Christian Wedding Officiant License

Purpose Found

My name is Brian Gilson. I am thankful for the Christian Leaders Institute Christian wedding officiant license program. Also, recognition with the Christian Leaders Alliance with the Christian wedding officiant license to perform weddings is a blessing.

Growing up, my Mom made sure that I was in church from a young age, something for which I will be eternally grateful. As a teenager, I gave my heart to the Lord. It was a sincere experience, and I was truly “on fire” for a period. Unfortunately, as is all too common, I walked away from the Lord as a young adult.

Military Experience

I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, an organization not particularly known for producing Godly men! During this time, I became a “Scout Swimmer” for a Marine “Raider” unit. I was very driven as a young Marine, driven by a desire to prove myself and by a desire to be someone. As a result, I wound up serving in the Middle East. At one point, I was deployed to Saudi Arabia as a trainer teaching amphibious raid tactics to a Saudi special operations unit. This was an experience that would later be very influential to the ministry that the Lord called me to. However, I had no idea at the time.

Next Steps

After I got out of the Corps, I went into the construction industry. I started as an apprentice. Very quickly, I moved up the ranks from lead man to Foreman and eventually to Project Manager. That same drivenness that served me as a Marine was still in play. During this time, I married, and we started a family. The Lord also used a co-worker to reach me and to draw me back to Him. I began to attend a local church, but then the 2008 financial crisis hit us very hard. The short version is that I wound up laid-off, my truck was repossessed, and my house was in the process of foreclosure.

I finally surrendered everything to God (not that there was much left to surrender). Then, very quickly, He called me on a different path. I enrolled at our local university using veteran educational benefits. The Lord further provided for us in some pretty spectacular ways. He also put some very Godly people in our path to disciple my wife and me. During this time, I developed a voracious appetite for God’s Word.

Ministry Calling

I began to serve in various capacities at our church. Once I completed the bachelor’s degree, it became clear that a Master’s was the next step. During this time, God’s call in our life became very clear. He kept bringing International students in our path, mostly from a Muslim background. My experience in the Middle East, particularly my time in Saudi Arabia, prepared me to be a friend and minister to many.

I developed a long-term relationship with several people in the Muslim world and wound up conducting several short-term trips overseas. Some were for research associated with my Doctoral program, but some also were for missions. We were granted fruit on those trips. And back in the USA, the Lord opened our eyes to the fact that our local university was FULL of students from all over the world! He was showing us the possibility of having a truly global impact right from our living room.

Ministry Outreach

We began actively reaching out, inviting people to our home for dinners and holidays. In addition, we would invite people to church or Bible studies. Soon we realized that the “Christian-ese” spoken in many churches was very foreign to many of our students. They never really were able to understand much of what was said. As a result of this, we began to host dinners and Bible studies in our home. These were specifically designed for non-Christian international students. We could explain the Gospel in a way that Muslims, Hindus, and atheists could understand.

It turns out that this is what I was made to do! I found my purpose! As a young Marine all those years ago, I was searching for something. I was searching for identity, for meaning, for purpose. Later, I sought the same things through my work. Both ultimately disappointed. Now, I have experienced more fulfillment, more joy in serving the Lord than I ever thought possible. I have found in Him my meaning and my mission.

Christian Wedding Officiant License

Praise the Lord; He has continued to bless our efforts and to bear fruit through us! One of the first was a young man from Iran who has become my son in the faith. A couple of years later, my wife was able to pray through tears as his girlfriend, who had been a very devout Muslim, gave her heart to Jesus!

I am overjoyed to report that they will marry soon, and I have been asked to conduct the ceremony! For this reason, I have become licensed as a wedding officiant through the Christian Leaders Alliance. I am so thankful for their access to such quality educational and training resources at the Christian Leaders Institute to make this possible.