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 Minister Ordination program (10 credits)
- Take additional Ministry Training (20 Credits)
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- Ministry 101 (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: 20 Additional 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
Ministry Chaplain License
In the Beginning
My name is Elias Ocasio, and I am excited to get licensed as a Ministry Chaplain with the Christian Leaders Alliance. I am also thankful for the formal ministry training with the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
I live in the United States. Born in Brooklyn, NY, I moved to Puerto Rico when I was three, and left when I was eight years old. We landed in New Jersey, where I currently reside. I have two brothers and one sister. We grew up poor, lived in the ghetto, and wore hand-me-downs. God has always been real to me. As children, we always went to church, something that we can thank our mother for. However, at the age of eighteen, like many young people, I stopped attending. I joined the Army National Guards. I also went to night school, learned computer programming, and started a corporate rat race career. It was thirty years later when God decided it was time for me to come back.
God Disrupts My Life
From night-to-day, things started changing in my life. Relationships, my job, and circumstances that were very familiar all suddenly seemed out of my reach. Within weeks, so much changed so fast that I knew it had to be God. In no time, not only was I back in church, but I was volunteering and getting involved in as much as I could.
The Journey
That journey began in 2012, and since then, so much has happened. In 2017, after Hurricane Maria, I felt God’s calling to start a disaster recovery ministry in response to the devastation in Puerto Rico. It eventually expanded to local missions in New Jersey with a focus on serving the poor.
When churches started closing after the pandemic hit in 2020, a pastor friend and I decided to start conducting home church. Currently, we lead three groups, one in Spanish and two in English. Our vision was to go back to the model of the early church with a focus on outreach. Because My Neighbor Ministries (this is the name of the non-profit) had already been established, offering a place to serve to those in our groups seemed to be a natural fit, a door that God had already opened.
A Decision for Formal Training
There are several reasons why I wanted to find formal ministry training. One of them was to make sure that I continue to serve the hurting in the best way possible. Getting instruction from those that have gathered knowledge through years of practice, trial-and-error, and have put it down on paper to learn from, seemed logical in my pursuit.
Christian Leaders Institute offers what I was looking for: formal training at my own pace and schedule. And given the pandemic and its effects, it needed to be at a price I could afford. It was more than a pleasant surprise to find that CLI fulfilled all three categories, particularly in the affordability department. Not just because it is free for me but because it shows their true commitment to training up soldiers for the kingdom and doing God’s work!
Why a Licensed Ministry Chaplain?
Because our ministry focuses on those living in poverty or in the aftermath of a disaster, it seems logical that I am trained in the role of Chaplaincy to serve better those that God puts in my path. Getting licensed as a Ministry Chaplain with the Christian Leaders Alliance is a great next step. Christian Leaders Institute provides that training, and I could not be more grateful to them and God for this opportunity.
Only God knows the future, but it feels like the beginning of something greater.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the Christian Leaders College.
Ordained Truck Driver Chaplain
Ordained Truck Driver Chaplain
My name is Brandon. I’m married to my wife, Stacy, and I have three stepsons and two daughters. I’m a truck driver by trade, but I feel God is calling me to serve. I feel called to minister to other drivers.
Thousands of drivers out there are away from home, away from the church, and surrounded by temptation.
I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. I didn’t come to know Jesus until I was in my mid-thirties. It was about the time the movie “Passion of the Christ” came out. I was working one day and felt a strong urge to see the movie. This was very unusual for me and my life at the time, so looking back, I know God was leading me to him. After seeing the movie, I gave myself to the Lord.
My Ministry Call
For the past couple of years, I’ve been feeling a new call. To study for the ministry. God is calling me to minister to truck drivers through online ministry as well as ministering at truck stops. I have an online ministry and podcast called Truckers Church, giving weekly Bible messages drivers can access on the road. I plan to expand the ministry to live services at truck stops across the country. These courses will be of great help to me. I have looked into many schools, most of them I can’t afford. I’ve also looked at reviews of the Christian Leaders Institute and found nothing but favorable remarks. I look forward to getting a high-quality education and training here.
My plan is to earn my bachelor’s degree in divinity at CLI and transfer to Western Seminary for a Master’s degree. I want to become a hospital Chaplain in the future. The Ordination Ministry ordination will help me greatly in my ministry. My goal is to become a Chaplain and a house Church minister. I host a house church and am a coach with Cross Waves Church, a house church network.
I have a ministry for truck drivers called Truckers Church, serving drivers away from home. The free training at Christian Leaders Institute has helped me greatly. Not only in learning the Bible, but also in how to deal with people, teaching others, and how to conduct myself as a ministry leader. I appreciate any prayers for me, my ministry, and most of all, the people that I am trying to help.
Enroll at Christian Leaders Institute to begin a Ministry Chaplain program.
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Credibility and Credentials with CLA
My name is Joe Rose. I am excited to receive ministry training at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). Also, to be ordained with the Christian Leaders Alliance to perform weddings for family and friends is what I need for credibility and credentials.
I live part-time in Louisville, Kentucky, and part-time on a farm near Scottsville, Kentucky, in the United States of America. Currently, I serve in a marriage ministry called Growing Your Marriage. There, we provide coaching, retreats, workshops, and monthly content. Further, I also want to learn about life coaching.
I grew up in a family that attended a Southern Baptist church, and I received baptism at 11. However, I did not live out my beliefs or welcome Christ into my heart. In my 30s, I attended an Easter Pageant at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. My soul and body cried out at seeing Jesus being beaten. I realized that something was missing in my life. I joined that church and began my journey of growing closer to and learning more about Jesus!
Today, my passion is serving God by working with couples to navigate through their difficulties in marriage. I am grateful that the Christian Leaders Institute provides an opportunity for real ministry training for wedding officiant credibility and credentials versus the online transaction model. Therefore, I can officiate my niece’s wedding in good conscience. I know that I have a strong biblical foundation from the Christian Leaders Institute and ordination with the Christian Leaders Alliance.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the Christian Leaders College.