Growing in Biblical Leadership Training
I am Brian Helfrich. I am so grateful to Christian Leaders Institute for providing this Biblical Leadership Training Class. It has given me much insight into how to cast a vision, then walk out in that vision.
My Calling and Church Plant
I am a Senior Pastor at a small church south of Denver, Colorado. My wife, Lizzy, and I worked for several years in children and youth ministry. Then, we felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to begin a church of our own. So, after months of prayer and fasting, we launched our church at the end of 2019. Our church is called The Barn. We currently meet in a hotel meeting room but envision having an actual barn for our meeting place. We are called to help bring people into freedom, healing, and deliverance that can only be recognized by our Savior, Jesus Christ.
One of the challenges we currently face is being a mobile church. We spend hours each week setting up and tearing down equipment. We also load and unload the equipment into storage. The constant setup and tear-down take their toll on our equipment and is a lot of work. We pray that the Lord will soon lead us to a permanent meeting place. A place where we leave our equipment set up and only show up and turn things on. We also pray that it will be a place to hold more events, such as worship nights, prayer meetings, and youth events. Unfortunately, due to other events and finances, we are limited on times to rent the hotel meeting rooms.
Biblical Leadership Training Class
During the Leadership class, I learned a lot about casting a vision and leading my congregation to follow God’s leading through that vision. I have held leadership positions in the military and my secular job. However, I have never spent much time studying vision. I learned that vision is a highly effective tool to motivate and mobilize people. If we don’t have a vision of where we are going, we will never know when we will get there. If we can effectively cast a vision for the future of our churches, we can activate fellow Christians to follow and do incredible things for the Kingdom of God.
Our ministry dreams are to continue to bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to our community. In addition, we feel called to reach out to unreached people groups. We currently minister to the unhoused community of Denver but want to see the outreaches grow in size and impact. We also dream of starting a ministry to serve those incarcerated in jails and prisons. In addition to those, we feel a leading to begin a ministry reaching out to residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Finally, we have a calling to reach out to lonely people, disciple them, and bring the love of Jesus Christ to them. All people need the comfort that only He can bring!
Thank you, Christian Leaders Institute, for providing this Biblical Leadership training!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls 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, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- 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
.Hello, my name is Ashley. I will be equipped with Bible and ministry courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
I am a single mom to three exceptional children aged 15, 6, and 4. It’s a significant age gap. But what was I thinking, right!? In all seriousness, though, I could not imagine my life without them. Becoming a mother was God’s blessing. It showed me true love and the lengths that I will go to protect and care for them, just as God does for all His children.
My Spiritual Journey
I always had a belief in God, even as a small child. My mom occasionally prayed with us before bed, and we heard about God. However, I would not say we actually practiced any religion. It just was something to believe, and I was okay with that.
When I was a young adult, about 19, I started a real relationship with God. I was a young mom and wasn’t given the tools in my childhood to be successful at the job. My daughter’s father, also a young man, was abusive. As a result, I was in a lot of pain, not physical but soul pain. I felt alone and unlovable, like I would never be enough. So I started to spend some time with God. Over the years, the time I spent with God grew, and our relationship grew. He provided me with a way when there was no way. He comforted me when no one else loved me and gave me the strength to overcome the pain as I remembered who I was in Him.
Finding CLI
What brought me to the Christian Leaders Institute was a google search. At the end of 2022, I needed an even deeper relationship with God with all that was happening in the world. Further, I wanted to study His Word myself and discern what it means and what it is that He wants from me as His servant. Until now, most of what I know of the Bible is what I have listened to from other ministers, preachers, pastors, etc. They told me what was in the Bible through their sermons. That’s great, and I think those I’ve chosen to learn from are true Christians. However, now it’s time for me to delve in, study the Bible independently, and be armored with the sword of the Spirit.
Equipped with Bible and Ministry Courses at CLI
My dream is to help women and children affected by domestic violence. So they can heal and find hope the same way I have through Christ. With the training I receive at the Christian Leaders Institute, I will be better equipped with Bible and ministry courses to help them. Then they can find faith, hope, and peace in Christ. I want to show them their worthiness in Christ, which was stripped from them by someone they trusted to protect them. They need to know and believe that they always matter to God. That knowledge can never be taken from them.
I also want to share with them God’s unconditional love for us. Because when faced with the trauma of domestic violence, we start to believe we are unlovable. Christ showed me that I could never do anything wrong enough for Him to stop loving me. He showed me that I deserved His love. Christ reminded me that I could do all things through Him. He is my strength when I feel like I cannot go on anymore. I want to share the gift Jesus has given me with other victims, and He wants them also to have that gift.
With the possibility of free training through CLI, I believe I will be able to fulfill this dream. Although paying for this type of training would not be feasible given my current situation, I was blessed to come across such a fantastic opportunity. I cannot wait to share it with others!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls 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, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- 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
My name is René Boecking, and I live in Canada. I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to be educated further for ministry (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
My Journey with God
My journey with God began when I was ten years old. That was when my parents decided to attend church. I fully embraced this change in my life and loved attending Sunday School. Very soon after this, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I continued to seek the Lord and considered becoming a pastor.
However, instead, the Lord led me down a career in branding and graphic design. I married. My wife and I serve our church through teaching and leading the children and youth. We’ve organized camps and led Bible studies to highlight a few of the ways we serve. I also used my branding and design skills to build the church’s website and produce many promotional materials.
My walk with the Lord has had many peaks and valleys. A very deep valley came after I had a stroke and many other health issues a few years ago. But, God has been gracious through all the valleys, and my faith has grown stronger because of them.
Getting Educated Further for Ministry at CLI
My two children have both graduated from high school. So, I feel the Lord is leading me to further seek out ways to stretch myself for ministry opportunities. These would not just be in the church but also in a broader scope. I came across the Christian Leaders Institute. It was an answer to prayer. CLI will allow me to be educated further for ministry as I juggle family life, work life, and church life. I look forward to where my journey with the Lord will take me.
Ordination Story
I began my studies at CLI with the idea of possibly completing a certificate of some sort to give me more credibility in the field of ministry. It’s interesting how God had different ideas. As I started completing courses, I heard multiple times from friends telling me, “You should become a pastor.” What made this more surprising was that I didn’t tell anyone that I had started studying for the ministry. Only my wife and children and a couple of close friends knew.
As I became more familiar with CLI, I noticed the opportunity of becoming ordained as a Deacon Minister. I thought God seemed to be directing me in this direction, so I began working toward that. I can hardly believe this is all happening. I’m still unsure what God has in store for me, but I’ll obediently continue learning and be open to His leadership.
Besides continuing to serve in various ways, I have found myself ministering to others more often one-on-one. I am humbled that God is speaking and working through me. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that CLI has provided me to do these studies. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to do this financially. As I look back at my life, it seems more apparent now that God is preparing me for something unique. I would appreciate prayers for strength and wisdom as all this is revealed to me. Thank you.
Register for a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls 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:
- Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- 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.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.