Michael A. Graham is the author of Cheer Up! The Life and Ministry of Jack Miller and the founder of The Jack Miller Project, an initiative devoted to exploring and advancing the life, teaching, and ministry of C. John “Jack” Miller.
Mike’s journey began in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where he grew up working in his father’s shrimp business. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1988 with a B.S. in Marketing and International Business, he moved back to the Gulf Coast to work in the family business. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Mike played football for the Crimson Tide, participated in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), and met his wife, Vicki.
In 1991, Mike and Vicki encountered Jack Miller’s teachings through The Sonship Course, which profoundly shaped their spiritual lives, marriage, and vision for ministry. Inspired by the gospel, the Grahams moved their growing family to St. Louis in 1998 so Mike could attend Covenant Theological Seminary. He graduated in 2001 with an M.Div. focused on church planting and revitalization, and for nearly two decades, he served as head pastor of Hickory Grove Church (PCA) in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.
While ministering at Hickory Grove, Mike pursued doctoral studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, earning a Ph.D. in 2019. His research highlighted Jack Miller’s pivotal role in the modern grace movement, often through indirect influence via the work of those Miller mentored. This research culminated in Cheer Up!, a biography that not only chronicled Jack’s life but also laid the foundation for The Jack Miller Project.
Mike served as a Teaching Elder at New Life Vicenza in Italy through September 2025 while continuing to lead The Jack Miller Project. Through his teaching and writing, Mike seeks to share the life-changing principles of grace, discipleship, and evangelism that defined Jack Miller’s ministry.