Worship Pastor in Thornton, Colorado
Advances His Walk By Learning At Christian Leaders Institute.
My name is Ryan Hopkins, a 34 year old husband, father of 4 (and 2 dogs), and lover of Christ. I’m a worship pastor at a church in Thornton, CO. God as put a special calling on my life to start a church focused on bringing people into a deeper worship relationship with Him.
“Growing up, I never experienced the love of Jesus in the home. My mom and dad were mostly separated until their divorce when I was 7 years old. All I knew from early childhood was pain and separation. It wasn’t until I was 20 that I realized how far I had fallen into despair and hopelessness. I was angry. I was addicted to drugs. I was alone. I praise God for my mom and sister, who at the time had come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were praying for me constantly. Without them, I’m sure I would have died as a result of my sinful lifestyle.
Accepting Jesus and turning my life around was clearly the best decision I’ve ever made. Since that time, He has used me in amazing ways. I’ve been so blessed to see many come to know Him, to see many worship in Spirit and Truth, to see real life change. Christ receives all the glory and honor and recognition. I’m just humbled and blessed to be His vessel.”
God revealed to me in prayer that this movement He will start, will start with this attitude: You pour out Your Spirit, and I’ll provide the vessels. That’s what I want to be, His vessel to the vessels. But my fear is being an empty vessel. To be filled with His Spirit, to know His presence and power are with me is what motivates me to pursue His calling. I know I’m not alone. I know that God will never call us to something we can achieve on our own, but only to what we need to rely on Him to accomplish.
With the education I hope to obtain from Christian Leaders Institute, I will be further equipped to be God’s vessel.
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Worship Pastor Opportunity
Here at Christian Leaders Institute our courses provide sound development which anyone can benefit from. Whether you are a worship pastor or your pastor, CLI has something for you. We know how important pursuing your calling is and it is mentioned in many places throughout the Bible.
You are called to serve God and growing up you possibly thought being “called” by God was something only for missionaries, pastors, or “full-time” church workers, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service in so many scriptures. Here are some more: (Eph. 4:14; Rom. 1:6-7; 8:28-30; 1 Cor. 1:2,9,26; 7:17; Phil 3:14; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3).
Join Christian Leaders Institute and pursue your calling today! Click Here To Learn More!
Weekly Bible Study Training
Christian Leaders Institute is training leaders to do well at leading a weekly Bible study. This is often the seeds of church planting. A worship service is a more involved weekly Bible Study sort of. God is raising up leaders everywhere at Christian Leaders Institute. If each of these student started a weekly Bible study can you imagine the practical training that would occur.
Benjamin Horn started a weekly Bible study. He said,
By educating myself I can more effectively lead my small group and teach the essentials of our Faith.
Here is his story.
My name is Benjamin Horn and I live in Farmington, Minnesota, USA. I live with my wife, Megan, and our two sons Jase and Caden. I currently work as a mechanic at a local garage and my wife is a stay at home mom.
I was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church my family attended. My parents were very active in the church and from an early age my brother and I were taught about the Lord.
During high school I wandered away from my faith. In college I just lived for myself and partied regularly. I began to feel convicted about the way I was living and started attending church again. I played the drums for the worship band there and attended a weekly Bible study. One day I received a call from a friend who was starting a ministry with a Christian metal band and he wanted to know if I was interested in joining. I agreed to try it and after the first practice I knew that God was calling me to this ministry. Under my friend’s mentorship I rededicated my life to Christ and started to really study God’s word. After playing together for a couple of years and meeting some really amazing people we were led to dissolve the band.
Since that time I met my wife and we have been blessed with two wonderful children. We are both very dedicated to teaching His word to our sons and raising them up as Godly men for service in His kingdom.
I first started to feel the call to ministry after my wife began searching for a small group in our area, but could not find one. As I prayed I felt led to start our own study group. My wife and I now host a Bible study in our home and I am persuing a position as a small group leader at the Church we attend. (2 Chronicles 31:21 – And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.)
My dream for my ministry is to serve God’s kingdom in all I do. I want my family to be a light in the darkness for other people. I want them to see our faith in action and have it move them to go deeper in their faith. That is my dream for the Bible study we host as well.
The term I identify most with at this time is small group leader, because my ministry experience so far has been in this capacity. I have really enjoyed leading the group and encouraging other believers in their walk with Christ and I continue to pray for direction for them and for God’s will in the future.
