I've started new churches in Chicagoland, Illinois, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Eugene, Oregon. I have knocked on hundreds of doors and made thousands of phone calls. I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy going deeper with those I have met. I have freely shared that I am a Christian Leader, an ordained minister.

Not everyone wanted to talk to me about church things, that is no surprise.

What surprised me the most is how many people did want to talk to a minister. They did want to talk about "spiritual things."

People are Spiritual and Have Internal Spiritual Dialogues

People feel strongly about their spiritual dreams. Most have spiritual struggles and questions.

There is an old saying, "Don't talk about religion or politics." If you dare to be known as a minister, you don't have to look for those conversations, those conversations come to you.

I believe there are ongoing internal spiritual conversations that are happening inside people all the time, everywhere. The conversations are constantly revolving around religious or spiritual discussions. People tend to feel strongly about how they are currently thinking about those subjects or how they are trying to avoid those very subjects.

At the Christian Leaders Institute, we train those desiring to serve God as Christian leaders. Many share their stories of how they became Christians and how they were called into ministry. They share how their internal spiritual discussions were a factor in their ministry calling.

Here are some examples:

Alida Munro, South Africa

I began looking to Jesus after I faced death in my second marriage when my husband tried to suffocate me. I realized that something was wrong with that picture, and I started seeking God’s face earnestly to find out where I went wrong. God showed me that I was idolizing my husbands, my father, my brother, and everybody else who was not serving God in truth. That is why I could not hear God speak to me for more than three years.

When I sought God, He spoke to me through visions, dreams, and Scripture. I knew that I had to leave everything that was bad for my children and me and go where God led. So my real journey with God started in 2012 where everything turned into hell against me and around me, but I had Jesus. Jesus is who kept me going.  Read Full Story, click here. 

Shaun Davis, United States

After a whirlwind romance, we blended our families with a result of seven children. Both of us had run entirely away from God, and we were pretty much creatures of this world.

We hit rock bottom about three years into our marriage. My wife asked me for a divorce. I tried to retreat to my old place of not feeling anything, but I was unsuccessful. I quickly realized that she meant more to me than I realized. Devastation is what I felt! I dropped to my knees and poured out my heart to God. I asked him for forgiveness for the way that I had been living my life, and I begged him to save my marriage. Then, I felt a wave of calming relief as I put my life and my problems into God’s hands. The prodigal son returned to his Father in Heaven!

After that, I began to read my Bible for the first time in years. It took several months, but we managed to pick up the pieces of our lives and create a beautiful marriage together.  Read the full story, click here

Alecia Gardner, United States

I found Christ in the hot July summer of 2001. I was utterly broken, utterly lost, and homeless. As an unwed, pregnant teenager, my parents kicked me out of their home due to my embarrassing situation. The father of my child, Gavin, was not around due to military duty. I was trying to decide if I wanted to survive while living in my 1974 Chevy Malibu. I lost all hope of ever reaching my dream of becoming the first person in my family’s history to go to college. So, I was ready to give it all up as I had a plan and a source prepared.

I was ready to let go of this life, but God had other plans. He showed me to give it all up to Him and to let go of the life I was living to live a life with Him. I knew I was not good enough, did not deserve it, but I sought Him anyway. Grace, forgiveness, and hope I never knew existed overwhelmed me. This encounter with God was the beginning of my spiritual journey, and I am so thankful for the grace He has shown me along the way. Read the full story, click here

Can you see the internal spiritual dialogue that happens?  Your neighbors are having internal spiritual conversations. Whether you are Christian or non-Christian, you are spiritually talking to yourself.

 Internal Spiritual Conversations that lead to salvation. 

Zacchaeus had an Internal Spirtual Struggle!

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord, he wanted to see

And when the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree

And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I'm going to your house today!

For I'm going to your house today!'

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

But a happy man was he

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he.

In ancient Rome, the tax collectors were called publicani or publicans. Publicans were local opportunists who knew everyone. The conquering Romans needed the publicans to effectively tax the people. The publican knew who needed to pay the taxes and where to find them. Publicans were hated.

The Roman government often employed the tax farming system. Rome set revenue targets for their regions based on their census information. The regions were divided and sold at tax auctions. A regional system had layers of administrators. Roman officials loyal to the Emperor ran the banking of the money. The military enforced taxation. The publicans gathered the tax money. The most despised person in this system was the chief publican because he made the most money. However, they were the ones who made the whole system work.

