Capitol Ministries

History | CM 2019 11 "Capitol Ministries ® offers a rare treat in today's fast- paced world—an hour a week of intimate fellowship with colleagues seeking to grow in faith. Our weekly Bible study dives deeply into Christ's lessons of humility and love and faith and reminds us that cabinet officers are public servants, that we serve best when our decisions are grounded in eternal biblical truths, and that our service is, in truth, a conduit for the Lord's will. I leave Wednesday morning Bible study strengthened by a calming confidence that the Lord has set a path for each of us, and for me." Alexander Acosta Former U.S. Secretary of Labor A s with many good ideas, Capitol Ministries was born out of a frustration to a baffling problem: shortly aer newly elected Christian legislators landed in Sacramento, it became clear that many of them lacked the spiritual matu- rity to stand up for the principles they claimed to possess. Danielle Drollinger had seen this occur time and again as the executive director of a successful California state po- litical action committee (PAC) that had helped numerous Christians become elected to state office. She had expressed frustration to her husband, Ralph Drollinger. A former pro- fessional athlete who spent the majority of his career play- ing basketball for Athletes in Action (AIA), Ralph was ex- perienced in the American sports ministry movement that planted ministries to athletes in high schools, colleges, and professional sports teams. In the fall of 1996 while talking about the political problem and the successful sports min- istry model, the couple realized they could begin a new or- ganization that would birth ministries of evangelism and discipleship in capitol buildings where the Word of God would consistently be taught through weekly exegetical, in- depth Bible studies, and where Christian lawmakers could be strengthened through support, prayer, and one-on-one ministry. eir prayerful vision was to establish 50 ministries in 50 state capitols, national ministries in Washington, D.C. and in foreign federal capitols; and Capitol Ministries® was born with a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the political arena throughout the world. With much prayer, Ralph headed off to Sacramento where he founded Capitol Ministries®' first discipleship Bible study to public servants in the Sacramento State House, while Danielle worked from their Santa Clarita home and cared for the three children. e Sacramento ministry quickly proved wildly successful, and the couple began to recruit strong Bible teachers who had hearts for evangelism and discipleship to replicate the model in other states. Capitol Ministries®' mission was reinforced and made more urgent in 2000 when Ralph discovered a recurring theme in the New Testament. Scripture pertaining to the Great Commission was replete with illustrations, examples, and commands that emphasized the importance of winning governmental leaders for Christ. In Acts 9:15, God reveals Paul's mission: "Bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." God had chosen the Apostle Paul to take His Word to this set-apart group of kings and those in authority. And even though Paul was well aware of the wide- spread political corruption and how the Romans had abused his Jewish contemporaries and ancestors in Palestine, his solitary focus was to see those in authority delivered from the deadly bondage of sin and made alive through new life in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). is is our biblical mandate. is methodolog y sets us apart from other religious organizations that involve themselves in politics attempting to change the tide of our country. Capitol Ministries® seeks to fulfill the Great Commission not by lobbying legislators, but by reach- ing their hearts and minds with the gospel. We believe that anchoring a political leader's soul in Christ is the only real hope for our nation's future, or for the future of any nation. History "… the Lord said …"Go … bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." A c t s 9 :15

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