
Some people would say the phrase “strength of non-accreditation” is an oxymoron. However, during the initial years of operation we discovered this was not the case. In fact, the non-accreditation factor produced success in reaching those who had no other means. People who came to study at CLI were truly motivated to be trained as pastors, teachers, and church leaders because they were called. Many already served in some capacity, including pastor, because their community lacked anyone better qualified to fill that role. They didn’t care about accreditation. They just knew that they could do better with training, and they sought training out where they could find it.
What they discovered at CLI was that non-accreditation doesn’t mean low quality. The courses were rigorous, and students who weren’t truly called would end up dropping out because of the work required to complete them. Students who did complete the courses expressed their satisfaction at the changes they could see in their own preaching and teaching. They would also share how their congregations had noticed the changes. They affirmed that the courses were indeed producing fruit in their lives and in their teaching.
Non-Traditional Accrediting Organizations Emerge
Christian Leaders Institute is not adverse to accreditation. In fact, we recognize the benefits of having a peer review process by which your standards are examined and tested. As it says in Proverbs, “Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another. (ESV)” However, as stated before, initially accreditation wasn’t an option for us.
Then, while doing some research on theological education, one of our team members stumbled across a new possibility. As educational capabilities evolved with the improvements in technology, the realization was starting to arise that an educational institution could have a great program without a traditional brick and mortar building. The team member discovered an accrediting organization called the Academic Council for Educational Accountability, or ACEA. Unlike some other accrediting organizations, ACEA was not tied to approval by the U.S. Board of Education or the requirements that come with it.
While the greater credibility of the U.S. Board of Education and other more traditional accrediting organizations were not present with ACEA, this non-traditional accrediting organization also did not carry with it the necessity of physical location, physical libraries, and full faculty including tenured professors, counselors, and the like. The leaders recognized that the internet holds many resources that can be used in teaching, including old and modern scholarly books, various sermons from preachers in all denominations, and even biblical Greek study aids. Research that would formerly have been done wading through page after page of various books in a library could now be done with a few short commands on a keyboard.
In light of this, ACEA provides accreditation through a strictly peer-review process. The process evaluates courses, training programs, and the like based on the educational merits and the dedication of the faculty to quality theological education. Membership fees are substantially lower, and there are no requirements for physical campuses or physical extensive libraries.
When we discovered ACEA, Christian Leaders Institute quickly took advantage of the opportunity to incorporate a peer-review process into our organization. We applied for membership and received approval to join the ACEA community of Christian theological education institutions. This membership in a peer-review accrediting organization will be beneficial to us as we seek to hold our training to the highest educational standards and train up leaders for Christ wherever they are all over the world.
Training for Ministry Is Possible For Kenyan Man
Christian Endurance- Our location does not define who we are in Christ. Only our heart, soul, and mind define the location of our walk with Jesus Christ. Many Christians face persecution and struggles, but this is what Christian endurance is all about!
Kefa Auta Machoka, a student at CLI, faces many obstacles while training for ministry in his Kisii County community in Kenya. As he says, “Most of the Kenyan communities have heard about Christ, but there are other communities that have not yet been reached with the gospel of Jesus. They include Muslim and traditional communities. These communities live in hardship areas which are sometimes hostile to Christianity.”
Training for Ministry- Born in a Challenging Place
Born in a Christian family of twelve children, seven brothers and four sisters, Kefa’s father was a pastor but had passed when he was just eight years old. As he states, “Like other children, I attended and participated in Sunday school classes. At the age of fourteen, we had visitors to our church who came to evangelize in our village. I was involved in guiding the visitors to the right places at the right times. One day as we were going to the open-air meeting, one of the evangelists asked me, “Are you saved?” “Yes,” I replied. He asked me to tell him how I knew I was saved. After my response he explained to me that I couldn’t earn my salvation by good works. He showed me that salvation is by grace and is through faith in the Lord’s work, not mine. That day, I accepted and confessed the Lord in my heart. Now I am happy knowing I am not saved by good works, but by the grace of God, so that I can do good works.”
