Christian Leaders Institute (Ministry School)
Hey! I’m Amanda Lynn Crouch. The free biblical Christian courses and ministry classes are equipping me to serve better in my home, church, and wherever else God leads.
My Story
I’m from a small town in Georgia known for its love for music. I play music and got the nickname “Mandolin” from fellow musicians over the years. Becoming a musician is something that started at a young age for me. It started on the front pew in a community church where I was attending Vacation Bible School.
Growing up, attending church on a regular basis was not a normal routine for my family. It was something carried over from both of my parent’s childhoods. So, throughout my youth, the only regular church services my siblings and I attended were the summer programs known as Vacation Bible School. It was during one of these programs that I was introduced to worship music.
At home, our parents read the Bible, and we said prayers. However, the worship music was different. It was an instant bond for me. It was at that moment I knew two things. One, that I wanted to play music that sounded that beautiful. And two, that I wanted to do it while singing my heart out to our Lord. While my family never regularly attended church services, the knowledge of the Lord I learned at home and through church programs carried with me into my adulthood. It was an adulthood that a child, even then, in that Sunday school classroom, could never imagine.
The Ups and Downs
I continued attending the summer programs in church throughout my childhood until my later teenage years. At that time, I not only drifted from my faith but also grew closer and talked with God more than before. Regular church attendance was unknown to me. Therefore, by my teenage years, I no longer wanted to attend the summer programs designed for younger children.
However, as I drifted further from the church, something happened to me. Life went on. I asked myself questions. The main question was, “Why?” The little things my parents taught me about the Bible and the summers in Bible programs reminded me that there are answers. In one book, specifically, the Bible. Therefore, for the first time in my life, I actually picked up a Bible and read it. A few chapters here and a few chapters there. I talked to God in prayer far more than ever before. It helped set a foundation I had never known before.
Early Adulthood and Motherhood
Not long after college, I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine. I wanted to be a devoted wife and mother. As that dream was coming true, I was asking more questions. How can I be a better wife? How can I be a good mom? What foundations do I want to set? I knew I wanted my children to know God and for God to be a focus in our family. Further, I wanted my children to attend summer programs like I did.
However, I also wanted more for them than my experiences. Therefore, my husband and I joined a local church. We attended church services and took turns in the nursery with the children. Soon, our children were old enough for Vacation Bible School. We knew immediately that we wanted to volunteer as helpers for the summer programs. It was a start of a sort, the beginning of my spiritual dream. It was there in that church that I experienced my first calling as a Vacation Bible School teacher.
The Church Journey
In that small church, I first volunteered and spent more time in church. Weekly church attendance became normal for our family. As the years passed and our children grew, so did my faith and my knowledge of the Bible. Soon, I was a permanent Sunday School teacher and Youth Ministry leader. For years, I delighted in the Lord’s work and Word.
However, eventually, I burned out. I was doing everything I was supposed to do. Yet, I realized that I wasn’t even praying before Bible studies any longer. I just went through the materials with the children without personal study. For years and years, I had been in the church at this point. Further, I had never read the Bible from front to back. I was no longer going to the Bible when I had questions to seek answers. I was no longer in the church service listening to sermons. No longer listening to the choir. I was in the classroom every week. I didn’t know what I was doing.
Therefore, I quit. I quit going to church. For a couple of years, I didn’t step foot in a church. I was done. It became one of the most difficult times of my life. Everything that could go wrong did. My marriage even failed. I found myself asking God the same question I did when I was younger. WHY? This time of my life, I would compare it to a thunderstorm. Dark, cloudy, and constantly raining. Thunder raging. Lightening striking.
Born Again
One afternoon, I was sitting by the pond I often frequented to clear my head. I watched the water ripple was soothing. The rain slowly started to drizzle down. I thought about how much my life changed in that short period of time – everything that was lost and everything I couldn’t fix.
Then, I heard a song on the radio. A Christian worship song that I once heard on a summer day long ago in a church I only visited one week out of the year. I heard God calling out to me. I realized my dreams had never changed. They were still there. I still felt called to children’s ministry. To be a part of the church. To be a servant. At that moment, I rededicated my life to the Lord! I needed to get back on track. The thing was, though, I failed once, what went wrong? This time, I looked for my answers in the Bible with many prayers.
Biblical Christian Courses
I realized that as long as I had volunteered in the church, I never knew what I was doing. Regular Bible study wasn’t a part of my practice. I simply went through the motions. I needed to know more, to learn more. So, I prayed often for God to show me a path and a way. Further, the church was not the only area of my life I drifted from God. So, I studied more. I needed help and direction. For 15 years, I taught in the dark. I needed some light.
That’s when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. I am thankful for the biblical Christian courses at CLI. For many. With their help, I am back on track with my spiritual dream. My calling. Better equipped to serve to my fullest capabilities. Christian Leaders has made study and application so easy and accessible being online and free. The biblical Christian courses and ministry classes have helped me in my journey and walk with God. God bless Christian Leaders and all they have done, are doing and will do to prepare servants of God. Amen!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
