Ministry Training Free Online Can Help You Achieve Your Calling

Free Ministry Training At CLI Helps Bud Welton Follow his calling…

My name is Bud Welton, and I live in the United States. I was born in the Midwestern United States where my parents attended a Christian College. My wife and 2 children are incredible blessings through my processes of growth and maturity. We home-school our children, for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is to include Christian values and teaching. Our nine year old boy and seven year old girl are true blessings from God. They are amazing, frustrating, encouraging, and so much more. They love the Lord with all of their heart. My children and wife are wholly supportive of my calling and my need to prepare for service to the Lord with ministry training.

When I was about 18 months old, my parents both finished college and we moved to another town so my father could attend seminary. Shortly after beginning seminary training, my mother became ill and my father stopped attending so that he could work and care for the family. We moved to the Eastern United States, where both of my parents had extended family to help support us.

After moving to the Eastern United States, my mother’s physical health began to improve. My brother and I were being raised in a Christian home, surrounded by the love of Christ. We were attending a Bible-believing, God-fearing church and attending a Christian elementary school for our education. It was here, as a five year old child, that I realized the breadth of my separation from Christ. One afternoon, I approached my teacher and asked her about this. She led me through a Biblical explanation of what I was beginning to discover, and I came to accept the gift, by grace, that Jesus had offered me – atonement and salvation.

Slowly, as the years moved on, abuse entered our home: Sexual, emotional, and physical; mental health issues began to plague us. More physical ailments were followed by a devastating car accident. With each incident bitterness grew. My family left their faithful walk, following the lead of my father. We fell – I fell further from God as each year came. As a young teenager, I was kicked out of our home.

I remember nights of sleeping under a bridge to keep out of the rain; breaking into a library to stay warm at night; searching for unlocked cars so I could sleep with four walls and a roof. I remember staying with one friend or another for as long as I could – until I my welcome was worn out. Through it all, I continued to attend high school.

After two years of this, during the middle of my junior year in high school, I came into contact with my aunt and uncle. They had become aware of my circumstance and were growing concerned for my health and well-being. They invited me to join their church youth group for some Christmas caroling. I reluctantly accepted their invitation. I continued to participate in the youth group activities but as the months progressed, their concern for me grew. After a time, my aunt and uncle invited me to live with them until I was able to finish school.

The faith, love, prayers, and hospitality of my aunt and uncle were the first steps through which God was to redeem me. What an awesome God! Their kindness and hospitality led me to a Christian summer camp where I would meet a Godly man who would point me to a Christian college in New England. At the Christian college, God brought me to a man of God who spoke more truth into my life.

During these times, as God was working in and around my life to call me to Him, to redeem me, I felt called to His service as a pastor. I was scared so I ran, I hid and I stumbled. I fell and yet God continued to be there to pick me back up and set me back on the right path. Often, God would use Christian men to do His work in my life.

Finally I reached out to God with the words, “I am yours. Use me.” It has been difficult but I still feel called to pastor to God’s people – such a humbling and intimidating responsibility – and I feel ill equipped as I have had no formal ministry training.

At my church, I currently serve as the Director of Men’s Ministry. I work full-time running a program dedicated to educating, equipping, and encouraging fathers to be active and responsibly involved in the lives of their children. I have the privilege of doing some great work for very broken families. I often feel I am just “dressing” a wound. “Fatherlessness” is a symptom of a fallen world and men desperately need the Spirit at work in their lives. Men need to understand what the Bible truly teaches about manhood. I love what I do, but I strive to learn more to direct them in dealing with sinful natures using Scriptural knowledge. This is an absolutely amazing opportunity to help ensure that every man of our church is actively engaged in an intentional discipleship process.

I am also currently being presented to the church as a deacon candidate and if approved by the church membership I will have the honor and responsibility to serve the needs of the congregation in another capacity. Through this all, I meet with our pastor on a regular basis in a system of intentional discipleship and accountability.

My wife asked me recently if we should send the kids to a brick-and-mortar school so she could go back to work and I could attend a seminary to further my ministry training. We prayed and fasted and after some reflection realized that God wants us to continue on the path which we have been travelling. It was at this time that I discovered Christian Leaders Institute and the amazing ministry training and instruction they offer. The scholarship that Christian Leaders Institute makes available for is exactly what we need to prepare for our next step in our journey toward faithful service to the Lord.

I thank you for your ministry training at CLI and include you in my daily prayers. Would you please pray for me, my ministry, and discernment of God’s will as I pursue the next step toward which God is calling me? Thank you! God bless!

****

As you can see by this testimony you can be a homeless teenager and be led from your circumstances by Jesus into a new life and a new circumstance. This man overcame adverse life conditions from abuse to being homeless and with the help of God and is following his calling to become a strong Biblically equipped leader for the men and families in their church. Free Online Bible Based Ministry Training available at Christian Leaders Institute makes quality ministry training and education available to anyone who has an internet connection! Learn More Now!