I chose to study at Christian Leaders Institute because I believe they can equip me to accomplish my goals. By educating myself I can more effectively lead my small group and teach the essentials of Faith to others. I continue to need prayers to be an effective leader of my family and my group. I ask that the Lord give me guidance on how to better my ministry and for the direction He wants it to go in. I am sensitive to His voice and His will and I know that I cannot do this alone. I appreciate your prayers and support.
Start the getting started call as Christian Leaders Institute and get prepared to start a weekly Bible study in your home!
Southern California Man Pursues Lifelong Calling To Ministry
Ministry training is greatly needed and God has called everyone to become Ministers and Christian leaders. These called Christians come from all over the world and many are finding ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute. One of those called leaders is Bob Lomas whose ministry training to present has been through his faithful walk and challenging life experiences. Here is Christian Leaders Institute: Christian Basics graduate Bob Lomas’ story:
My name is Bob Lomas. I am 51 years young, happily married to my amazing wife Michelle for 30 years, and currently residing in Southern California.
Michelle and I have had the exhausting, beautiful, challenging and blessed experience of raising four of the greatest kids on this planet. The three oldest have recently married God fearing spouses and our youngest is currently engaged. My family has always been my first ministry under the conviction that if I had spent my life “saving the world” but my family fell apart in the meantime that I would have failed God. Without the grace and favor of the Abba Father, my beautiful wife at my side, and the love of my kids, I would not be the man that I am today.
It wasn’t until 2 years into our marriage that we realized, even though we owned a home, had cars to drive and worked great jobs, our lives needed something more meaningful. By God’s grace, we both came to Jesus’ saving faith in February 1986 through the ministry of a beloved disciple minded Pastor named Jerry Hill. Our marriage went through many challenges early on and as we pressed into the Lord, more, it seemed to get harder before it got easier! Our firstborn son, Joshua, came into our world the same year we were married. Almost to the day, 12 months later, we were blessed with twin girls! We then completed our family five years later with our precious daughter Hannah. My wife and I dedicated ourselves to being great parents and raising our kids in a Christ centered home. We didn’t do it perfectly, but God certainly allowed us to plant some amazing seed in the lives of our kids.
We always said we wanted our family to offer hope to those in our world. As the kids grew up there were many challenges, trials and life changing moments that tested our commitment as a family and to our God. It was about 17 years ago that I began to feel a call to go to Bible College and be a teacher of The Word in some capacity. I heard very clearly form the Lord one night while working my second job delivering newspapers. I had to pull my truck over because I felt God’s presence and needed pray. I went home and told my wife what God had said to me. She encouraged me and was even willing to move for me to attend school. I wish I could say that I followed through completely but my worry over how we would care for our family and pay for a good school held me back. I started taking classes at night, kept my job, and continued to work in our local Church. Even though God has moved us into several ministry opportunities throughout the years I never felt like I completed that calling.
Since my parents had divorced when I was young I struggled with my identity and what it really meant to be a man. Through the years my dad wasn’t around as often as I wanted him to be. I knew that he loved me, but he was so haunted by temptations that even though he was successful he went down a very destructive path. My dad took his own life on January 4th, 1999. I remember always looking for a mentor because my dad was absent and I desired that Godly leading of a father. For years I leaned on other men to show me the way until the moment that I heard my Abba Father clearly say, “Bob, stop looking for that man and BE that man.”
My ministry dream is that God would use me to encourage people in their walk with God. I am not an evangelist, though I share my faith as God moves me to do so. My heart is to see men, women and their families strengthened to grow in unity and press through the trials and junk that the world throws at us. We need to shine for Christ! I have spent several years in men’s ministries and feel there is nothing more rewarding than to pray with a brother during his time of struggle and witness the reconciliation in his life for Christ.
I would love to someday be active in some sort of teaching/counseling capacity, encouraging God’s people to run the race in order to win because there are so many people who count on them to continue to stand in the midst of their storms. It seems today in America and especially in areas like Southern California people are driven to make Christ and Church more appealing like a sideshow which often overshadows the message of hope. We shouldn’t be comfortable to compromise Jesus teachings with the world.
Michelle and I are entering a great season. Our kids are starting their own lives and doing well. We are invested in a great local church body that believes in living lives that usher more of God’s Kingdom to our earth by intentionally living in ways that positively impact those around us.
I am so grateful that I found Christian Leaders Institute for getting ministry training to enable me to take that calling from so many years ago. I am grateful to the donors, students and churches that support Christian Leaders Institute and to the staff that enables so many of God’s people around this planet to dig into His word and grow in their walk. Building a world of “life givers” to show more of God’s Kingdom on earth and reconciling souls.
Prayerfully pursuing Him.
Peace friends.
– Bob Lomas