Once or twice each year, I am asked to come and lead worship at FLAME. The initials stand for Fellowship of Leaders Acquiring Ministerial Education. It is an educational program designed for non-traditional aged students whom God has called into the ministry. In the Wesleyan Church there are several paths to ordination. The first and preferred method is a four-year degree at one of our colleges (Southern Wesleyan University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Houghton College, or Bethany Bible College) followed by attendance at a Wesleyan approved seminary. Attendance of seminary is not required for ordination. A second method and the only other method for quite some time is correspondence courses. This was a tedious process put in place many years ago for those called into the ministry after the traditional college age years.

In 1998, my good friend Wayne, who is the Director of Ministerial Preparation in the Wesleyan Church, started FLAME. He figured there had to be a better way to educate the non-traditional student than correspondence. Sometimes it is just not practical for a man or woman to pick up their family and move to one of our schools for four years before entering the ministry. FLAME involves 20 hours of pre and post course work along with 20 hours of live classroom time. It is scheduled in such a way that you can take two classes in one week.

The first FLAME was held in the summer of 1998 and FLAME will be marking its tenth anniversary this summer. It has had a huge impact on me and I have had the wonderful privilege of watching FLAME progress. I was part of the third FLAME course held in Indianapolis. It was at Wayne’s home church and they gave us a no cost option to stay in the church on air mattresses. I took that option. From the very first moments, I could sense that this was something special. Back then there wasn’t any musical worship, just Wayne or someone he picked leading a song or two before we ate. Wayne’s worship team led us in worship on Wednesday night as we took communion. I came home educated and refreshed in my ministry.

It would be two years later I would attend my second FLAME. By this time there was musical worship during our chapel time and I asked if I could join the band, playing piano. They said yes. Again it was a wonderfully refreshing time. In those first two FLAME’s I had several “big time” professors; Dr. Melvin Dieter, Dr. Jim Dunn, Dr. Jerry Pence, and Wayne’s boss Dr. Kerry Kind. FLAME has had and continues to have some of the top educators in the Wesleyan Church as its professors.

The next year I tried something different and went to one of our Wesleyan colleges’ extension programs for non-traditional students. It just did not have the same atmosphere and I came home discouraged that I would ever finish.

2003 brought me to Vassar, MI. This would be a life changing FLAME. It would be at this event that I would get to know Wayne as a good friend. It would be here that I would lead worship with guitar in a band for the first time. The worship was nothing short of awesome and the classes weren’t bad either. Wayne announced that there would be a “Family Camp” FLAME in August in Frankfort, IN. I talked to Pam and wondered if she would like to go along with the children. Hesitantly, she said yes. I’ll admit I didn’t have the warm fuzzies about this. Pam would be with the three kids all day in a hotel room while I studied in class – it was a recipe for disaster. But God worked it all out. My kids loved the worship in the morning. I played bass in another great band. The kids loved being on the campground so much, that they didn’t want to go back to the hotel and swim. It was an awesome time. At this FLAME, Wayne announced that we would have the first “East Coast” FLAME in Stroudsburg, PA. I, with other students had been asking for this. Wayne asked me if I would lead worship and I said yes. So in the course of one year I knocked out 7 courses – I took one district class that year as well.

I finished up in the spring of 2005 at Stroudsburg. Again, I led worship, with probably the best band so far. What’s interesting is that Wayne or I have no control in who shows up. It’s a God thing. During those last several years at FLAME, it became apparent that I should invest back into FLAME after graduation. I asked Wayne about the possibilities and he was for it. This marks my fifth time back to FLAME. It sounds like we are going to have a great time. Interesting enough, three FLAME worship leaders were at that third FLAME back in Indianapolis.

So Sunday morning, Pam will be driving me to Greensboro and I will be flying to Frankfort to lead worship, serve tables, and do other things that need to be done as an investment in the lives of men and women who are preparing for ministry in the Wesleyan Church.