In the tax farming system, the chief publican was required to give Rome a specific amount for the year. He had to cover his bid for his territory. He had to make enough to cover his expenses and still make a profit. He wanted to make a big profit, of course. The chief publican won the regional bid. He recruited publicans to collect taxes in the local areas in his region. These publicans were recruited from the local population to help the chief publican. Many times, they would recruit young men and turn them against their family and community in the hopes of material reward.

The effective publicans would distinguish themselves, and eventually try to outbid their local chief publican. Local publicans learned treachery. Treachery was an important quality for a future chief publican. Local publicans would gossip about the chief publican. They would try to keep the focus on the rich chief publican as a greedy, corrupt agent of Rome. There was little teamwork in the nasty business of collecting taxes. The local publicans knew that the chief publican made the real money. As the local publican grew in their knowledge and abilities, they soon realized that only one person, the chief publican, stood in their way. They would have to outbid him or kill him.

Think about this. What if the government hired the mob to collect taxes? That is what the chief publican was. He recruited a team of ruthless thugs whose job was to fund the Roman oppressors and line their own pockets and contribute to the wealth of the chief tax collector. Publicans were hated, and the chief publican was hated even more.

The Roman government leaders needed the chief publicans. The tax farming system was used from the time of the Egyptian empire and the Greek empire. It proved to be very effective. But it did not make the chief publicans loved by the Romans. It did not escape the Roman officials notice that since Chief Publicans would betray their countrymen, they were totally capable of betraying them. This system set up many cases of abuse and made many chief publicans rich. Many were richer than the Roman officials. Emperor Augustus brought reforms to the system to try to clip the wings of some of these local “tax farmers.” The fact was that even the Romans hated the publicans, especially the chief publican "mob bosses." The chief publicans were the focus of their resentment and jealousy.

Zacchaeus was a chief publican in a wealthy taxing center of balm trade. Everyone hated Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus hated himself.

Holy Scripture tells his story in Luke 19:1-10:

They went to his house and had dinner and talked. We do not know what was said, but we know that Zacchaeus became a disciple of Christ

In a defining moment in the ministry of Jesus, He used this occasion of eating with a chief tax collector to state his clear purpose for coming to earth. Everyone questioned why Jesus would eat with publicans, with the chief "mob boss" publican. Jesus states his purpose.

Zacchaeus was not the only tax collector Jesus met. He met Matthew and called this lost one to follow Him. Matthew followed and became a disciple of Jesus and wrote the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew became a leader for the Christian movement.

Jesus still reaches the lost and makes them leaders for Christian revival. He reaches people like Zacchaeus who might hate themselves enough to search for a real Savior. This happens today. This is how God works. Zacchaeus was not hated and lost. He was loved by Jesus, the Son of God. He too was included as an heir of Abraham. Zacchaeus was born again into a new reality. The first thing that comes to his mind is the conviction to give back to those he had cheated. He was transformed from a miser to a giver. Zacchaeus was a changed man with a ministry calling.

God Does It This Way

The story of Zacchaeus is the story of every called Christian leader. The ministry of Jesus Christ impacts you and you are born again as a child of God. Then you sense that desire to serve others. Leaders have always been born out of authentic experiences and trials. Christian leaders are no exception.

What Makes a Christian Leader?

There are two words in "Christian leader." The first word is “Christian” the second word is "leader." The seed of every Christian leader is the “Christian” part. The “Christian” of a Christian leader is an essential defining identity. It always has been.

After being involved with training thousands of Christian leaders at Christian Leaders Institute, we have discovered the Christian Leader Cycle. It is a repeating Christian Leaders Formulation narrative. It goes like this:

Set Up - Back Story - Life Situation

Christian leaders have a backstory that compels them into a living relationship with Christ. This backstory or set up of a life situation propels them to God. Many say that the Lord just showed up to save them. Many were doing well on the surface, but like Zacchaeus were searching for something, enough to "climb many trees" searching until Jesus showed up. They were alone and helpless and then the God of amazing grace saves or redeems them.

Common backstories go like this…

Started with God, but left Him:

Some grew up in a Christian home and became a believer at a young age. They loved the Lord as children; then the unthinkable happened at some age. They walk away from their faith and God.

Went to church, but did not get it:

Many went to church, but they never got a relationship with God. They learned much about morality. At some point, morality was not enough, and it made the church a negative voice that held them back.

