Ordained as a Deacon Minister

Story of My Salvation and Calling to Ministry

My name is Donald Bland. I live in the United States in the beautiful Northwest in a small town in Oregon. I am 74 years old, a husband of 48 years, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, a Vietnam Veteran, and soon to be ordained as a Deacon Minister through training at the Christian Leaders Institute and ordination with the Christian Leaders Alliance. My calling to ministry came late in my life after a long career in IT and business. I have a degree in Economics, an MBA, and a Ph.D. abd (all but a dissertation) in business.

My Journey

I lived a troubled life, not off the rails, but walking on the edge from early childhood on. My mother passed away when I was 12. My father never married again while I was growing up. In the little town where I grew up, not having a mother put a stigma on my brothers, sister, and me. It was as if we were from the wrong side of where they were. Also, growing up in the late 60s put me on track for the military and war.

After the military, I wandered for a while. I married and gained a family. For many years, I have searched for purpose in my life. However, I could never be satisfied with where I was. I always looked for something more. It seemed I had this ample space in my heart I could not fill with family, career, or anything else. I am uncertain how much of my troubles came from childhood issues, war, or the situations I kept putting myself in.

Time for Change

Over the last few years, I have been doing a lot of introspection and self-examination. I am trying to understand why I am here on this planet. There have been a lot of nudges along the way in the past 20 or so years. Some hints seemed to come out of nowhere. I know now that the Holy Spirit was telling me to WAKE UP.

I landed in the little Brown Church in the Hood River Valley in a not-so-great environment. The little church was in chaos. I know God guided me here to do something. Part of this is to support the ministry of the new minister, my mentor, Pastor Doug. I am not a likely candidate for ministry; most people who know me would be surprised. It’s not so much about how I act because I never acted in a non-Christian way or in a Christian way, just neutral. The surprise would come from the long years I spent in business.

I believe I have a lot of small things left in me to do for the Lord. In the past, I was anxious and impatient for things to happen. Now, I feel at peace and accept that everything happens in God’s time.

Serving the Lord

I am committing to spending the rest of my days (which I am quickly using up) serving God in any way He calls me. My calling is to use the gifts God has given me to serve others, learn and study His Word, and teach and share what I can.

Although I am uncertain precisely what gifts the Holy Spirit has given me, I know it is not in administration. I am much better in the consulting role than in the doing. I have the knowledge and experience but not the inclination. That sounds strange when considering my life experiences and career. However, after all these years, I recently discovered this fact. My career issues are long past. From now on, I want to serve God in any way He wants to use me.

Ordained as a Deacon Minister

I desire to develop more skills in preaching, pastoral roles, and teaching to fill an associate pastor role. The Christian Leaders Institute has allowed me to do this without the prohibiting cost of the same education in a traditional divinity environment. I am forever grateful I discovered CLI. The Holy Spirit led me to it!

I thank CLI for helping me find my peace in Jesus, which I sought for many years. Now that I am ordained as a Deacon Minister, I need prayers for support in my ministry of preaching, teaching, and spreading the Word in support of the Kingdom of God.

Register a Study Account

Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.

When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.    

The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:

1. Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
2. Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities. 

Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.  

Find out more about women in ministry here.