📚 Case Study: Launching a CLI/CLA Soul Center as a Local Study Institute

Case Study: Launching a CLI/CLA Soul Center as a Local Study Institute

Background

Grace Community Church, a mid-sized congregation in the Midwest, had long recognized the challenge of raising up new leaders from within their own ranks. While their Sunday services were vibrant and their small groups provided healthy fellowship, the pastor and elders became increasingly aware of a discipleship gap among young men. Many of these men were faithful in attendance and eager to serve, but they lacked a clear pathway into deeper theological training and ministry preparation. The church offered service opportunities—ushering, children’s ministry support, worship participation—but there was little in place that intentionally cultivated men into biblically grounded leaders who could preach, teach, or shepherd others.

This gap was not a matter of disinterest; in fact, many men were hungry for deeper discipleship. A number had expressed a sense of calling into ministry but confessed that they felt stuck, unable to connect that calling with the kind of structured training they believed they needed. Traditional seminary and Bible college pathways were financially prohibitive and geographically out of reach for men rooted in family and vocational responsibilities. The leadership team began to see that without an accessible and sustainable system of training, the next generation of leaders could easily remain undeveloped or drift away from their callings.

In their search for solutions, the elders learned about the Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) and the Christian Leaders Alliance (CLA) through a denominational contact. What caught their attention was the unique accessibility and scalability of these resources: CLI offered free, high-quality theological and ministry courses online, and CLA provided an ordination and recognition system that maintained accountability and credibility. For a church like Grace, this was a breakthrough—they could now offer men in their congregation the chance to be discipled and formally trained without uprooting their lives or burdening their families with significant financial costs.

Even more compelling was the Soul Center model—a locally registered ministry society under CLA. This concept resonated deeply with the leadership team because it allowed them to embed a study institute directly inside their church building, rather than outsourcing training to distant institutions. With a Soul Center, discipleship, study, accountability, and ordination could all be rooted in the life of the local church, while still connected to a global network of leaders through CLI and CLA.

The vision was clarified: Grace Community Church would launch a CLI/CLA Soul Center to serve as a local study institute dedicated to discipling, training, and ordaining leaders from within their own congregation and community. This Soul Center would become the bridge between men’s hunger to serve and the structured training they needed, offering a pathway for ordinary men to become extraordinary leaders—men rooted in Christ, equipped for ministry, and recognized through ordination to extend the mission of the church into families, neighborhoods, and beyond.

Vision and Purpose

The Soul Center at Grace was designed with a clear mission:

• Equip: Provide accessible biblical and ministry education through CLI’s free online courses.
• Disciple: Gather men (and women) into small accountability groups to encourage completion of coursework and spiritual growth.
• Recognize: Use CLA’s ordination and recognition pathways to affirm new leaders in the congregation.
• Multiply: Create a sustainable pipeline of leaders who could serve as officiants, ministers, chaplains, and ministry coaches.

In short, the Soul Center would function as a local study institute—a learning community where discipleship and theological training were intertwined, rooted in the church’s mission.

Implementation Steps: Launching a CLI/CLA Soul Center Study Institute

Starting a Soul Center requires both spiritual vision and organizational clarity. Grace Community Church’s leadership identified six major steps to implement their vision of a local study institute that integrates CLI’s educational resources and CLA’s ordination pathways.

Step 1: Vision Casting and Congregational Buy-In

The pastor began by preaching from 2 Timothy 2:2: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” He framed the Soul Center not simply as a program but as a biblical mandate to disciple and multiply leaders.

Following this sermon, an informational lunch was held for men (and women) in the church curious about deeper training. Elders and lay leaders shared testimonies of how CLI had blessed their own growth. This public vision casting generated enthusiasm and identified the first group of potential participants.

• Ministry Sciences insight: Vision clarity is essential. Adult learners are most motivated when they understand the why behind new initiatives. By linking the Soul Center to Scripture and testimonies, the leadership grounded it in both authority and story.

Step 2: Registering the Soul Center with CLA

The elders applied through Christian Leaders Alliance to establish the Grace Community Soul Center as a locally registered ministry society. This involved:

• Affirming the CLA Statement of Faith.
• Committing to best practices of integrity and accountability.
• Appointing a Soul Center Director — one elder who had completed CLI’s Christian Leaders Connections and Ministry Training courses.

Registration provided legitimacy, connection to a global network, and access to CLA’s recognition system.

• Ministry Sciences insight: External accountability reinforces internal integrity. Registering with CLA helped ensure that training and ordination at Grace Community would be recognized beyond their walls.