Went to church, but did not see God there:

Many had terrible experiences growing up. They experienced those who said they were Christians but were not. They could not wait to get away from the phony baloney.

Never heard of God:

Some grew up and never heard about God or Christianity. Church and God were not a priority. Christians were people they knew, but they did not know what Christianity was about.

Practiced another religion:

Some were nurtured in another religion.

Salvation and Sanctification Path

God enters lives and souls where they need Him. It is as if God shows up to those who are open and wanting him. To those who want to do it on their own, He allows them to live their life that way.

The story of Zacchaeus is a story of a man desperate for love, desperate for God. He made money. He had money. He was empty. He had the type of friends that might kill him with a remorseful smile. Zacchaeus was hated and unloved until Jesus walked into his life.

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:9-10

The key elements of this story are the key elements of how God raises more Christian leaders for the ministry of the gospel of Christ. This pattern has repeated itself generation after generation.

Zacchaeus had a seeking heart, Jesus sought him out.

When humans seek God, God shows up in their life.  When you knock, God opens the door. Jesus said,

This is very mysterious. Does God act first or do we act first? Does God seek us or do we seek God? Theologians have fought about the answer to that question. It seems like God is seeking those who are seeking him. God also is often experienced as “near” even when people tend to do their own thing up to a point where they realize they need God and seek him. Very mysterious.

Saved From Chaos

We noticed though reading the stories of thousands of testimonies of students at Christian Leaders Institute a common list of salvation incidents or life setups. The gospel message to people in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. This message of redemption through the cross and victory over death through the empty grave immediately makes everything clear for people. This gospel ushers in a vital and loving relationship with the living God.

Sometimes sin and rebellion from God and others fuels this salvation incident. The unhappiness or consequences of sin have taken a toll. Sometimes life happenings occur through no apparent fault of the person, but God is their only comfort in the chaos. Sometimes people left God to go do their own thing, and they ended up in a situation where they cried out to God. God shows up.

Here is a list of salvation set up situations.

• The death of a loved one: Through aging, sickness, accident, or crime
• Personal sickness or the sickness of someone close
• Divorce or marriage disharmony
• Failed relationships
• Sexual abuse
• Bullying
• Soul poverty - wealth that does not buy happiness.
• The chaos caused by rebellious ways
• Drugs or alcohol
• Political persecution
• Practicing occult or demonic encounters - getting burned or becoming suicidal
• Overwhelming guilt or unhappiness
• Meaninglessness
• Destructive choices
• Bitterness from the hurt of others
• Depression and suicide attempt(s)
• Criminal behavior that resulted in incarceration
• Poverty, situational poverty, or bankruptcy
• Immigrant displacement
• Much more...

The setups or life situations God uses are beyond any list we can construct. God meets you in your unique need as a unique person. God knows your name. God saves you, and you are so filled with His presence that you are born again. This is not just a metaphor; this is a new inner reality that can start as a seed and slowly grow, or may be the radical reality of a life changed on the spot.

Your “wanter” wants to please God. There is complete agreement about this in most of Christendom with most Protestants and Catholics on this truth. Let me give you two examples. These movements usually have a written catechism that distills how they interpret scripture along with their distinctive practices. The catechisms go deep into those distinctive practices and create separation between various denominations.

I come from the Christian Reformed Church background. We learned the Heidelberg Catechism that stated that new spiritual reality well in Question and Answer One:

Question: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer:

That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

I memorized this first question and answered growing up. And I have recited it many times as a beautiful reminder of what it means to be born again.

The Catholic Church also has a catechism which starts out the same remarkable way:

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

2 So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."⁴Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it."⁵

Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by the love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world.

All catechisms and statements of faith in Christendom articulate a similar truth and tone about how humans are connected to God through the gospel. The Westminster Confession, and the Baptist Confession from the past, begin with more doctrinal statements, but then articulate that Jesus Christ and his atonement save humanity and individual people.

Non-Denominational Churches and Pentecostal churches articulate the rule and role of Jesus Christ in similar ways. The Assemblies of God statement of faith puts it this way,

The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; angels and principalities and powers having been made subject unto Him. And having been made both Lord and Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until the end, when the Son shall become subject to the Father that God may be all in all.

Why am I talking about all these different denominations and how they talk about the gospel? I just think it's remarkable. The Christian Church is riddled with many historical and doctrinal differences, but the foundational essence is the same. Why do we see this agreement? This is clearly what the Bible teaches over and over again. Jesus Christ is the Savior of and for the whole world. He is each person's Savior.

