“The most important yet unknown leader referenced in this PhD program at a Southern Baptist seminary is a man named Jack Miller” – Mike Graham
In 2012, Pastor Mike Graham began pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. During his seminars, he was struck by the widespread influence of the late Dr. Jack Miller, even in a Southern Baptist academic setting. Many of the assigned readings were written by authors who had been directly or indirectly shaped by Miller’s teachings.
This discovery was particularly meaningful to Mike, who, along with his wife Vicki, had experienced Jack’s impact firsthand in 1995 when they completed The Sonship Course, a leadership training program developed by Jack and World Harvest Mission.
Yet, to Mike’s surprise, few of his peers or professors recognized Jack’s name. When he shared more about Jack’s remarkable influence, Southeastern’s president, Dr. Danny Akin, encouraged Mike to pivot from his original research project and dedicate his Ph.D. to writing a comprehensive biography of Jack Miller.
