
Learn How to Make Your Vision a Reality
By Dr. Randal Langley, President
Our mission at Christian Life School of Theology Global (CLSTG) has always been to equip spiritually hungry people with the very best educational tools and help them discover and fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. For the past 40 years, we have had the privilege of launching thousands of people worldwide into their Kingdom purpose.
A lot of organizations never reach a 40-year milestone. It sounds even more monumental when you say “four decades” — that adds a bit more weight!
Depending on the translation, the number 40 is mentioned approximately 159 times in the Bible. You probably remember that the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and that Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. Did you know that Goliath mocked and taunted the Israelites for 40 days? Or that the three great Hebrew kings — Saul, David & Solomon — each ruled for 40 years?
Throughout Scripture, 40 represents a period of testing, trial and triumph, and I can testify that we’ve experienced all of those. But bless God, we’re still standing!
Forty is a generational number that represents a new season. It is God’s number for change. With that in mind, let’s consider the prerequisites for an organization to not just survive, but thrive.
What it Takes to Thrive
1. Commitment to a Clearly Defined Mission
Leaders must cast a clear and compelling mission to which people are committed and willing to fight. Your team’s hearts must be wrapped around your organization’s mission.
2. Willingness to be Adaptable
Be prepared for change before it is necessary. As John 16:13 says, the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. Here at CLSTG, we are deploying new technology, strategies, systems and platforms.
3. Healthy Team Culture
Whatever God has called you to do can’t be done by yourself. You need a team around you, and you must nurture, develop and empower that team to do the thing you’ve brought them on to do.
4. Perseverance and Resilience Through Hardship, Trials, Setbacks and Even Failure
Expect to experience some ups and downs, bumps and bruises, but thank God he never fails!
5. Passion for More
Refuse to settle for what was, and be hungry for what God still has in store. Be willing to let go of some things, if necessary, and do whatever it takes to answer God’s call.
We are looking forward to what the Lord has planned for the next 40 years. As part of the Strategic Leadership program at Liberty University, I was able to use CLSTG as the subject of my doctoral project. This allowed me to strip our organization down to its very foundation and rebuild it through strategic planning, interviews and analysis. One thing I discovered through my research was that the need for quality, affordable, flexible Christian higher education has never been more profoundly needed than it is today!
A look at statistics shows us that biblical illiteracy is off the charts. What we need is more church leaders to rise up and invest in Kingdom education. Most churches in America have no defined plan or strategy to fulfill the Ephesians 4 mandate to equip and empower people for the work of ministry. But CLSTG is positioned to fill that gap through our ability to partner with churches around the world to help them open their own Bible college.
The longer you live, and the longer your organization has been in existence, the more your memories of the past want to start dominating your dreams of the future.
The temptation is for the rearview mirror to get bigger while the windshield gets smaller. But Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”
Looking forward to what is ahead for CLST Global, we are not just an educational provider. We are trailblazers. We are reshaping the future of Christian higher education. We’re in the business of equipping, disrupting and reinventing the way education is delivered and the way people experience what God has to do through the resources we have to offer.
How We Are Preparing for the Future
- Leveraging more technology
- Growing our support services and resources
- Building and cultivating strategic relationships with new and existing education partners
- Providing hands-on experiential opportunities for students in partnership with their local church
- Enhancing and updating our current courses
- Launching new courses
- Rolling out a Spanish-speaking division that offers our full suite of courses
- Leverage the power of K-12 education as an apostolic strategy for local churches to impact their communities
What we do matters. This is a movement to develop fully prepared, Kingdom-minded leaders who are advancing the Kingdom of God as it is in heaven. In the next 40 years, we will continue to push boundaries, innovate and leave our mark on a very lost and hurting world. With the favor of God upon us, we will continue to experience His supernatural provision.
We are people designed to shape the course of history. God, give us eyes to see!