Broken people with broken lives and situations need a Savior! God has sent his Son, Jesus Christ, in the world to be that Savior. God is active to meet our need, and in Christ Jesus, we truly find our only comfort in life and death.

Calling to Service

At the Christian Leaders Institute, we have noticed a common narrative in our students and graduates. You have been saved and sanctified, and filled with the Spirit. Now you know that you are called to ministry - perhaps to full-time gospel ministry, or perhaps to be a light in your community as enterprise ministers. The word deacon in the Bible means “servant.” You are called to service, and you want to organize your life around that calling.

The reality of salvation prompts you to intense gratitude to God for saving you. You experience a "lifestyle and worldview” call to organize your life around a new way of thinking, a love-filled moral code, and a desire to share the gospel news with others. You often create new friends and feed your walk with God by becoming a member of a local church. You sense the need to build the kingdom of God in your community.  You do not want to abandon your old friends; you want to be used by God to bring them salvation.

In addition to the lifestyle and worldview calling, the calling to service and ministry grow in you. You feel a new purpose for your existence. The purpose is so strong now that you will submit yourself and your family to ridicule and persecution. You trust that God will be with you in your calling even unto death.

The Holy Spirit has filled you and gifted you in your calling. Each of us has gifts for expanding the kingdom. We belong to the God-team. We belong to each other in reaching the World. Each of us is called to use our gifts as humble servants of God. Roman 12:3-8 paints a clear picture of the powerful and brave church and how gifts have been given to each called leader.

This is an impressive list that could even include other roles of ministry. I like the phrase, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” In this sentence, our gifts are connected to our salvation or sanctification story. The Greek original language here is especially revealing. Your gift, your “Charismata,” meaning  a divine gratuity, i.e., deliverance (from danger or passion), a spiritual endowment, i.e., religious qualification or gift, is given according to your grace story and your place in that story.

Gift Connected to Salvation Story

I have observed this continuously. If God saved you from drug addiction, you have certain gifts that connect to your specific salvation. If you were saved while incarcerated, you have gifts directly connected to the grace you have received. Zacchaeus was saved from oppressing his countrymen with his cheating and excessive taxation. He immediately got the gift of giving, even going way beyond what the law required him to do. The law required him to pay back those he cheated and add twenty percent. He instead got the gift of generosity and volunteered to pay back five times what was owed.

In other words, let's say you were delivered out of sexual abuse. You were healed of the bitterness. You were given a new identity in Christ. You are no longer a slave to fear, but now you are a child of God. This new life with God has changed everything in you. You experience a call to ministry. You are called to help those who need salvation as you needed it. You know where you are called to serve. You may have had a vision or someone prophesied over you. You notice that your deliverance has changed you and you have been given passion and gifts you never knew you had. With that knowledge that you are called to ministry also brings you sober thinking. Am I competent to lead in this area? Are my gifts honed to bring others blessing? Are my gifts confirmed by others through an ordination process?

The Salvation Experience is the Beginning of Ministry Effectiveness

Here is a danger I have seen. Someone thinks their deliverance or salvation qualifies them for their calling. As if the experience and the spiritual learning from the experience are all you need. This is very dangerous thinking. I believe that our experience of salvation’s gift often launches our calling, but being competent to lead others is a process of sanctification and ministry training.

The Desire to Study

Maybe you have found yourself at that place. You have sensed the calling to ministry and you are overwhelmed.  You talk to some of the spiritual or church leaders in your community, and you get various reactions. Some say, “You, no way, after what you have done.” Others say, “Really, let’s not be too hasty?” Others say, “Praise God, have you thought about formal training?”  Some say, “You can’t make any money doing that?” Even others say, “When you are ready, you can use your gift(s) in our church.”

You have heard many opinions since you let people know about how God has called you. What do you do?

Formal ministry training and local mentor relationships for ministry preparation are a good idea.  

Formal ministry training used to be very expensive. You would often have to leave your home and your job and go to a Bible college or seminary. The formal ministry training offered was often limited to vocational positions such as being a pastor or teacher. If your calling is to give as a business leader who is like the apostle Paul and you have a bi-vocational calling, what do you do?  Do you leave your business? Do you have an option? Christian Leaders Institute sees all of life as ministry. The ministry of an enterprise leader is essential for revival. The ministry of a pastor is essential. The ministry of a doctor is essential. All of our roles are essential, and training in the area of calling needs to be available for everyone.

