Michael grew up in small-town Eastern Iowa - both culturally and geographically miles away from Capitol Hill, where many decades have now brought him.It was in Iowa that he met and married his wife Tess in 1990. He attended the University of Iowa and spent 15 years in industrial sales and sales management. However, he eventually left sales to pursue a Master of Divinity at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis and graduated in 2007. A professor introduced him to the Acton Institute and their work on Christian understandings of political philosophy and economic theory. Following seminary, he returned to his hometown of Iowa City in 2008 to plant One Ancient Hope. While there, Michael also served as a Johnson County Local Homeless Coordinating Board member and began truly understanding the importance of what has come to be known as 'public square engagement'. In June 2015, Michael took a call to re-plant a multi-site work in the western suburbs of Chicago and successfully guided that congregation through relaunching as a stand-alone church. During his time in Chicago, Michael also served as the City Director for Made to Flourish, a Kern Foundation-sponsored project equipping pastors to integrate faith, work, and economic principles into their discipleship plans. More recently, Michael moved to Washington, D.C., in 2018 to serve as Associate Director for a ministry focused on reaching Capitol Hill before stepping out to form Faithful Presence, in 2021. Michael is now pursuing a Ph.D in Public Square Theology. He and his wife Tess been married for 34 years and have four adult children, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren.