Video summary
Pastor Mike Jackson shares his remarkable journey from a young musician facing divorce and personal turmoil in 1996 to becoming the lead pastor of Radiant Church after nearly thirty years of service. His transformation began when he felt called back to church, where he found a spiritual balance that healed both him and his marriage. Initially joining as a bass player because the ministry needed one, Mike was given an opportunity despite feeling unqualified due to his chaotic life circumstances. Through consistent serving within this vision, not only did he heal personally but also grew into a leadership role over six months before officially joining staff twelve years later. His story illustrates how God can use ordinary individuals in broken places to build thriving ministries through grace and persistence rather than inherent perfection or prior qualifications.
The central lesson Pastor Mike emphasizes is the power of faithfulness in small, consistent actions that yield massive results over time. He uses the analogy of Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park, which draws crowds not because it erupts with the greatest force but because its timing is predictable and reliable every hour. Similarly, he argues that spiritual fruit does not appear overnight like a seed turning into an apple tree in days; instead, it requires continual showing up, tending, and cultivating without expecting immediate rewards. This principle of consistency applies to daily habits such as morning routines with the Lord, honoring the Sabbath weekly, engaging in quarterly personal reflection on values and emotions, and taking annual retreats for vision casting. These disciplined rhythms create an environment where God can work steadily behind the scenes, often surprising leaders with outcomes they could not have planned or predicted initially.
Authenticity emerges as another critical component of healthy ministry that stems from a secure identity rooted in one's relationship with God rather than external validation or fear of judgment. Pastor Mike explains that true vulnerability requires confidence in who you are before the Lord; without this foundation, people tend to hide behind masks or fake authenticity while guarding their insecurities like shadows they try to conceal. By stopping his tendency to hide and embracing realness even when facing internal struggles such as insecurity or triggered emotions, he discovered that genuine transparency attracts others seeking connection and truth. This approach transforms leadership by allowing individuals to respond from a place of established identity rather than reacting impulsively to situations, thereby fostering freedom for both the leader and those they serve within the church community.
Ultimately, Pastor Mike's message encourages young people struggling with uncertainty or feeling inadequate in their faith journeys to focus on showing up consistently regardless of perceived brilliance or talent. He reassures listeners that one does not need to be a perfect singer, speaker, or theologian; what matters most is demonstrating reliability day after day while trusting God to handle the growth process. The accumulated impact of these faithful choices eventually manifests in visible fruit for ministry and personal life, though this timeline often exceeds human expectations for quick success stories. His thirty-year testimony serves as proof that small, steady investments in soul care, authentic relationships, and disciplined spiritual practices can transform lives and build lasting legacies far beyond what anyone could achieve through sporadic effort or self-promotion alone.
Read the full video transcript
[music]
>> Are we rolling? We're going? We can't
Welcome to Radiant podcast. We are
already talking. Let's just start
rolling.
>> Yeah. Pastor Mike,
uh, Radiant Jackson. And so here at the
Rush Hour conference. I don't know what
we're going to talk about, but I love
you and I I think so highly of you.
You've helped me process through some
difficult situations in my life just
just getting older and looking at my
life and the things and so I just wanted
to sit down with you and just talk to
you. And so Thank you for that. And I
love you, too, Sean. And thank you for
the invitation of
allowing us to allow me to share, but So
in your church, you you started Radiant
Jackson how many like
nine? years ago?
>> We are now 12 years old. We're We're in
our 13th year. We planted in 2014.
>> Yeah, planted out of you were on staff
here worship pastor and other things
here at Radiant Kalamazoo for years.
>> here 17 years.
>> Yeah, and then
and you were part of but
you were on staff were you attending 17
I think you were attending longer,
right? Or was it
>> No, I was here from day one.
>> Yeah, that's what I thought.
>> Right away but
September of 1996 we walked into the
first service.
>> Yeah, come on man.
>> looked back and it changed our life. I
came in
>> Yeah. uh, because
I had just moved out. We were going to
get a divorce my wife and I.
>> Yeah. And I heard the Lord say go back
to church. And we had heard about this
church plant in in Richland. They were
meeting at the Gull Lake High School and
we walked in and it felt like my people.
It felt like my tribe. Yeah.
>> It had a good balance of spirit and true
it literally was that. I
I had just stumbled into the gifts of
the spirit. I came out of a a
traditional background that that was
never talked about.
>> Yeah. And I was in another we were in
another church for a minute where it was
maybe hyper expressive, but I didn't
know any better. So when I walked in
here I'm like, oh this is this is the
balance." But,
too much to say that it saved our
marriage. Yeah.
>> And it it healed us and I don't remember
why I can't say it was a message.
>> Mhm. Uh
but I was a musician and they needed a
bass player and so I told Pastor Lee I
can play bass for you and that's how it
started.
>> Yeah. Uh I wasn't I certainly wasn't
qualified. I mean, my life was a wreck.
