Reconciliation Ministry Dream

Reconciliation Ministry Dream

My name is Charles Runyon and I have a reconciliation ministry dream. I live on the east coast of the United States in the Philadelphia region. In this country, it is much easier to be able to do ministry compared to other countries. I am aware of this but also am aware of the many challenges in our country to doing ministry. I am challenged daily by the many distractions and busyness of life. I know that life here, especially on the east coast, can be a constant going. This can very easily become a hindrance or a wall to my daily devotion to God if I allow it to. Despite all of the distractions, there is still a hunger for God. People are broken and desiring more in life but not knowing what is really missing. It can be very rewarding to join God in bringing the gospel into the lives of the broken and lost.

I was raised in the church from a very young age. I have a mother who raised me and my three sisters on her own. I was taught the Word of God from a very young age and committed my life to the Lord at a very young age. As I came to my young teenage years, the church experienced some very unfortunate events. The church was split and a lot of people were left confused with no answers. I do recall several times in this church the calling of God being spoken to me through the gift of prophecy. As the church split, I really did not want to heed this calling or even my walk with the Lord any longer.

I walked away from the truth and began a walk into the world. I got involved a lot with selling and using drugs, alcohol, immorality, and worldly living. These things led me to many dark places and a destructive lifestyle. It is truly by the grace of God that I am even writing this right now. In that lifestyle, I was involved in a marriage that failed. It was at this time in 2007 that my heart was completely broken. I felt it was the end of the road and I took a turn for the worse for a time.

It was at this time that I began to go back to God’s Word because of the foundation that was built in me at a young age. The Word was now coming alive and personal to me! I remember opening the Bible to Psalm 34:18 and reading that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. This spoke to me so personally. I knew that the Lord was close to me and I started to cry out to Him for mercy and help. I can tell you that He was faithful to that cry! It was at the beginning of 2008 that I surrendered my heart to the Lord. I was filled with the Holy Spirit in my apartment when I was alone. In this time, God was showing me many faces of people that I never saw before. From this point on, my heart was burning to see souls redeemed!

God redeemed me and has called me to join Him in His work of reconciliation. My reconciliation ministry dream is to be a part of the reconciliation of drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, drug cartels, etc. I know ministry is not limited to this but my heart burns for people who have allowed sin to destroy their lives as I was almost there and would be if not for the grace of God.

The getting started class at Christian Leaders Institute has really helped me. It has helped me to see that my calling is from God. I have also seen the areas that need to be strengthened in my walk. It has encouraged me to take my devotional life in my home much more serious. These things can be challenging but needed when called to be a Christian leader with a reconciliation ministry dream. I have done some inner-city pastoral work but I truly believe my calling is to teach and evangelize. I also am aware that pastoral ministry can be a part of this calling as well. I am blessed to be a part of a church where my pastor senses the calling of God in my life as well. He has come alongside a few of us to mentor us and meet with us to study and pray regularly. He will also be mentoring me while I do my studies at Christian Leaders Institute.

I am also grateful for an amazing wife who has come alongside me to support and encourage me in my calling. She is and will be my ministry partner wherever God calls us in this reconciliation ministry dream. I am beyond grateful for this. I am desiring to study and obtain an ordination through Christian Leaders Institute. I hope to possibly plant inner-city ministry centers, Christian recovery homes, mentor centers, and more. I want to better learn God’s Word so that I can apply it to my life and then teach and disciple others. I am excited about my studies here at Christian Leaders Institute!!

Learn about ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.