Christian Leaders Institute is envisioned to meet the need of people called to ministry, whether they are volunteers, part-time, or career ministry bound.  We want to give the opportunity to study for those who need competence and confidence to use their gifts, building on their salvation story into ministry readiness that expands beyond their personal story.

Christian Leaders Institute offers generosity-driven training because this training needs to be available to as many people as possible. Since Christian Leaders Institute training is available on smartphones and the classes are free, more and more of the world’s population have the opportunity for college-level training. How does the Christian Leaders Institute stay supported? We ask students and graduates for donations and/or modest fees. We ask students to give a monthly donation if they have the means to help.

A growing percentage of students have become vision partners to spread these free classes everywhere.

In 2019 Christian Leaders College (CLC) was launched. We do have fees for official collegiate credentials including certificates, diplomas, and degrees.  There are administration fees for these collegiate credentials, but they are very low. Most people in western countries are not going into long-term debt to pay for this degree. In developing nations, we offer  nation-based tier pricing for the official collegiate credentials that is considerably lower than the cost for developed nations.

This opportunity to study is freely given to anyone who has a smartphone, tablet, or computer. All you have to do is finish the getting started scholar class and you are free to take any classes we offer. You can take classes at your pace, but you must finish a class in 180 days. Over 50 accredited professors are your teachers.

You will be asked to recruit a mentor in your area of interest. If you cannot recruit a local mentor, our sister ordaining organization, the Christian Leaders Alliance, offers ordained mentors in many parts of the world.

Service

God saved you. You know you are called. Christian Leaders Institute has trained you. What is still needed? You need to take the step now to use the gifts that you have been honing with your ministry training. What launches your ministry into that next level?

Finished credentials

As you complete study programs at Christian Leaders Institute or Christian Leaders College, you become more competent and confident to minister to others. You can go as far as you need to go for your particular calling to ministry. If all you need is some preparation to be a better small group leader at your local church, Christian Leaders Institute can help you. If you need a bachelor's degree so you can minister with that credential, Christian Leaders College offers that as well. If you are interested in being a life coach minister, Christian Leaders Alliance partners with the Christian Leaders Institute can help you become an ordained life coach minister.

Ordination Roles

As Christian Leaders Institute trained more and more leaders, it became clear that the ordination question had to be addressed. We will dig deeper into this topic later, but for now, ordination in its simplest understanding in the early church concerned commending and commissioning. A prepared Christian Leader was recognized by the commending of some existing leaders and commissioned by the laying on of hands. We see, for instance, that in Romans 16:1-2, the apostle Paul asked the Roman church to receive an ordained deacon minister named Phoebe. Phoebe was the carrier of the letter Paul wrote to the Romans, which became the book of Romans in our New Testament. She was there to answer any questions they had about Paul’s writing. He wrote about Phoebe:

Phoebe did not come to Rome and say, "I am Phoebe, listen to me." Instead, Phoebe was commended by the apostle Paul. The church in Cenchreae prayed over her to commission her as a local leader. The apostle Paul commended her beyond the city of Cenchreae.

I believe that the local ordination recognition occurred when ordained Christian leaders, like Paul and other elders and deacons, prayed over a newly recognized Christian leader like Phoebe. Ordination was recognition and commissioning with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this new leader. Later the Catholic Church tied ordination to the organization of the church hierarchy and made it a sacrament. We will talk more about that in a later chapter.

Reproduce Revival Leaders

As a trained leader or ordained leader, we encourage you to raise more leaders. Not only are we called to minister to those seeking Christ. We are also called to reproduce more Christian Leaders. How many leaders are you going to launch? Christian Leaders Institute offers free training and tools to help you develop your own leadership skills and launch other leaders! The letters of the apostle Paul have this strong and exciting narrative in them. We see the early letters of the apostle Paul written to churches, such as First and Second Corinthians. His later letters are written to Titus and Timothy. Paul ministered to individual people and congregations, but he also raised more Christian Leaders. Jesus started by mentoring leaders. When he spoke to the masses, he did so to specifically mentor his disciples. The Zacchaeus story illustrated that clearly.

Speaking of Zacchaeus, in the history and traditions of the Christian church, Zacchaeus was the Bishop of Caesarea according to the Apostolic Constitutions in the fourth century. From a tax collector and thief to a key minister in the early church. What does God have in store for you?