Don Davis, the president of The Urban Ministry Institute cited one of the main walls to training more ministry leaders. Speaking at the “Educate: Empower” conference at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan, NY, in April of 2013, Davis said, “Frankly, traditional education costs too much. The cost of seminary is out of control, $35,000 – $50,000 is the average,” (The Christian Post).
Most free Bible training is either “correspondence classes” or they are not extensive enough to replace the need for expensive seminary training. One free Bible school offers only one free class, another has hidden fees. Christian Leaders Institute is totally free for those who finish the Getting Started Class. This Getting Started class makes sure that Christian Leaders Institute is right for the called student.
Free Bible Training Passion!
Many people have asked me why are you so passionate about a free Bible training that is high quality? I have talked about how Jesus did not charge Peter $35,000 for his ministry training. I have talked about how we need hundreds of thousands of leaders mobilized for revival. What fuels my passion at a personal level are stories of real lives who are called into ministry and how this free online Bible school helps to advance real people in their ministry call.
After I read Crystalle Overstreet’s story, the first thing I thought was this is why this free Bible training exists to give called leaders like Crystalle a place to get trained for ministry. This is her story.
I am blessed to live in Denver, Colorado in the United States of America. There are many people in this country who are open to the word of God. There are also many others who do not want anything to do with it. Although it is typically not dangerous to do ministry in the USA there are always people who will ridicule or persecute you for your beliefs. For me, I started off as one of those people who didn’t want to hear it and who scoffed others who believed. It took me many years to soften my heart to the Lord. I was very hard headed and never wanted to listen. Unfortunately, it took a life altering event for me to start listening to what God was telling me. I married the man of my dreams, the one I’d been wanting since we were kids, when our daughter was two. I was ecstatic that my dreams finally came true. He was not as thrilled. He was drinking a lot and doing drugs I was unaware of. It was a very unhappy marriage and the last fight we ever had ended our marriage and left me with the back of my head bashed in, a broken cheek bone and blackened left side of my face, a crushed trachea and three broken ribs. His stay in prison lasted only eight short months and an early release put me and my children on constant alert and on the run. We moved every six months to a year. This went on for four years. Through these years I slowly began to rely on God for His guidance. It was a slow process for me. As time progressed, the Word of God became the only thing that mattered to me.
He showed me my gift for ministry to young girls and young parents. I began looking for a Bible school that could teach me the Bible and start me on my path. It was devastating to find out that the financial problems I had because of the trauma we suffered would keep me from getting any student loans. My dream was to hold classes for young girls to help them make better decisions about the issues they face every day and I wanted to do it in the name of Jesus. I noticed how good I was at speaking to teens about those things as my daughters friends would come to me for advice. It was very important to me to be certified to make sure that I knew what God thought about certain subjects, after all Mark 9:42 said, ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and he has been cast into the sea.’ Now my dream for ministry has progressed to helping young girls and new parents through blog, counseling and groups. I feel like God has called me to be a Pastor of his Word. I identify with the term youth leader but also have recently felt a pull to help parents as well. Being a pastor of the Word of God encompasses all of those areas.
Life is too hard to go through alone. I learned that first hand. I watch my teenage daughter struggle with decisions. I watch her friends torn apart by the same kind of depression I went through. I can share my life, my torment, and the way it changed with the love of Christ with these girls. I can shed light on a parent’s journey with their young children and do it in the name of Jesus. I was pushed to this ministry to try and help others live a more productive life in Jesus than I did at the beginning of my journey.
The major challenge that I anticipate is the society we live in. Most children find role models in Hollywood and musical artists and have never been taught about the Lord. There will be resistance and the push back from kids who are scared to be ridiculed or un-cool.
Locally, Calvary Chapel helps in my ministry goal by keeping me active in my community. They promote service to others and keep me on track in God’s mission for my life. My family and I attend service twice a week to keep our walk with God strong.
Without Christian Leaders Institute none of this would be possible for me. A scholarship with CLI helped me overcome the obstacles that financial hardship created. CLI gave me hope to be able to spread the seeds of the word to the youth and those responsible for raising them of this state and hopefully this country. I’m so grateful for this amazing opportunity. Please pray for the fruit of this ministry to produce 100 fold for the youth of America.
I am passionate that this free Bible training school is a place that tens of thousands of leaders will receive high-quality Bible training. Our provost, Dr. David Feddes leads a faculty of accredited Christian leaders who teach over 100 advanced ministry training classes. I am passionate that this free online Bible school is available wherever the Internet is reaching. I am passionate that this free Bible training glorifies God!
I want learn more batter the Word of God
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