The Leadership Class is essential for all Christian leaders studying at Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here)! It has been one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken at CLI. It was four years ago when I “happened” to stumble upon CLI. Ever since then, my life has changed for the better.
My Ministry
Since graduating from CLI’s Leadership Excellence School, I have been a Pastor for a little over a year for a tiny church. The most people I’ve ever seen attend our Sunday morning service was 30 people at max. Every Sunday, we usually have between 10-20 people present. Throughout the past decade+, this church has dramatically declined in number. It is a dying church. Therefore, it is by God’s grace, foreknowledge, and Sovereignty that I’ve taken this leadership class at this point and time in my life and my ministry. God’s timing is perfect!
In addition to being called to be a faithful child of God, I’ve also been called to be a faithful husband, father, and Pastor. Currently, I preach every Sunday while conducting/creating Bible Study programs for our weekly church Bible Studies on Wednesdays. Further, I am facing multiple challenges when it comes to promoting church growth.
Challenges
While being a full-time pastor for this church, I also have to have another full-time job to provide the necessities for my family. The church I pastor is too small to provide me with 100% financial support. I work seven nights straight and then have seven nights off. I’m also a father to three children who are all under the age of 5. Therefore, there is a restraint on my time.
Aside from myself, my wife, and our children, the youngest person within our congregation is a 50-year-old. The rest of the assembly is between 50-80 years old. Therefore, the commitment, effort, and capability needed for church growth is significantly diminished due to these factors. Another challenge when it comes to wanting to grow in number is the location of our church building. Our church building is in the middle of the country/rural area close to where we live, and not many people drive down our road. There are other challenges the church is facing regarding church growth. However, I will refrain from going into all the details at this time.
CLI Leadership Class is Essential
Ever since taking the Leadership Class at CLI, I have already implemented many of the ideas provided by brother/Professor Bruce Ballast. Church events and strategic plans are already in place ever since I took the leadership class. I look forward to seeing what God does and what His will is for this church—always leaving the results to Him!
I’ve also obtained a better understanding of areas that I had not had before taking this class. Areas such as knowing how to be more effective in dealing with conflict/disagreement within the church as a leader, what to expect from church members, and how to handle situations with those who may disagree with my decisions or ideas. I have a better understanding of how to strategically plan/make decisions for the church. I also learned what qualities to look for when choosing people to give specific responsibilities to within the church.
Ministry Vision
My ministry dream/vision is to be used by God in a way that truly changes the lives of others. I want to be more than just someone who knows how to preach on Sunday mornings, strategically plan events for the church, etc. When people think of my ministry, I want them to think of Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul desired for the Corinthian church, I also have the same desire for all people who come into contact with my ministry! “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2.
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when you are logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course, and then you are allowed to enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
ONLINE YOUTH MINISTRY TRAINING
Are you looking for an online youth ministry training program that includes free training? The Christian Leaders Institute may be able to help. Christian Leaders Institute works with Christian Leaders Alliance, a worldwide minister credentialing organization. At the Christian Leaders Alliance, you begin with foundational online ordination roles in ministry. After completing these, you can then tailor your path based on your calling, talents, and passions. As a case in point, to become a Licensed Youth Minister, you’d first solidify your foundational role as a licensed minister online, followed by specialized training in youth ministry. All the training will take place at Christian Leaders Institute.
YOUTH MINISTRY ROLES
Licensed Youth Field Minister
Want to guide young people in your community? CLI offers basic courses to get you started. After learning to lead weddings, there are more classes to help you get better at helping others. Anyone can use this training, from stay-at-home parents to retired folks or church leaders. You can choose to focus on helping young people with our online youth ministry training.
Foundational and Specialized Ordination Roles:
- Licensed Field Minister – Click Here for details
- Licensed Youth Field Minister – Click Here to review additional courses.
Licensed Youth Minister
Want to do more in ministry? The Licensed Minister program could be for you. It gives you advanced lessons, starting from the basics of being a Field Minister and adding special classes. You’ll study and get real-world practice, getting ready for many roles. If you focus on youth ministry, you might even get a job working with young people part-time.
Foundational and Specialized Ordination Roles:
- Licensed Minister – Click Here for details
- Licensed Youth Minister – Click Here to review additional courses.
Licensed Youth Coaching Minister:
The work of a Licensed Coaching Youth Minister is more important than ever as young people today face many choices and chances. This approach combines both guidance and coaching to help youth truly connect with their faith journey.
Foundational and Specialized Ordination Roles:
- Licensed Coaching Minister – Click Here for details
- Licensed Youth Coaching Minister – Click Here to review additional courses
Licensed Youth Ministry Chaplain:
The chaplain role builds on earlier roles, adding a chaplaincy aspect to your Youth Ministry work. This means you’re trained not just as a youth minister, but also as a youth chaplain.
Foundational and Specialized Ordination Roles:
- Licensed Ministry Chaplain: Click Here for course details.