Christian Endurance While Training For Ministry
Since the time of Kefa’s salvation, the Lord has put into his heart a burden to reach out to people who have never heard the gospel, and to explain the true way of salvation by faith. Now he is reaching many for Christ and enduring the obstacles while training for ministry as he dreams to plant churches among those who have not heard the gospel. It is his prayer to help the people of Kenya to become mature Christians who will be able to reach others for Christ. As he writes,”Most people depend on relief food. I am working with a local faith based agency which supports us when they have received donations from local churches. My own local church has not understood our calling. When we share with them how the Lord is working and our experiences, they sympathize with us, but suggest that we go back home.”
But for Kefa and others in training for ministry in Kenya, the challenges they face include:
Loneliness. There are only a few churches and they have been planted far apart and only have a few members. The loneliness because they do not have people to fellowship with nor to help in their training in ministry.
Illiteracy and opposition. The majority of the East Pokot people are traditionalists and illiterate. They do not understand the national language -Kiswahili nor can they read any written material or speak Kiswahili. This has forced them to learn their language so that they can communicate. Christianity is a threat to their traditional practices and therefore they are against anything associated with Christianity.
Getting internet services. In relation to taking CLI classes and training for ministry, the biggest challenge is getting internet services because the network doesn’t cover everywhere. Kefa must move about 500 meters from his home to search for a network. Also, because of the lack of external power supply, sometimes laptop shutdowns happen before they have done all the work needed to. Yet, despite this and other challenges, Kefa knows he will be able to do his lessons to accomplish his training for ministry.
Training for Ministry No Matter What It Takes
Even under such opposition, Kefa continues to find a way to continue his training for ministry through CLI with the support of those close to him. As he writes, “I thank God that my wife supports me in this ministry. CLI is of great importance to me. It will equip me for ministry so that I can be more effective and it will also help my spiritual growth. In the past, I had tried to apply to a Bible College but was unable to continue due to school fees and other admission requirements.”
Let us pray for our fellow brother in Kenya with his training in ministry as he asks, “Pray for me that God will give us strength and courage as we reach the Pokot people. Pray for our protection from the gun men in the area and the evil powers which people use to manipulate their spiritual world. Pray that God may bring these people to himself. Pray that I may be able to do the lessons effectively despite the challenges and that I may gain the skills needed for ministry. Pray for my spiritual growth and my family.”
Men and women have been called by God to various roles for as long as mankind has existed. Noah was called to build an ark so that humans could survive a global flood. Abraham was called by God to leave his homeland and his kindred for a new land that was promised. Gideon was called to lead a small battle force against the Midianites. The Bible is full of examples of how God has called people to do His work on earth.
When the time of Christ came, the people of God (the Jews) thought they had things pretty well figured out. They were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah who would save them from the Romans. There must have been hundreds of wealthy Jews who were just waiting to put their fortunes and their money behind the king who would deliver them from the hands of their Roman oppressors. Many would have willingly offered as much money as they were asked to gain the favor of the king.
Yet, when the prophesied Messiah came, He didn’t go to the rich people in Israel. He didn’t find the people with power and offer them places of honor in His coming kingdom. He came to the poor and despised – the fishermen, the sinners, and the tax collectors. In fact, Jesus core group of disciples must have seemed a rag-tag bunch to the people of His day. Their families weren’t wealthy enough to be in the courts of those who had it all figured out. They wouldn’t be seen at the feasts of the Pharisees or the teachers of the law. They were poor men – men without means or power. Men without anything, until they were called by their “Rabbi” to become His disciples.
What Does it Mean to be Called by God to the Ministry?
If we were to imagine Jesus coming to the United States today, calling people from their places of work as He did in the day of His coming, there would be plenty who would consider themselves most worthy to be His disciples. After all, so many of us today have it all figured out. We know how Jesus wants us to live. We’ve figured out the rules. We’re on our way to heaven. If the Messiah was to come today, surely He would offer us places of honor in His kingdom!
But are we trying to disciple the people Christ would have called? Perhaps if Jesus had come to our time and our way of life, He would have gone to the people who were working the family business, stuck in a job that would guarantee mediocrity. Perhaps He would have gone to the men who dropped out of high school to help feed their families. Perhaps He would have gone to the people who just weren’t worthy of being members of the church.
