NHE7.ORG / FYI NHE7.NET / IDC NHE7.COM / POP NHE7.BIZ / Our Virtual Mall @ GraceWave
PRAYER WALL & FYI
About NHE7
 The NHE7 Founding Partners
 The History & Founding of NewHeart Expressions
 Ron's Call and Studies In Christ
 Ron's Personal Testimony In Christ
 Ron's Testimony Continues:
 The NHE7 Board of Trustees
 The NHE7 Advisory
Our Vision
Statement of Faith
The Exchanged Life
The Chronic Problems of Our Culture
The Chronic Problems of Our Culture
King Solomon's Library
Contact Us
Donate Now
Blogs

Ron Browning
Pastor of NewHeart Expressions (NHE7: International Ministries)
160 S Sable Blvd K101, Aurora CO 80012

 RE:        Ministry Credentials
                                How has the Lord Jesus prepared me for Ministry?

 Chronology:

Childhood (ages 7 to 17)
I grew up as the son of a Baptist preacher who taught me basic theology and Scripture memory by the age of 17; from which I was enabled to teach and manipulate a pseudo Christian life. 

 College Years
I attended two Universities: Jacksonville Baptist College and Central State University where my primary studies involved music; after almost or an actual three years (?), I dropped out of school because classes began to require attentiveness to study, which I did not like or intend.

However, with unfinished studies I taught music in the private sector for almost 20 years as a piano/voice instructor, in musical drama and theater, and from time to time as an educational director with children’s homes and finally with my own school for the arts in Arizona, which Ginger and I owned when we married. 

Salvation Experience
I came to know Jesus in saving faith at the age of 28, October 31, 1994.  I knew this was true conversion evidenced in real repentance that brought an obvious change in my life – for the first time in my life I wanted to tell the truth.  After 20 years of living in deception and being deceptive I desired and learned to be a truth teller before judges, who held my fate (so to speak) in their hands, facing a possibility of decades of prison time – truth when it hurts.  Amazingly, truth won less time in prison than silence or schemes – five years instead of twenty-five.  Saving faith not only changed my heart, but the consequences of a life lived in sin.   

 “Prisonary”
I never attended seminary; however, I attended studies with Mount Zion Bible institute during my prison years (thus, the invented term “prisonary”); at first to occupy my mind, secondly, for my own spiritual grow and fellowship, and finally, to prepare myself to disciple men out of the bondage of various sexual brokenness, which I was able to do in prison and once I was release.  Mount Zion is not an accredited school, though they remain Bible focused on the responsibility to make disciples.     

Exchanged Life Thought
I attended studies with Grace Fellowship International (GFI) and more recently with Exchanged Life Colorado (ELM) in pursuit of a greater application of Scripture in my own life and in the lives of those I have been privileged to disciple and journey with through the issues of sexual brokenness, uncontrollable fear, depression, personal failures, controlling anger, unwanted sinful behaviors, etc...  To this end I have studied: 

Basic Studies in the Exchanged Life
                            (through Conferences with GFI and ELM)

Intermediate Studies in the Exchanged Life
                            (through Workshops with GFI and ELM)

 Advanced Studies in the Exchanged Life
            (through Seminars with GFI and Advanced Training with ELM)

The Exchanged Life is an ongoing study for most discipleship/counselors and ministers.  However, there are now formal studies with Luther Rice Seminary for master’s and doctorate studies.   My doctors and therapist believe that would provide unnecessary stress, fatigue, and eventually cognitive shut down.  Grace Fellowship International has recently established correspondence graduate studies. Dr. Woodward stated on Feb. 27, 2008 that currently I have completed about half of the GFI Counseling Institute studies as a Clinical Discipler (www.gficounselinginstitute.com ). 

When my mentor, Dr. John Woodward received his doctorate from Luther Rice Seminary, he and I evaluated my educational progress.  Due to my criminal history, I experienced many closed doors in education and ministry.  We came to believe that pursuit of formal studies would be a waste of my time, and as John stated, “God’s calling upon my life to walk men out of the trenches and clutches of sinful behaviors”.  John then encouraged me with a balanced view of my education and experience and roughly estimated that I have about six years of biblical education and discipleship experience in sharing the Word with both music and in teaching.  As John lifted me up, I became less interested in formal education and began to view experienced biblical studies and intimate knowledge as true growth in knowing Christ.  As one professor from Mount Zion Bible Institute shared with me, “Ron, you have the heart of the pastor”.  It took me almost a year of study with this professor before I could redefine the term “pastor” – as my Dad – and honestly look at Scripture.  Eventually, I began to see how Christ has given me to the Church as a pastor or what some would refer to as a discipleship/counselor, discipler, and/or an Exchanged Life minister. 

Currently, I have certificates as an Exchanged Life Minister and through NewHeart Expressions I am privileged with Dr. John Woodward to license and ordain other Exchanged Life ministers.  NewHeart Expressions is both a para-church organization and a Church listed with World Ministry Fellowship (WMF) and the IRS.  The Lord has blessed me with the favor of World Ministry Fellowship, who provides me ministerial license to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with some formal credentialing for accountability.  God has used this credentialing to open doors to preach and disciple prior to my brain injury; He still uses this credentialing to provide former and current students a safe place to journey into freedom.


Finally, the following Scripture certifies my calling, gifting, passion, and position. 

·         Acts 4:13 (NASB)

o   Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

·         1 Cor. 9:2 (NASB)

o   If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

·         2 Cor. 3:5, 6 (NASB)

                      Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything
                   as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
                    who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant,
                    not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
                   Spirit gives life.

Join Our Email List
Email: