Henry - Henry and Pam, back last time we talked about why study Christian  leadership, this is about why study at Christian leaders Institute. Is this a place  for you to invest your time and your efforts, in preparation to take your next step  that God has before you. So let's get it right away going and say, look at what is  Christian leaders Institute.  

Pam - Christian leaders Institute offers schools and minister credential. It has  the Christian Development School. It has the Christian Leadership Excellence  school, and then the credentialing arm is the Christian leaders Alliance in II  Peter 1:3, it says his divine power has given us everything we need for life and  godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and  goodness.  

Henry - So knowledge is important. We have lots of grandchildren. We always  are fascinated by how inquisitive to learn how to walk. A toddler is and God just  gives, gives us that desire to learn. We know being in ministry for over 40 years,  right when we started with the calling, we got inquisitive on how to grow, how to  learn, to do the skills of ministry, how to understand creation, how to understand  who God is, understand the Bible. You know, all of those things became in as  we continue to grow, it changed us and made us more effective, right? Yeah. So we have some offerings. We have the Christian Development School, which  we'll talk about shortly, the Leadership Excellence School, where you have  degrees. And then we also have the Alliance, where we talk all about Minister  ordination path so but before we get to that, let's look at basically one thing you  should know about Christian leaders, Institute  

Pam - extending CLI s reach. There's a shareable platform and user friendly  tools available through CLI I Thessalonians 1:7-8 says, and so you became a  model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia, the Lord's message rang  

out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, your faith in God has become  known everywhere.  

Henry - So this passage of thessalonia, of Thessalonians, is really about how  the apostle Paul says, Those believers, those Christian leaders, were very  reproducible, right? And we don't know exactly all the dynamics of how that  worked. The apostle Paul, in the early apostles, had figured out how to be  scalable in their time, and I've often studied to figure out all the secrets of that.  But one thing I know is things have to be reproducible in a Christian leaders  Institute, it's online, it's the classes are free, so there's no barrier for economic to buy, to have to have tuition or anything to study. We know that it can be  accessed on whether it's a computer, a smartphone, a tablet. We also know that you personally can help someone else quickly. You can easily help them get an 

account. They don't have to go through a whole application process to start  studying. They just sign up and get going right away. It's user friendly, and that  even with limited knowledge of a computer, someone can study ministry  immediately. And that concept of, how can we be a reproducible Christian leader to share and quickly get another person in the movement? So you know, one of  the programs for you is not just the program of our content, it's the program of  your impact. You have a tool that you can share and raise up a movement of  leaders in your local community. In a lot of ways, I feel this is like the most  important thing we offer. It's not what we have. It's empowering you to share in  your community. So let's talk now about the Christian Development School.  

Pam - All right, Christian leaders Development School is patron supported free  biblical courses, Romans 16:1-2. Says, I commend to you our sister, Phoebe, a  Minister diakonos of the church in Cenchrea, I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people, and to give her any help she may need from you,  for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.  

Henry - So early Christianity is made up of volunteers. Even the apostle Paul  started out as a volunteer to make her and then later on, Philemon and others  supported his ministry. Here's Phoebe minister in Cenchrea. So she's, it says a  diakonos a minister, but then it says that she's a benefactor. So it's, it's  supporting, but it's supporting out of her heart, out of her ministry. And we see  that this opportunity at the Christian Development School is the opportunity for  you just to study no matter what your financial situation is. Don't worry about  that, because just like when you go to a church and they take a collection, and  anyone can come in here, the sermons and the message. This is the principle  here, people with the heart for this support this. So all the classes are free to  study, and this allows for some pretty exciting opportunities.  

Pam - Yes, there are awards, certificates and diplomas available. Students can  combine the free courses to earn recognition credentials. Awards are granted for completing under 30 credits or up to 30 credits, certificates for 31 to 60 credits  and diplomas for 61 or more credits with minimal administration fees.  

Henry - So the classes are free. Unofficial award certificates, diplomas can be  downloaded. Official ones have minimal costs, because now we have some  personalization, we have administration expenses and all that. And for us to be  scalable worldwide, we know that that's one small expense that has to be  passed on. So the Christian Development School is just out there, available for  believers who are called to leadership and called to serve the Lord.  

Pam - All right now the Leadership Excellence School. This school awards 

college level degrees in Christian leadership, divinity and chaplaincy. Degree  options include associate and bachelor degrees with a path to accreditation  through the Association of Biblical Higher Education in Orlando, Florida. CLI  currently has applicant status on this path numerous accredited partner  institutes such as Kairos, Liberty, Ohio Christian University, Calvin seminary and northern Baptist seminary recognize CLS CLI students and credits and accept  them in their institutions.  

