Chaplain Ministry Dream Ordination
Chaplain Ministry Dream
My name is Russ, and I have a Chaplain ministry dream and a new life in Christ. I am recovering from pride, fear of man, and depression. I reside in Dallas, Texas, with my precious, beautiful, Godly wife, Patti. We are faithful members of Watermark Community Church.
I first came to know my Lord and Savior Jesus back in 2001. However, I was like the seed that fell on the thorny ground as detailed in Luke 8:14. I did not mature because I was carried away by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures. “But God!” as we like to say, “He had other, better plans for me.”
In early 2014, one of his faithful servants shared the Gospel with me again, reminding me of God’s great love for me. The following day, I was in church for the first time in several years. The day after that, I walked through the doors of regeneration, Watermark Community Church’s biblical recovery, discipleship program, for the first time. During my ten months in recovery, I came to know, love genuinely, and trust my Savior. He was faithful in showing me I could trust him with my daily provision as well as my salvation.
Leadership Opportunity
Since then, I continued into leadership at regen. There my community group brother and I have the high honor and privilege of shepherding other men through biblical recovery in Christ. We are now leading our fourth group through the steps. It is a privilege to see God’s power at work as he brings life change to others. My wife Patti and I also have the privilege of serving together as shepherds of other married community groups. God is GOOD!
My call to vocational ministry and pursuit of my ordination came to light in the last year. My call came as I went through a season of job loss. During that time, I spent a significant amount of time mentoring others. It made me feel fully alive, as if I was born to do it. Unfortunately, that season was interrupted in no small degree as I went back to work. My new job had me working in a very labor intensive position that left me little to no margin to meet with others anymore. Therefore, I began to feel a bit unsettled in my spirit.
As I discussed it with my wife and support community, God put in my heart a desire to pursue a Chaplain ministry dream as my vocation. In previous years that would not have been possible as we had a significant amount of debt. However, as God moved and made provision for us to pay off the vast majority of our debt, we could now live on significantly less money. Continuing to pursue a way to break into ministry, God opened a door when a man came to my wife’s workplace a few months back. He was a Chaplain looking for someone with a heart for God’s people and a background in business. My wife told him she knew a guy – her husband!
New Horizons and Ordination
Since then, we have had multiple interviews and should be wrapping up the process shortly. However, one of the requirements to work for him as a corporate Chaplain is an ordination. At first, I thought perhaps my community brother, who is a pastor, might be able to ordain me, but that was not the case. Therefore, I turned to the internet. I searched several times over 2-3 weeks and found nothing other than the free ones that provide no formal training. That did not sit well with me.
At that same time, I was ready to move on from my current work. Not only did I not have the time and energy to minister, but the work was also physically too hard on me. So after a week of praying about it with my wife and our support community, I elected to resign my position. With some newly found free time on my hands, I resumed my internet search for ordination. As I searched through the pages of Google search, I thought I found one. But I came to realize that although there was training involved, something just wasn’t right. I decided to pass. My wife agreed with me.
Free Ministry Training at Christian Leaders Institute
I searched the following day again, and lo and behold; I found the Christian Leaders Institute! CLI provides formal, credible training for my Chaplain ministry dream. The fact that it is at no cost is a huge blessing for me as I am between jobs. Because I am presently not working, I can devote 20-30 hours per week to my education. Also, I still have time to invest in the lives of the men God has placed in my life to shepherd.
The Deacon Minister Ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance is just what I need. Thank you, CLI, CLA, and all your partners who make this opportunity possible. Blessings!
Author: Henry Reyenga
Henry Reyenga is president of Christian Leaders Institute and Christian Leaders Alliance.