Step 3: Structuring the Study Institute

The leadership team designed the Soul Center to operate on three levels of engagement:

1. Classroom Nights (biweekly): Held in the church fellowship hall. Men watched CLI lectures together, paused for group discussion, and completed assignments.
2. Accountability Groups (weekly): Small groups of 3–4 met in homes or coffee shops. These meetings included prayer, course progress check-ins, and personal accountability questions.
3. Monthly Intensives: Saturday morning sessions with breakfast, testimonies, and a guest teaching (live or from CLI faculty).

This rhythm ensured a balance of formal study, relational accountability, and inspirational gatherings.

• Ministry Sciences insight: Group dynamics shape participation. By combining small groups (intimacy) and large gatherings (momentum), the Soul Center harnessed both relational depth and organizational energy.

Step 4: Establishing a Curriculum Pathway

The Soul Center Director curated a curriculum from CLI’s course catalog:

• Phase 1: Foundations
• Christian Leaders Connections
• Christian Basics
• Christian Ethics
• Phase 2: Ministry Skills
• Ministry Officiant Skills
• Foundations of Leadership
• Prayer
• Phase 3: Advanced Training
• Bible Interpretation
• Pastoral Care
• Electives tailored to calling (chaplaincy, coaching, preaching, etc.)

This structure allowed men to progress step by step, with clear milestones to celebrate.

• Ministry Sciences insight: Adult pedagogy emphasizes tiered learning. Clear levels of achievement motivate progress and prevent discouragement.

Step 5: Building Accountability Structures

Recognizing that men often struggle with distraction and passivity, Grace Community made accountability central to the Soul Center. Practices included:

• Progress Reports: Men reported on completed assignments at each accountability group.
• Public Recognition: Certificates were awarded during monthly intensives when courses were completed.
• Peer Mentorship: Men who had completed Phase 1 mentored new enrollees.

These accountability structures turned the CLI coursework into a communal journey rather than a private task.

• Ministry Sciences insight: Research in adult learning confirms that completion rates increase dramatically when learners are embedded in accountable peer networks.

Step 6: Pathways to Ordination through CLA

As men completed required CLI coursework, demonstrated character, and received positive recommendations from their accountability groups, they were encouraged to apply for CLA ordination.

• Initial candidates pursued the Ministry Officiant role, gaining recognition to officiate weddings, baptisms, and funerals.
• Others advanced to Licensed Minister or Ordained Minister of the Word, depending on their training and demonstrated leadership.

Ordination ceremonies were celebrated during Sunday services, with the congregation affirming new leaders through prayer and laying on of hands.

• Theological reflection: This aligned with the biblical pattern of appointing elders in every church (Acts 14:23) and commissioning leaders through community recognition (1 Tim. 4:14).

Outcomes After One Year

• 22 men enrolled in CLI through the Soul Center.
• 14 completed the foundational certificate program.
• 6 men received CLA ordination as Ministry Officiants.
• 3 new small groups were launched, each led by Soul Center graduates.
• A culture of multiplication was established: men discipled, trained, and recognized were now mentoring others.

Conclusion

The Grace Community Soul Center demonstrates how a local church can integrate CLI’s educational resources with CLA’s ordination pathways to create a study institute rooted in the congregation. By combining vision casting, structured learning environments, tiered curriculum, strong accountability, and pathways to recognition, Grace Community transformed men’s ministry from fellowship-only gatherings into a leadership pipeline. The result was not only new leaders but also a multiplying culture where discipleship flowed naturally into ministry.

Biblical Reflection

The Soul Center embodied the biblical principles of discipleship, equipping, and multiplication:

• Discipleship – Men were taught to obey Christ’s commands (Matt. 28:19–20).
• Equipping – The saints were trained for ministry (Eph. 4:12).
• Multiplication – Faithful men were entrusted with truth to pass on to others (2 Tim. 2:2).

Ministry Sciences Observation

From a ministry sciences perspective, the Soul Center succeeded because it combined:

• Accessible education (CLI courses).
• Accountability structures (small groups and check-ins).
• Recognition pathways (CLA ordination).
• Local contextualization (meeting in the church, connecting training to real ministry opportunities).

This alignment of pedagogy, accountability, and recognition created a replicable model for sustainable leadership development.

Conclusion

Grace Community Church’s Soul Center demonstrates how a local church can transform men’s ministry into a leadership multiplication pipeline. By partnering with CLI and CLA, the church created a local study institute where ordinary men could be discipled, trained, and ordained. The result was not just more fellowship but a tangible structure for raising up a new generation of Christlike leaders to extend the mission of the church into families, communities, and the world.