Michael Knight
Grad Year: 1990
Came to Lee from: Sebree, Kentucky
Occupation: Lead Pastor
Michael Knight came to the church during his adolescence, and having been steered toward Lee by his parents, he “showed up to Lee, a very confused and rebellious young man.” Within two weeks of his arrival, he rededicated his life to Christ on the second floor of Hughes Hall, the result of a college prayer meeting.
Nearing completion of his Lee degree, he had solid plans to become an adolescent psychiatrist, which were changed utterly after a breakfast interview with a pastor changed his life’s trajectory. He went straight to his first post, where as youth pastor of a large church he found success and a passion for pastoral ministry and especially a desire to reach young people for Christ.
Over the next thirty years, Michael developed his skills, earned graduate degrees, pastored in several locations, served the Church of God as Director of Church Planting, and published articles, books and training resources related to apologetics, ministry, church planting and youth outreach. He is currently in progress toward his second doctorate.
He is now the lead pastor at the 1300-member Covenant Community Church in Madisonville, KY, and is also the founder and president of The Never Before Project, an organization that works with Christian and non-Christian adolescents to combat the deconstruction of their faith.
In his own words, Michael is “empowering this generation through scientifically driven discipleship and never losing focus on what changed my life at Lee - a religious experience in the Conn center that I still cannot completely understand, and all I know is that I got up from the floor changed.” He is sharing that light around the world.