Henry - So what's exciting about this is there's a path to academic credentials  of associate and bachelor degree, and so the Christian leadership associate and bachelor also includes concentrations in business, concentrations in philosophy,  concentrations in ministry and Other divinity Christian types of programs, and  there's more, then there's already a couple of divinity and chaplaincy. But it's  also exciting for us personally, because we experience those with our daughter,  Abigail, who now is working here and has been for quite a while at Christian  leaders Institute. She has a master's from Ohio Christian university with the  Christian  

Pam - Christian leaders Institute, yes, went on to Ohio Christian University and  has a double masters.  

Henry - I was talking to someone on the phone the other day who's studying  and both her sons. She's in Seattle. Linda Razor is her name, and both her sons both have bachelor's degree with Christian leaders Institute, and both now have  master's degree in business administration, and they're doing like marketplace  ministry through their bachelor with us, and then therefore they're going forward. It's just really exciting to hear, but we're seeing that now, and the low fees are  exciting. In the United States, $3,000 for a bachelor degree. And in developing  nations, the price is dramatically less. Our whole passion is that everyone gets  access to the knowledge of Christ, of his world of skills, of the areas of inquiry  and study that glorify God. So it is just really, really amazing,  

Pam - alright, and then the Christian leaders alliance is the ordination path for  our graduates II Timothy 2:1-3 says, you then my son, be strong. In the grace  that is in Christ Jesus and the things you've heard me say in the presence of  many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach  others join with me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, here the  

Henry - Apostle Paul is inviting people into the ministry team movement and  Christian leaders Institute works with the Christian leaders alliance for Minister  credentials, ordination credentials, a path of ordination. And we have exciting  programs, primary roles, specialized roles around gifts and around callings. So 

yeah, and we can go on on, and you can go further in this class and find out  more about it.  

Pam - Alright, academic preparation at Christian leaders Alliance Christians  begin their ministry training by focusing on introductory level ministry roles such  as becoming a wedding officiant or a Christian officiant this involves completing  many courses ministry skills and college level courses for each primary and  specialized Minister role. The primary roles include licensed wedding officiant,  field minister, licensed minister, licensed coaching minister, licensed chaplain  and ordained minister. Each role builds on the previous one, leading to full  ordination. Additionally, over 30 specializations are available, each requiring  further ministry training.  

Henry - So I went to get my philosophy major a Dordt college in Sioux Center,  Iowa. Then I went on to Calvin seminary after that, and I did all of that training  before I could even do or officiate one wedding. Right now, at Christian leaders  Alliance, working with Christian leaders Institute courses, we flipped that around, so one of the first roles that we talk about is the Christian, a licensed Christian  wedding Officiant. So that's your first step in ordination path. So we'll give you, in a very compact program, 10 hours of teaching about being a licensed, officiant  wedding officiant. And part of that is the seed. You learn the seed of being a  minister. Because in a wedding, you've got a little message that's called the  dedication, you've got a rehearsal that's like a little program. You have a little  counseling. You're meeting with a couple. We train all of that. And again, in a  sense, gives you a taste of ministry. So what we want to do is as how do we  then develop those that role that builds on the other right?  

Pam - As we've talked about the wedding officiant starter role for those  interested in exploring Minister roles, it's recommended to start with the wedding officiant skills course, which entails approximately 10 hours of study and  provides a foundation for all Minister roles, as Henry just stated before Hebrews  13:4 says marriage should be honored by all  

Henry - what I'd recommend, even as you're through this class, if that's  entrusting to you, is go to the courses, go to or the programs, and check out a  ministry role and enroll in the licensed wedding officiant just get going in  ministry.  

Pam - All right, grassroots approach, global access to courses and ordination is  what we offer. II Timothy 1:6. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the  gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

Henry - So the early church had a decentralized, grassroots approach to  minister credentialing. In this approach, it included training, but it also included  the commending. I commend you, Phoebe, it include somebody seen this in you included qualifications, like in I Timothy 3, and it was grassroots people later on,  in Christendom, the Catholic Church, and then in even the Protestant church,  started working with a more centralized approach to ordination. Christian  leaders Alliance goes back to a more decentralized approach, where we benefit  from christiandom in the Apostles Creed and all of those things, but we reset  that credentialing ordination to training and recommendations. For instance, if  you do get the licensed wedding officiant, you have to have one  recommendation. If you go in further ordination roles, more recommendations  are required, even recommendations from like ministers or other ordained  leaders, very much grassroots. And it's very much this next word,  

Pam - which is Ecuministry. Ordinations, compatibility with various  denominations and local credentialing situations, is what we mean by  Ecuministry. I Corinthians 1:10, 12-13. I appeal to you brothers in the name of  our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another, so that there may  be no divisions among you, and that you may be perfectly united in mind and  thought. What I mean is this, one of you says, I follow Paul, another. I follow  Apollos, another. I follow Cephus, still another. I follow Christ. Is Christ divided?  

