Continue Ministry Education Free of Cost – Shawna’s Story

Shawna Glenn does not have the financial means to return to school at a traditional seminary. So she enrolled at Christian Leaders Institute to continue ministry education free of cost! Here is her story..

Continue Ministry Education Free of Cost –  Shawna’s Story

Hello, my name is Shawna Glenn. I reside in Dayton, Ohio located in the USA. I’m married to a minister for 23 years now. As a result, I have been involved in ministry for the same amount of time. I accepted my call to become a minister in 1999. Since accepting my call, I’ve learned that I have the gift of laying hands and teaching is my ministry gift. God has spoken to my husband and me that we have a great work to do. For now, I sit on the minister’s board at our church. I have experience with preaching and teaching. God has brought me a mighty long way in my ministry, and I’m looking forward to being used to do whatever he has for me to do in Him.

My first experience with the church began when I was 6 or 7 years old. I was not raised in a Christian home, but my sister, and I attended church with my uncle. My uncle was a deacon. Whenever we would spend time with him, he would go over the Sunday school lesson for the week with us.

I made the decision to get baptized when I was nine years old. But the enemy was not happy with my decision, so he attacked my body. Every time my mom would schedule our date to get baptized, we would get sick and the doctor wouldn’t be able to give my mom a real diagnosis. So I didn’t get baptized til I was almost 11 years old. My uncle came to our house and laid hands on us, and that following Sunday my sister and I got baptized. I continued to go to church with my uncle until he passed away. About two years later, I started dating a young man (later became my husband) who was a pastor’s kid. He talked to me about God a lot. Then we found a church to attend together. I became a Christian when I was 18 years old and received the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues two years later. Been saved ever since then.

It is my ministry dream to be used by God to preach and teach people about the His goodness. In my life, I’ve experienced many things. I grew up in a home where my mom was physically and emotionally abused by my father. The pastor of the church that I first got saved at began to be “spiritually” abusive. Then a few years ago, the enemy attacked my marriage. So with all of these trial that I’ve had to endure, I believe that I can relate with other people and let them know that God loves them and is still with them even through their trials. We may be in the “fire” like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but we will come out whole because God is with us in the fire.

I was ordained an evangelist in 2012. As a part of my ministry training, my pastor put me over the youth department for two years then I turned it over to another minister to take over. But I do know that I will be co-pastor when me husband starts a church.

My call to ministry was unexpected. I would never have thought that God would want to use me in that capacity. I was joking with my husband one day about joining the minister department. I didn’t mean it; it was a joke to me. That following Sunday, it was prophesied to me that God had called me, so I accepted.

Some of the challenges that I have noticed is that a lot of churches are not very receptive to your ministry unless you are of the same denomination as them. Baptist, Pentecostal, et.c., why does any of that matter. We all believe in the same Jesus, his death, and his resurrection. Isn’t that more important? We put God in a box and limit his power because we don’t want to minister or be minister to unless someone is of the same religious background. That’s sad.

My family members are all active in ministry. My husband is a pastor. I have three daughters who all sing and praise dance. My oldest daughter is call to preach. My one and only son is also called to preach. I receive prophesy about him before he was born about his calling and how great his ministry is going to be. When my husband ministers at another ministry, my daughter’s sing before he ministers the word. I thank God for my family and for how he uses each one of them. It has been an honor to be called not only to be a minister but to be in a family that he has chosen to use.

The scholarship that I will receive will be of great help to me. I’m not financially able to pay for school right now. So I thank God for this opportunity to receive the scholarship and take classes that are going to help me further my ministry.

With all of that being said, I ask you to pray that I continue to make myself available to God and that I keep focused my the task at hand….finishing my training from your organization.

Thank You.