My name is Barry Healey, and I live in Dallas, Texas, in the United States. I currently serve as an elder in a Cowboy Church in Terrell, Texas. Further, I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to become an ordained minister.
My Long Journey to the Ministry
My journey to the ministry has been long. I was not brought up in a churchgoing family and thus not raised with a knowledge of God and his wonderous love and gift of salvation.
As a teenager, in the mid-1970s, I joined an Episcopal church in Ennis, Texas. There, I served as an altar boy until I graduated high school and left to join the military in 1979. Although I had not yet come to know the Lord as my Savior, I felt I wanted to become a preacher. That may have been the Lord nudging me to accept Christ as my Savior and serve Him.
After my discharge from military service, I made a profession of faith in March 1985. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Mesquite, Texas, and joined a Baptist Church. There, I served in the bus ministry as a driver and in the children’s ministry, teaching Sunday School and occasionally preaching a message in the Children’s Church.
Spiritual Growth and Discouragement
I met my wife in 1989 and we married in 1990. In the mid-90s, we joined the youth group on a trip to a youth camp in West Virginia, where my life was changed even more. During one of the nightly tent meetings at the youth camp, I felt a strong calling to preach. Therefore, I responded to that call by going forward to profess my calling to the pastor.
Upon returning home and informing my pastor of my calling, he mentored me and others in the youth group who also experienced a similar calling. He provided us with informal training in sermon writing. Further, he gave each of us the opportunity to preach from the pulpit during our mid-week service.
The following year, I was invited to attend Pastor’s School in Hammond, Indiana, for additional training in various ministries. Once I returned from Pastor’s School, I sought to further my formal ministry education. However, the opportunity eluded me due to a lack of funds. After several years, I became discouraged and fell away from the church for several years.
New Direction
In the early 2000s, we found a new church. It was a Cowboy Church that was being established in Mesquite. We attended the first service and absolutely fell in love with this new church. I felt a renewed excitement for the Lord’s work and a renewed call to the ministry. Our pastor provided me and others with some instruction on sermon writing during this time.
A few years later, we moved to a Cowboy Church in Terrell, Texas. We have experienced more blessings than ever. Our pastor even asked me to deliver the message during our mid-week service when he was on vacation.
Become a Fully Ordained Minister
Still, formal education was elusive. That is until I found the Christian Leader’s Institute. Now, I have the opportunity to fully respond to the Lord’s calling and study to become a fully ordained minister. I pray that with the education and knowledge I receive from CLI, I will be able to understand His word better and spread His gospel message of salvation.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling 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, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- 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.
