Prison Ministry Ordination

I have grown up in the church all my life and since I was little always felt a call to be a preacher not realizing that one day I would be seeking prison ministry ordination. The church was a way of life for us and if the doors were open we were there. I grew up knowing about God but I never knew Him. I could tell you all the books of the Bible, the major and minor and prophets, and quote you memory verse upon memory verse, but I never knew God. I served God off and on my whole high school career. I was involved in so many areas of the church but I never lived it out. I knew that God had called me to be a preacher but I wanted nothing to do with it or with living a Godly lifestyle. I would show up to usher for a church service, and the next night I would be drag racing with my buddies in the same church parking lot. The truth is, I tried hard to live for God but I always felt stuck. The things that I hated I still did anyway.

After high school, I moved to Texas, the place of my dreams. I met this woman there who went to church and totally loved God so I went back to church but it was only because she went. My life got very busy and I started working at a job where I was widely known and making a huge amount of money. I was the most admired guy at the store and was admired greatly by a married woman. Things escalated between us, and we ended up having an affair together. The whole time this was going on, I felt stuck and every time I tried to get free, I felt chained to it. I was hopeless and captive to my sin. My girlfriend found out about the affair, and I lost her along with my job, my money, and the woman I was having the affair with. This was the moment, I surrendered to God and said, “Lord I’m tired of doing it my way. If you will set me free from all this bondage, I will serve you no matter what.” That was the beginning of my walk with Christ and realizing my call to a prison ministry ordination.

Since then, I have no longer felt captive to my sin or my past. It was as if God had taken a rag and washed all of the stains of my sin away. I was serving God and trying to figure out what He wanted me to do. The answer I kept getting was “You’ve always known what I’ve wanted you to do. You have just been running from it.” I did not like that answer and after asking and still getting the same answer, I gave in to what God wanted. God has placed a heavy burden on my heart for broken men. Men that are both physically and spiritually captive to the mistakes and sins of their past. Jesus said in Isaiah that He came to set the captives free and I believe that in being the hands and feet of Him, I am called to do that also. I serve in the prison ministry and every day I see men that are captive to their sin. I believe that the only way to break that cycle is by sharing with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and letting them know that God has so much more for their lives. This prison ministry ordination at Christian Leaders Institute will help me in carrying out the mission God has placed on me for these broken men. There are many places in the prison such as the faith based dorm, where I will not be able to enter unless I have an ordination certification. Jesus has called us to get down in the dirt with those who are facing hardships, and this prison ministry ordination with CLI and Christian Leaders Alliance will help me achieve that.

Learn more about free online ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute.

Check out local “ecuministry” ordinations at Christian Leaders Alliance.