Michael is a rare individual, a seasoned practitioner and a scholar/theologian.

Having met Jesus as a high school student, he immediately began evangelizing without much knowledge. However, he hit on all cylinders as friends from Cru discipled him. After serving with Cru in college, he spent years in Russia and Eastern Europe, eventually launching a movement in Romania.

In the newly post-communist environment, they started from zero, built a core of people they discipled into a relationship with Jesus, eventually acknowledged that they were a church, and began multiplying from there. The church modeled itself after the church at Antioch.

Later, Michael grew interested in rapidly growing movements in South Asia. They rapidly multiply congregations, but many shrink or die. This problem exists in the U.S. as well—between the mid-1950s and 2019, the number of churches grew each year while the number of self-identified Christ-followers shrank. Attempting to understand these phenomena, Michael began studying the Ephesian movement as recorded in the New Testament.

More than 40 percent of the New Testament emanates from the experiences at Ephesus. Luke’s narrative is enriched by understanding references throughout the epistles and even the gospel of John, which directly addresses the spiritual and human needs in that influential city in the first century.

Michael addresses three steps toward evangelism and movement: Understand a culture, including its history, religious leanings and human needs. Engage individuals at the point of their understanding of God (right or wrong). Connect those individuals to Jesus and his stories by building upon their understanding of God, much like Paul did in Thessalonica and Ephesus.

After hearing the podcast, you will want to connect with Michael through the book, Ephesiology, his blog or Master Classes. You’ll find both at ephesiology.com.

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