CIMS Program Makes Impact on Md. Church
The Certificate In Ministerial Studies (CIMS) Program has made a major impact in the Odenton, Md., Church of God since its implementation in the spring of 2005.
Reverend Malisa Vickerie recently offered this testimony about the effectiveness of the Certificate In Ministerial Studies (CIMS) ministry:
The first course offered was Knowing the Holy Spirit. Subsequently, the course has been offered two additional times in the past five years and remains the most requested course at OCG. Everyone who has taken a CIMS course such as Ministering Through Music, Helping People in Crisis, Understanding Yourself and Others, and Rightly Dividing the Word say they are great ministry training courses. Those who enroll prefer meeting at the church, also known as the Distance Learning Center (DLC), because they like the interaction with other believers to discuss the videos after viewing them.
The CIMS courses are unique because they equip leaders with the tools needed to become a minister of the gospel. In addition, it affords those who have already obtained a license and desire personal enrichment to sharpen their ministry skills. A minister friend once told me that he preferred to always stay green, because when you are ripe, you rot. That minister has since gone on to be with the Lord, but his words still ring true. Licensed ministers, lay men and women can all benefit from the CIMS courses because they are an invaluable source of training in almost every area where the minister is called to do ministry. The CIMS program has also been a catalyst in encouraging people who never completed college the desire to go forth and pursue their academic studies. Many who have taken the CIMS courses through OCG are going back to school to obtain an associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. They have credited the Certificate In Ministerial Studies program as the needed push to go further in ministry. The Word of God, according 2 Timothy 2:15, states, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” It is the responsibility of every minister of the gospel, as commissioned by God, to commit to the study of the Word. This program provides the avenue to accomplish this task.