Henry - So, no, what do you do? So, you know, ecuministry is sort of like  ecumenical. Ecumenical is, and that's often, let's get agreement. Let's discuss  all those problems of disagreement, such as baptism or other types of issues.  We go the other way. Look, um, there's a lot of things we may not agree upon,  but we do agree upon preaching Christ. We agree about the Apostles Creed.  We agree about the essentials of the faith. So from a credentialing standpoint,  Christian leaders alliance can help local Christians become or on an ordination  path, so we can recognize them globally, but they're actually ordained ordinarily,  locally. So what this does, it opens the door. It opens the door. Like most  churches, even denominational churches, have ordained elders and deacons.  They would call them lay elders, lay deacons. Well, what Christian leaders  Alliance does is works with the local minister, and many times their local  denomination does not have a pathway of ordination that's not connected to a  lot of effort. Here's something ecuministry, meaning that you can study often  your pastor. Well, hey, yeah, you want to be a and call to be a licensed way and  efficient. Hey, Let's mobilize more ministers in the area of marriage in our  community so we can address some of those credentialing things while a church member is even connected to a local church that may be in another  denomination. So the Christian' Leaders Alliance enjoys dual types of  connections. Or for some of you, this might be your only connection, and that's 

fine, too. Our goal is more leaders, more ministers, more agents of Jesus Christ  in the community through a organized program of study and recommendations.  

Pam - All right, so let's talk about soul centers. Get credential to set up a  Christian religious society that fits your calling, gifts and interest. As a Christian  leader, I Peter 4:10, says each one should use whatever gift he has received to  serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  

Henry - One of the things I loved about studying the early church is that you  saw different sizes of what they understood by Ecclesia church. So there would  be hospital societies that would minister to the sick in an area there would be  even they had burial societies, burial Ecclesias and and, of course, they had the  church size Ecclesias as well so credentialed ministers, through the Christian  leaders alliance can set up a local Christian religious society based upon their  gifts, and their calling in a local community, yet still grounded if they're part of a  local church, grounded there or grounded part of the Christian leaders Alliance.  And these societies can be of different size. They can be, you know, maybe  someone's personal neighborhood, like we have a little religious society as soul  Center in Florida, and here in Michigan, when we're here to minister to the  needs of some of our friends, specifically in our golf community and so forth,  and in Florida at our condominium association. But it could also be, you know, a  minister practice, ministry. Practice, a coaching. Practice, could be chaplaincy.  Practice, right? A wedding, a wedding officiant. Practice, yeah. And we have  some beautiful examples and people that that's their ministry. It could be a  ministry. It could be a house church or a church, yeah, or it could be a Christian  leader launching ministry where you're looking for the Christian leader assets of  the community, and then you have a soul center to do that, so that can be  something for you that you might be interested to pursue at a later date.  

Pam - Right? Right? So you're starting your journey. Enroll in Christian courses  supported by generosity, discern if yours seeking an academic or ministry  credential. Which one? Begin a path of ordination, start with the wedding  officiant.  

Henry - So as we wrap this up, where are you at? So you've learned about the  reason to study Christian leadership at Christian leaders Institute. Are you here  to just take some courses? You're welcome. Are you here at the Christian  Development School to maybe study some classes in award, certificate or  diploma? Are you interested in the Leadership Excellence school to get a  associate or a bachelor degree. Are you interested in Minister credentials, where you study classes and then go through a whole ordination path, starting with a  licensed wedding officiant all the way up to minister the word or a ordained 

chaplain, Minister. So we have a lot of different opportunities that have a little bit  of study all the way up to almost four years or a bachelor degree level of study.  So this is where you're at, and you're here, and we ask the Holy Spirit will give  you discernment on how far God is calling you to study and proceed on this  various opportunities the Lord has given you. So next time we're going to talk  about what is a Christian leader, we're talking about what is a Christian what is a leader? What is the word Christian leaders together? And all of that is very  important. And in a sense where it does it grounds us all together and what we  mean by our terms. So until next time, may God bless you. 



Last modified: Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 10:53 AM