Christian Connections at CLI

Praise the Lord! My name is Isaac Parry, and I am excited about the Christian connections at CLI – the Christian Leaders Institute. My family and I live in the western part of our country, India. I hold a professional degree in Social Work. Furthermore, I have about 18 years of experience working for a Christian humanitarian organization from a grassroots level to heading the national level.

I had the fantastic experience of being a Christian leader, not only in the organization I worked with but also in local churches at various places and times. Often, pastors preferred me to come to the front, but my preference was always to support and back the church and pastor from behind the scenes. I live in a country where persecution of a minority community is not a new thing. India has a long and sad history of such atrocities for years.

My Upbringing and Salvation

I grew up in a Christian family with a Muslim family name. Under some mysterious circumstances, my grandfather could not cross the country borders during the partition and remained behind. Later, he married my grandmother, who probably converted from the tribal part of our country. My Muslim family name was never an issue or matter of concern throughout my school education, making friends, or in any daily course of our life. Only in the 1990s, during nation-wide communal riots, for the first time, we were scared to carry a Muslim family name.

Though we were regular Protestant churchgoers, I never had a personal encounter with God. The Bible was too big a book for me to read and understand. After some tutorials in church, we received baptism as children without much understanding. Finally, during my higher education, I met a friend who helped lead me to God and a personal encounter with God. I surrendered my life and accepted Jesus as my Savior.

Gradually, I learned about many truths that were never mentioned or taught to us in my church or Sunday school during my childhood. Some of those teachings were crucial for me as a believer to understand, know, and experience. Instructions about the work of the Holy Spirit, speaking and praying in tongues, and much more.

My Spiritual Dream and Challenges

My spiritual dream is to be an instrument of God’s love in His Hands. I want my life to be a testimony so that all glory goes to God. The Christian Leaders Institute’s free ministry training will prepare me for the purpose that God has for me. I want to be ready and equipped so that I am available to do His work in my professional and personal life. Being a social worker, I understand poverty and social issues. These struggles can be addressed not by our limited wisdom but by God’s supernatural intervention.

The major obstacle that I faced has been in receiving sound doctrine and understanding of the Word of God. The watered down and manipulated words taught during Sunday services have not helped me. It led to more frustration and confusion on how to live out a Spirit-filled life. Time reading the Word of God, praying, and depending upon the Holy Spirit to reveal scripture truths helped me get a new understanding of God’s plan.

Christian Connections at CLI

Christian Leaders Institute training will help me get a proper perspective and a clear understanding of the aspects of being a Christian leader in our world.  The Christian connections at CLI are a blessing. The awards and credits received will authenticate my leadership.

I am the sole breadwinner of my family. It was a long time desire to pursue courses like the ones at CLI.  Until now, it was not a priority due to other responsibilities. Amazed that CLI offered free training online, I registered. However, for a year, I did not pursue it. I thought it would trap me into paying for the classes in some other way.

My wife and I prayed for theological studies to pursue. To our surprise, my wife received an invitation to join CLI! It was a supernatural act of God because she never enrolled in the course. Accepting it as an answer to our prayers, we pursued it and searched its genuineness. I praise God today that we both enrolled in various classes, along with our eldest daughter. We are blessed by this generosity-driven institute. We believe that we also will be able to contribute to this ministry soon.

Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.