Small Groups or Bible Studies are a staple of a local church. Local volunteers often fill these leadership roles at the local church. Christian Leaders Institute has designed a program of study that brings free ministry training to Christian Leaders. This program includes 26 credits of ministry training.
Steps to be ordained as a Small Group Minister
- Enroll at Christian Leaders Institute and complete the Getting Started Class: Scholar Orientation.
- Complete the Deacon Ministry Award
- Christian Leaders Connection (3 credits)
- Christian Basics (3 credits)
- Ministry 101 (3 credits)
- Complete the Deacon Minister Ordination Class (1 credit)
- Get three recommendations from your local community, possibly including a Christian Leaders Alliance ordained mentor.
- Receive your official ordination documents from Christian Leaders Alliance, sent through the Christian Leaders Institute offices.
- Be ordained by the laying on of hands.
- Be included in the Christian Leaders Alliance ordination directory.
- Complete the additional 15 credits of ministry training
- Old Testament Survey (3 credits)
- New Testament Survey (3 credits)
- People Smart for Ministry (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry (3 credits)
- Developing House Churches (3 credits)
- Take the Ordained Small Group Minister Class (1 credit) and order your updated ordination credentials.
Ordained Small Group Minister (1 Credit)
This one credit hour class is for those leading small groups or Bible Studies. The dynamics of this course are centered around leading small groups at local churches. Your studies will focus on three areas. The first is Biblical content. The second is relationships and group dynamics. The third is communication.
As an Ordained Small Group Minister, your training will be for the following roles:
Small Group Minister
House Church Minister
Bible Study Leader
Sunday School Teacher
Cell Group Leader
Ordained Small Group Minister Training Requirements Review:
- Christian Leaders Connection (3 credits)
- Ministry 101 (3 Credits)
- Christian Basics (3 credits)
- Old Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- New Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- People Smart for Ministry (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry (3 credits)
- Developing House Churches (3 Credits)
- Deacon Minister Ordination (1 Credit)
- Ordained Small Group Minister Class (1 Credit)
Total Credits: 26
Christian Officiant for Weddings
Shalom in Christ! My name is Long Qin (Aaron), and I am excited to become a Christian Wedding officiant with CLA. Born and raised in the mainland of China, now I live in Los Angeles and also serve in my local church. The journey of my faith is full of God’s Grace. May the Lord receive all the glory and bless the testimony I share.
Exchange Student Saved by Grace
In 2012, I came to the USA for the first time. I was a student scholar for cultural exchange in Williamsburg, VA. The things I experienced in that place amazingly changed my life. Williamsburg is a charming and old city, where you rarely see Asian people. But one day, I was invited to a party through a phone call. What intrigued me is that a Chinese sister from the local Baptist church asked me to a Chinese party at the very moment when I felt so homesick. At that party, I started to know Jesus. After Bible Study for a few months, I amazingly encountered the Lord Himself through prayer. After a while, I received baptism as a child of God’s Big Family. Then, I went back to China to finish college after about a half year.
Challenges in China
When I came back to China, I miraculously started a college student fellowship. We also have been through hard times, including political threats, college warnings, and spiritual warfare. But, as Paul says in 2 Cor 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Whenever we are inclined to quit, the Lord Himself speaks to us that His faithfulness and promises never fail. God always encouraged us to continue His work. Praise the Lord, the fellowship survived! Two years later, I was sent by the church to be a missionary. Two and a half years more, I started my seminary training in Los Angeles.
Becoming a Christian Wedding Officiant with CLA
The reason why I want to be a Christian Wedding Officiant is that I think it is an opportunity for me to prepare myself even though I am not married yet. Most importantly, I have many friends who are young people and never had a Christian wedding before. God called me into the young adult ministry as I also have a heart for the young people. May I be a tool for God to use to bless those young people!
After taking this class at the Christian Leaders Institute, I discovered that it is also an excellent way to evangelize people through weddings. I never thought about that before. What attracted me is that this class is so hands-on and practical. I believe even those who do not know about scheduling a wedding before can easily apply and practice through this class. I am grateful for those hard workers designing this fantastic program. May the Lord bless the ministry of the Christian Leaders Ministries: the Christian Leaders Institute, Christian Leaders Alliance, and Christian Leaders College. May God honor what CLI has done for Him.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the Christian Leaders College.
Ordained and Licensed Chaplain
My name is Juvenalia Mendes, and I am excited to be an ordained and licensed Chaplain with CLA. I am Portuguese. After leaving Portugal at the age of 19 to live on the small Island of Pico Azores, I have now been living in the USA for the last six years. I have two biological children and three that I adopted through foster care. I have two small Pugs, Pugzy and Rosie.
I’ve always loved taking care of children and am the Sunday School teacher at my church. I crave more knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. My goal is to grow spiritually and in knowledge so that I can worship God “in spirit and in truth.” The Great and Awesome God has always been there for me in times of sadness, in times of defeat, and in times of victory and joy. I owe everything to ABBA Father.
My Spiritual Journey and Becoming an Ordained and Licensed Chaplain
In 2010, I came from the Islands to spend some time with my parents. I enrolled in the Steven Ministries Class through my parent’s church. After a year and a half of classes, with one week to finish and be ordained, I, unfortunately, was called back to my home in Pico, Azores. Time passed and I never pondered on it again until I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior and was baptized. I had a great Pastor and mentor who has passed away. However, she always encouraged me to go further in my faith.
Three years ago, God put on my heart to study more of His Word and become a Women’s Minister. Due to financial difficulty and lack of courage, I kept ignoring the call. But God has not given up on reminding me of what He wants for my life. That is when I found the Christian Leaders Institute online and was overjoyed that I could follow my dreams for FREE, yes, free! That was exactly what I was looking for. So I joined the CLI family and am very grateful for the teachers and workers at the school. They are helping me pursue my dream in ministry.