>> [laughter]
>> It really was. But,
>> Lee gave us opportunity and we grew, we
healed through it. I think the serving
actually healed us. Wow.
>> Like just serving the vision healed us,
made us more in love with the vision.
And then uh eventually I uh within 6
months I was leading I was the worship
leader. Took a few months. There was
another worship leader before me.
And then in my year six I came on staff.
So, I was on staff
I think
12 12 or 13 years on staff. But, I was
here serving every week for 17 years.
>> so
>> [clears throat]
>> this is like almost 30 years ago. Yeah,
it'll be 30 years in September.
>> Yeah, so almost 30 years ago you're
saying, you know, our
we were almost divorced, my you were
unqualified, life was a wreck, all this
stuff.
>> Everything. There's there was a moment
of transformation that led to years of
the Lord transforming your heart. We
could fast forward all the way to today
where you are you have
a couple locations, right?
>> locations.
>> You've been uh
you've been a pastor for years, you've
thriving healthy ministry, uh you
disciple people, all that stuff. What is
something that you would as you This is
I wasn't even ask you this, but you look
now 30 years ago like and what has the
Lord
done in your life over these last 30
years that you feel like,
"Okay, if I were to talk to somebody,
you know, how old were you at that
time?" I think 22.
>> Okay. So, someone in their 20s. Yeah.
Where it's like they're just they're
trying to figure something out. What is
something that you have learned, like
maybe the Lord has taught you through
ministry or transformation in your
marriage, whatever it might be?
>> Yeah. Over the last 30 years that you
feel like I this is what I would say to
someone, a young guy who's just trying
to figure this out.
>> Right away, faithfulness.
>> Come on. Cuz it uh
because the little things you do
consistently
>> Yeah.
will have massive impact.
>> Yeah. We took our kids in 2009 to
Yellowstone and there's all kinds of
geysers there.
>> Mhm.
Uh
the one everybody knows
is Old Faithful.
>> Yeah. And do you know why? Cuz every
hour it goes off.
>> Yeah. It has the most gatherings, but
it's not the largest geyser in the park.
>> Yeah. Yeah. There are other geysers. You
don't know when they're going to go off.
They they they kind of know maybe like
what day of the week it might go off on
Thursday somewhere between 6:00 a.m. and
10:00 a.m. You got to be in this far
window. But Old Faithful why it's
drawing people is it's consistency.
Yeah. And for that's what I have learned
like that if that was the one thing I
would say is like your faithfulness
in the little things,
what I I mean consistency, your
consistency
over and over and over is going to have
massive results.
>> Yeah. It's uh
it's accumulated
it's accumulated over time. You don't
see
I really feel like if that's the one
thing is like, "Well, it wasn't my
faithfulness. It wasn't my
I'm I'm not a great singer. I feel like
I'm a blue collar singer. I'm like
garage [laughter] band.
But my faithfulness, the consistency,
that that would be the thing I would
tell a young person like more
than
uh
You don't need to be brilliant. I mean,
if you just show up, that's the secret
sauce to I think.
>> Yeah, and it's hard to see the the fruit
of that now cuz obviously it it takes
time. Like it's you don't see the fruit
of faithfulness. It's like when you when
you plant a garden, you don't plant a
seed Monday and then Tuesday it's a
apple tree. It's like you have to
continually show up, tend, cultivate,
and it takes time.
>> Yeah.
>> Um
>> And when Jesus talks about the parable
of the farmer, he says he knows not how
it grows.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> And because it's the that time Yeah. of
weeding it and watering it and then one
day there's like a sprout.
>> Yeah. And then then it's growing and
then eventually there's fruit and
harvest.
>> So at like just to give some
perspective, I I I mean this might be a
difficult to answer, but how long did it
take for you to feel like, "Oh, I'm
starting to see some fruit in the
faithful choices I made?" Cuz obviously
it wasn't like 2 weeks in to your new
life you're like, "Oh, I got this all
figured out." But like was there a point
in your life where you're like where you
got to look back and see, "Oh, I'm
seeing
this is why it's helpful to make those
small faithful choices?"
I I don't remember when, but I
uh I
I remember the moment. I can't tell you
what year it was, but I read it in a
book.
>> Yeah.
>> I read it in a leadership book and it
was the one thing of like, "Oh,
faithfulness."
>> Yeah. And I read it I think in a John
Maxwell book. That's his quote, "Little
things done consistently over a long
period of time will have big results."
And
>> when I knew like just keep showing up
then.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> And it has been the
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> What what are some things that
practically for you as you have shown
that over the last 30 years? It's I mean
it's not hard. You I I assume you're not
just like a normal or naturally like,
"Oh yeah, I'm just great at doing this
every Like you have have work at it."
Like you had to make the choice. Yes.
