Michael is president and founder of Christ Bible Seminary in Nagoya, Japan ( www.shingakkou.net). Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Michael attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate where he also received his Master's degree in Education and his PhD in Leadership and Cultural Anthropology from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Michael received his seminary training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. After serving short-term in Japan in 1998-1999 and planting Chita Zion Church, Michael completed a Master's degree in East Asian Studies on a Regional Studies scholarship at Harvard University with a concentration in Japanese anthropology and sociology.

Michael and Pearl moved back to Japan in January of 2004 with their daughters Hannah and Mikaela. Since then two more daughters Eowyn and Elliot were born in Nagoya. Michael is a PCA Teaching Elder in the Philadelphia Presbytery and is actively involved in the executive leadership of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Michael recently gave the keynote address for the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Malaysia before 550 young Christian leaders from over 110 nations. You can learn more about this ministry at http://cbijapan.org/fonts and at Michael's blog ( http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ohfamily).