I am Carmelo Prieto Jr., of the USA. I am a student at the Christian Leaders Institute to study to become a pastor.
My Journey
Growing up, I attended church in San Antonio, Texas. It was a small Mexican family-led church called El Divino Salvador. My grandfather was the Lead Pastor, and my dad and another uncle were Assistant Pastors. At an early age, I went to Sunday School every weekend and attended VBS during the summer. I loved worshiping and praising the Lord as a child. When I was twelve, a visiting pastor approached me during worship. He told me never to stop praising and worshiping, as he could see I loved Jesus.
However, I was on probation by fifteen due to legal trouble. I constantly got into fights at school and started using drugs and alcohol. Getting into continued trouble, they sent me to a military-styled boot camp for troubled youths. I was there for six months when I was 17 years old. When I got out, things got worse. My friends and I sold drugs and partied more heavily. This lifestyle continued into my early twenties when I finally decided I didn’t want to live that life anymore.
My Marriage
I met my wife through a mutual friend. I knew she was the one I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with. We married after three years of dating. She had a seven-year-old son when we met. Therefore, it was just the three of us. After four years of marriage, we had a little girl. Soon after that, we had a son and were a family of five. Things were great, but I was not serving the Lord. Taking my family to church was a thing I had to do, not something I wanted to do or grow more in.
Twelve years into our marriage and not having a relationship with the Lord, I stepped out on our marriage. It immediately turned our lives upside down. My wife filed for divorce within a week. We were on our way to separation and imminent divorce.
My wife started to go to church on her own. At that same time, I sought Christ once again. We began to reconcile after two months of separation. Through the grace of God, my wife was able to forgive me. We began to rebuild and pick up the pieces of our broken marriage. We added another son to our family in the six years since, making us a half dozen. My wife and I have helped lead our church’s Re/Engage marriage program. I also serve in our youth ministry, where our two teenagers attend youth night on Sunday evenings. Our kids also serve within our children’s Sunday school ministry at church.
At CLI to Study to Become a Pastor
I can see the wonders of God’s power firsthand as He helped restore our marriage and this broken man. Christ is using me and my family in many ways. Furthermore, I want to continue to serve, learn, and grow in Him and for His Glory. Therefore, I am here at the Christian Leaders Institute to study to become a pastor.
I thank the many wonderful people who donated to CLI to help others pursue their dreams of becoming ministers and spreading the Gospel.
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.