- Licensed Youth Ministry Chaplain: Click Here to review additional courses.
Ordained Youth Minister:
If you become a fully ordained minister focused on youth ministry, you’ll go through a detailed study program. This is perfect for those who want to work as youth ministers, either part-time or full-time, in community churches.
Foundational and Specialized Ordination Roles:
Ordained Minister – Click Here for details
Ordained Youth Minister: Click Here to review additional courses.
A REAL LIFE TESTIMONY
Hi there! My name is Stewart Flageolle. I am a youth pastor in South West Missouri, USA. The free online youth ministry training at the Christian Leaders Institute is a blessing (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
I am 36 years old with a wife who has been by my side for 16 years. We have two sons. For over 15 years, my wife and I have also been in ministry. We are excited about what God has done in our lives. Through reading this, I hope you will better understand what a miraculous God we serve.
My Youth
I grew up here in southwest Missouri, so I am a local boy. Growing up, my parents took me to church, and it wasn’t an option. The church was a part of life and a part of everything we did. When I was about 10, we switched churches and remained there until I was in my mid-twenties. Growing up in that church was a huge deal. It impacted my life forever. God used people around me to lead and guide me through the dangers that being a teenager can have.
In short, I had a troubled youth, but that circle of people never gave up on me. It’s to their credit, by faith in God, that I am doing what I do today.
Online Youth Ministry Training Free at CLI
My wife and I have served as kid ministry workers, youth workers, praise team members, Awana workers, and a mission trip. Our lives have never been dull as God moved us from one church to the other to help with God’s plan. Finally, God firmly planted us at our current church. Here we have the honor and privilege of serving as the Next Generation Pastors.
We wanted ministry training for equipping and competence in our youth ministry service. So finding the Christian Leaders Institute with free online youth ministry training is a blessing. Thank you, CLI!
We are excited to see what God does next. God has taken us through a lot, but what we have seen encouraged us. Souls saved, lives changed, and God glorified.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Suggested Links:
How to Become a Youth Minister – Click to see more program details:
I am Melissa Miller from the USA. I am very excited to be a part of the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free online Christian courses, Click Here). To gain a new family of believers interested in bringing the Light of Jesus to a broken world is a blessing! I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. I have four amazing kids, a great husband, and two dogs and a kitty to round out our home.
My Journey
My childhood was not a traditional or blessed upbringing. After our parents divorced when I was five years old, my little brother and I split our time between our parents’ homes. We grew up in a very traditional Baptist church. At the age of 7, my father changed to the Church of God (Pentecostal). My mom, not wanting to confuse us further, stopped taking us to church. We had messed up theology and doctrine. Nobody knew what to believe or how even to be a “Christian.” Therefore, legalism and a broken view of God shaped my religious experience early on in life. I came to the Lord as a young child and followed His teachings to the best of my ability. However, I had limited knowledge on “how to be good.”
I married young, and we served as Youth Pastors. We had four beautiful kids and 13 years of marriage together. Unfortunately, my husband was often sick. After a fall off the roof, he was in and out of the hospital for two long years before he suddenly passed away in October of 2014. At his funeral, some people told me two things that changed the course of my life forever. “You must have had some hidden sin that caused God not to heal him,” and “your faith must not have been strong enough for God to heal him.” After that, I chose to walk away from my faith and went down a path of chaos. However, now I see how God used my path.
My Spiritual Awakening
In 2017, I went to a small church in a tiny town where they taught the true character of God. I started on a journey of learning who God is to me. However, I had one more crushing defeat to walk through. It forced me to my knees and the reality that I could not control my life. I needed Jesus to walk with me. I needed the Holy Spirit to guide my life. So I dove into re-finding the path God set before me and rededicated my life to the Lord. I got baptized again to show the devil that I meant what I was saying. In 2019, I started going to Victory Worship Center (now Zion City). In January of 2020, I did the 21 day fast with the church and decided that I needed to serve while waiting for my purpose to be revealed.
Ministry Call and Finding Free Online Christian Courses
I now run a small ladies’ group for women with loved ones who are addicts or incarcerated. In addition, I co-lead the women’s grief group through Celebrate Recovery, and I serve on the baptism team. In August 2020, I married my husband Brian, who walked a life of addiction and struggle. Together our spiritual dream is to have a ministry to help the homeless, addicts, and women broken due to the effects of addiction.
After months of prayer, I was begging God for some hint of what He has for me. I heard Him say, “You need to gain knowledge.” I knew that I could not afford to go back to school. So, I scoured the internet for free online Christian courses and came across Christian Leaders Institute. I was so excited, but I was sure that it had to be too good to be true!
Having access to free online Christian courses and ministry training means everything to me. It means that I can gain the knowledge needed to be all that God has called me to be. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life and walking in God’s calling and purpose for me. Thank you, CLI, and the generous people who make this possible for people like me!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when you are logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course, and then you are allowed to enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.