Revival Leaders Vision

Revival Leaders Vision – I saw a vision or it was a wonderful dream. Whether a vision or a dream, I have lived my life directed by it. I was 28 years old. The year was 1989. I was planting a church near Chicago, IL.

In my dream, I saw people wandering and seeking the Lord. I wanted to be part of reaching them. I wanted to find ways to get others to help me reach people for Christ. Someone said to me. “You will be part of raising up thousands of church leaders.” I woke up and told my wife my dream. Since I was not part of a Pentecostal tradition, I did not attribute this as a “divine vision”, but in my heart I began to look for ways to help others lead people.

On that morning in 1989, honestly, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to be part of raising up revival leaders to reach more people to Christ. But I took that dream as a CALLING to spend the rest of my life finding and helping leaders reach people to Christ. This was my revival leaders vision and the dream was planting.

In the 90’s I kept planting churches, co-planted a ministry, and worked at an international Bible ministry called the Bible League International. In the 90’s I learned that new potential revival leaders were going to come from ordinary people, bi-vocational leaders. I also became convicted that these potential leaders needed high quality ministry training. But I did not know how this was going to happen.

Then on September 11, 2001, our world changed. My life changed. I was there in Manhattan, NY when the twin towers were downed. During that visit, the “vision” heated up in my heart as I saw in living color how our world needed Christ. Many people were desperate to be reached, there were not enough “reachers”. As I was making my way back to the Chicago area, I resolved to start a new organization.

I called my long-time mentor, Rich DeVos, Sr., and I visited another mentor, Ron Parr, to process what I was going to do next. I resolved to leave the Bible League and begin a new ministry called Christian Leaders.  So on January 1, 2002, Christian Leaders started. I immediately began to research the use of the Internet to aid in the training of leaders. By 2005, we figured out how to open an online institute for ministry training and began classes in 2006. We named this institute, “Christian Leaders Institute”. At this time, I also co-planting a Church with Christian Leaders Institute Provost Dr. David Feddes called Family of Faith Church.

Now seven years later, we have met thousands of Christian leaders who are being given high quality ministry training. Christian Leaders Institute has been blessed with an able team of high quality leaders. In 2006, Jerry Lorenz started fulltime. In 2008, Dr. David Feddes assumed the responsibility of being provost. Many valued staff leaders have made a major contribution. The revival leaders vision remains vivid.

Revival Leaders Vision – Today

My vision and calling is to gather tens of thousands of revival leaders for training. I am resolved to keep Christian Leaders Institute “FREE” so that nothing will stand in the way. I am called to make this training more effective.

I am praying God will continue to bring supporters in prayer and resources.

I am praying that God will continue to inspire you to be part of the vision to reach the world for Christ.

In these last days, let it be that everyone who is called gets high quality ministry training.

I still see the dream. I still bask in the thinking that a dramatic time of reaching people for Christ is upon us. I still feel the urgency I felt in 1989. And I believe that God has been preparing leaders for a great revival to God.

And it shall be in the last days, saith God,

I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh:

And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

And your young men shall see visions,

And your old men shall dream dreams:

Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days

Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)