Perhaps Jesus still does disciple these people. When leaders are called by God to preach His word, they are pulled to the ministry no matter what else they might try to do. Whether they have money, power, or means to pursue traditional seminary education, they are compelled by the calling of God to serve in the capacity He is calling them to. Jonah is a great picture of what happens when somebody who is called by God to a task attempts to take other paths. God will always bring His servants back on track.
Of course, we know from the word of God that He prefers that we serve Him with our whole hearts. Therefore, everyone who is called to the ministry should serve willingly and to the best of their abilities. Perhaps the apostle Paul best portrays what it means to be called in his epistle to the Corinthians:
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. (1 Corinthians 9:16-17 ESV)
Called by God or Called by Money?
There’s no question that everybody needs to earn a living. Even if you are called to the ministry, your body needs food and water to survive. Shelter is required to keep from being exposed to the elements. In the world today, it is all but impossible to come by these things without money.
However, some people who grow up in the church seek the pastoral position without feeling the pull of the Spirit to the ministry. Some seek it because it is a noble office. Others look to pastoral ministry because of the accolades they hope to receive. Some pursue ministry because it is what their parents want or expect of them.
As long as any of these people have the means, they can obtain training and ordination in any denomination. The willingness to spend money not only on a college education but also on a seminary afterward is a barrier, certainly, but not one that cannot be overcome by determined people with the financial means. On the other hand, it is a barrier that can’t be overcome by people without the monetary means. The monetary barrier is one that is not easily overcome, especially if God calls somebody who already has a family to provide for.
But many say, “if God really called you, then He’ll provide the money you need for your education.” Well, that’s one way of looking at it. After all, nothing is impossible with God. However, another possibility is that if God really called you, He’ll provide the education without the cost. If we look at it in this light, as Christians, it becomes important that we take as much of the money barrier away from God’s called leaders as we can. Those who don’t have great financial means often display astounding faith, as the apostle Paul has said.
Calling – the Secret Ingredient at Christian Leaders Institute
Bush’s ran a series of television commercials at one point that featured the family dog. The commercials were always focused around the dog’s endless search to discover the “secret ingredient” that made Bush’s beans the best. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to find that secret ingredient.
Many years later, Pixar came out with an animated movie that was focused around the “secret ingredient.” They named the movie “Kung Fu Panda.” The movie starts with the panda in question working in his “father’s” soup kitchen. Early in the movie his father tells him that it’s almost time for him to learn the secret ingredient in the family soup.
Later in the movie, the panda (Po) is dejected after opening the legendary dragon scroll and finding nothing inside. He returns to the soup kitchen with all his dreams of becoming a great Kung Fu warrior. His father sees that he’s troubled, and finally decides to reveal something. The secret ingredient to the soup.
Bush’s beans commercials never end with the dog discovering the secret ingredient. The competitors who he’s trying to sell it to are never able to get what they’re after. The secret ingredient remains an unanswered question.
In “Kung Fu Panda,” however, we are given an answer. Po’s father tells him that there is no secret ingredient. “The secret ingredient is you.” The years spent making the soup, learning how the flavors blend, and finding that perfect combination of spices is the secret ingredient. One might imagine that this is also the “secret ingredient” in Bush’s baked beans.
At Christian Leaders Institute, we find that every student who is successful has a secret ingredient. Some might say that the secret ingredient is the determination to work hard. Some might say that it’s finding a mentor to help them through their studies. Others might say it’s just having enough intellect to complete all the course work.
This is all true, to an extent, but all of these things stem from the true secret ingredient. The real difference that we see in all of our students who have found success in their studies is that they are called by God to be ministers of His word. That calling drives them to complete their work. It drives them to find mentors who can guide them and give them feedback in their studies. It drives them to obtain the ministry training they need to be more effective stewards of all that God has entrusted them with. This is the secret ingredient, and it is one that no money in the world can buy.
Are you called by God to be a leader in His kingdom? If so, you already have everything you’ll need to succeed at Christian Leaders Institute.