>> So, what are some things practically for
you that you've done to kind of help
like
make like either set things up like I
make sure I do this the same time or I,
you know, when I don't feel like I want
to be faithful, I do this to try to help
me. Like, what are some things?
>> Yeah.
Well, my passion is soul care. Yeah.
Uh if you aren't healthy as a leader,
the church isn't going to be healthy.
Yeah. So, I focus on soul care a lot.
>> Yeah. And my faithfulness to my morning
routines
>> Yeah. it isn't sexy. Yeah. It it is
uh there
when you fly somewhere, the pilot
is going through a list.
>> Yes. Every time. Every time.
>> how long they've flown. Yeah.
>> guess he doesn't need it. Yeah. Yeah. He
doesn't need that, but he does it anyway
because if he misses the one thing
>> Yeah.
>> it train wrecks everything. So, for me,
if I don't stay on top of my soul care
Yeah. or if or or just some uh
simply my time with the Lord if I don't
stay with him first
it it it we're going to drift. The plane
is is going to drift. So, for me, my
morning routines, I spend about 2 hours
with the Lord.
>> Wow.
That's awesome.
>> Uh it's not like I aim for two. It's
probably what I feel like. Sometimes
it's 15 minutes. Sometimes it's an hour.
But most days I'm I'm getting with the
Lord somewhere around 7:00 a.m. and I
don't stop till 9:00. When I when I
planted
uh 13 years ago or almost 13 years ago,
the Lord told me the mornings are mine.
Wow. And
uh and it's because I just need it.
Yeah. It's it's not because I'm super
spiritual. It It's It's cuz I'm not
super spiritual.
Yeah. Like, literally
>> Yeah. I It takes me that long.
>> [laughter]
>> I'm I'm serious. This takes me that long
to feel like, "Okay,
>> Yeah.
>> I can move on [laughter] with
All right, I got something.
>> But I have but in other rhythms, so
that's my weekly rhythm. I honor the
Sabbath.
I try not to break Sabbath.
>> Yeah. Um so I honor that. That's I feel
like that's the one commandment that
we're all real loose on.
>> Yeah. And it's probably the one that
would bring a lot of health to people.
And then quarterly I do personal reflect
days where I kind of evaluate my values,
what uh just what things are triggering
me, how's my soul, what where's the
anger, what what other emotions are and
I have a I do that about two to three
times a year. And then once a year I'll
spend about three or four days alone
with the Lord getting vision.
>> Yeah. And uh and none of that is it it
always surprises me. I have the I have
the plan. Yeah.
>> through the checklist. The Lord he uses
it, but it's always surprising what he
brings out of it.
>> Yeah. Okay, so you uh
You You hinted at this earlier. You had
said that um something along the lines
of, you know, if if your soul if your
heart is not healthy, your church is not
going to be healthy. So where have you
seen this play out in the positive where
you're like, "Okay, as I do this, I'm
seeing the fruit of it in our church in
this way."
Well,
once I got to the point of
I I knew like I must be authentic. Yeah.
And
I learned
uh so I say this, I'm authentic with
everyone,
vulnerable vulnerable with few, intimate
with very few. Oh, that's good, man.
Yeah. And so
but the authenticity I've learned draws
people. Yeah.
>> They want someone They want
authenticity. They want realness. And
uh I I think that's that's been powerful
for me is once I made the jump of don't
hide. Yeah. Stop hiding. Yeah. Uh,
yeah. And I think it's easy to become
to become authentic
and vulnerable and intimate when there's
a confidence in your relationship with
the Lord. Like if if you're not
confident in who you are the Lord then
it's it's it's like it's too scary to
like let people see the inside of you.
Yeah, or you fake authenticity.
>> Yeah, exactly.
>> of those two like the guard's up or I'm
going to act authentic or I'm going to
say these things cuz people know how to
manipulate with emotion.
>> Yeah. Yeah, that and the reason why is
cuz your identity is from the Lord.
That's the starting point for
authenticity. If you don't have that,
you don't have authenticity.
>> Yeah.
>> You're going to have a shadow of
yourself.
>> Yeah. And once I figured out, oh, I have
a shadow so I and I still see it
>> Yeah. weekly. I see like the insecurity
or I'll see the
oh, that triggered me. Yeah. And or I
did hide and I'm like, oh, that's the
shadow. Yeah.
>> Or that's the image I want
>> Yeah.
>> that I'm wanting people to see. Getting
back to that Yeah.
If you're with the Lord, that identity
and it's going to lead to freedom.
That's what freedom is. If you know who
you are, now I know how to respond out
of the identity and not responding to
the situation maybe. I don't know if I'm
saying that right.
>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's so good.
Awesome.
Well, I don't want I you know, we're I
think we just started our session. Yeah,
so
but thanks so much Pastor Mike. Man, I
love you so much. Thanks for being here.
Really appreciate it.
Good talking to you, [music] man. Yeah.