I am an ordained deacon and soon to be an ordained and licensed Chaplain with the Christian Leaders Alliance. I have worked as a Care Provider for 29 years with the elderly and also did five years of foster care. Therefore, I believe my strengths are in caring for God’s people.
Called to Serve and Study
Hilmar, California, is the town in which I live. It has a lot of first, second, and third-generation Portuguese. I speak three languages, Portuguese, Spanish, and English. I attend a very small Christian Portuguese/English church, and we are small in number. There is an urgent need to reach out to the Portuguese Community with the Word of God. My church has an outreach program where people that are homeless or financially burdened can come to us for clothing and blankets. I would like to extend that to preparing meals for the needy. Currently, I am preparing a presentation to share with the church board.
Furthermore, I also plan on continuing my studies. The more I learn the better! I want to become a Pastor in the Women’s Ministry and possibly pursue a Bachelor’s degree. I recommend CLI to anyone that is interested in studying the Word of God. You can study at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. For a mother of three trying to adapt to the new Covid-19 distance learning for my children, CLI is exactly what I needed.
The Harvest is Plentiful
My goal is to be more fruitful in not just my ministry but in my personal walk with God. I look at my children that are ages five, seven, and eight and the other little ones that come to Sunday school, and think to myself, “Jesus is coming soon, and so many people need to hear about the gift of Salvation through Christ. And all the beautiful things God has for us in Heaven.”
More and more we see a need for followers to speak out and not be afraid. That is why I took the step of enrolling in CLI so I can learn more and speak the Word of God boldly. Christian Leaders Institute, Christian Leaders Alliance, and Christian Leaders College are such a blessing to so many.
Thank you for your time, and may God bless your life!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the Christian Leaders College.
Journey to Ordained Ministry
My name is Amber Scavo, and the following is my journey to ordained ministry. I currently reside in the beautiful state of Tennessee with my husband of 13 years and our 12-year-old son. My husband and I are blessed to serve together in such an impactful way as Campus Pastors at Christpoint Church-Smithville Campus. We have been in this role, together, for almost two years. Each week, we are blessed to be able to minister to our congregation on Sunday and Wednesday, while also facilitating several small groups and a discipleship class. We have witnessed many lives impacted by the Lord, and each week we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in such a high calling.
Called to Serve Others
I always knew I wanted to help people heal. I just never imagined in my younger years what that would be. After graduating from high school, I went through nursing school. I worked for ten years as a nurse, mostly working one on one with patients in their homes doing private duty care. It was a unique opportunity to get to serve people while also ministering to them in times of need through the formation of intimate relationships.
I received the call into ministry almost four years ago. I went through a weekend-long retreat called the Walk to Emmaus. Throughout this weekend, the Lord revealed to me pieces of the plans He had for my life. A prophecy was spoken over my husband and me that we would be powerful evangelists, like Priscilla and Aquila. Over the past several years, we have seen this come to pass.
Before this, I was a timid and reserved person. I was afraid to have one on one conversations with people, let alone speak publicly. I was intimidated. Over the past several years, the Lord has indeed grown me and stretched me in ways I can’t explain. I went from being afraid to speak to people to boldly declaring the gospel of Jesus every week. I know the Lord has ordained every step of this journey for both my husband and myself. Working in the level of ministry we are in is something neither of us would ever have pursued on our own.
Exploring Ministry
After going through the Walk to Emmaus, I sat down to lunch with my Pastors. I told them that I was feeling the call into ministry. They had noticed the change in me and the sincerity of what the Lord had placed inside me. We talked about areas of need within the church where I could serve. I began my ministry journey by working in the children’s department at my church, Christpoint. Very quickly, I discovered that the Lord had given me the gift of teaching. So, I moved from being a teacher to the one writing the curriculum. Then, I moved on to assist with scheduling, and finally, to the position of Children’s Pastor within a year. I loved working with this next generation and seeing them come to the saving grace and knowledge of Christ.
From Launch Team to Pastoring
During this time, my husband started to become more involved with our church. He began teaching on Wednesday nights. After a few months, our church began talking about opening a second campus. Our Pastors handpicked my husband and me for the launch team. We were to go help build teams for all departments and make sure that everything went smoothly for the launch. Eventually, we went from just being on the launch team to being placed in the roles of campus pastors.
We opened our church and had one visitor on our first Sunday. However, within a year of being opened, with God’s blessing and grace, we share the gospel with 70 to 80 people each Sunday morning. I no longer serve as the children’s pastor at our main campus because of this new role. However, I do help with administrative duties at our main campus when needed. I also maintain our church app and website. My other acts of service include cleaning our campus each week, preaching, teaching, cooking, and scrubbing toilets. I am the Lord’s servant. I have done so much more through the Lord’s strength. It truly is humbling to be chosen and called by Him!
Journey to Ordained Ministry
Ordination as a deacon minister with the Christian Leaders Alliance assists me on this journey to ordained ministry in several ways. It gives me the confidence to know that I am trained and licensed to be in the position the Lord has placed me in. I love to learn, and I plan to continue to take classes for my education and training as my schedule allows. Being ordained as a deacon minister will allow me the opportunity to go back and serve as clergy on the Walk to Emmaus, where my journey began. I also want to help other women discover their position and calling in the Kingdom of God.
I am thankful for the free ministry training offered through the Christian Leaders Institute. The Lord is just getting started with me on this journey, and I am so very excited to see where He leads and guides from here. Please keep me in your prayers that I would be ever attentive to His voice, and continue to be an open vessel for Him to use.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the Christian Leaders College.