Name Michael Milton | Role Author | |
Education University of Wales, Lampeter Books The Secret Life of a Pastor: (A, Finding a Vision for Your Chu, Small Things - Big Things: In, Cooperation Without Compromise, The Demands of Discipl | ||
Michael Anthony Milton (born 1958) is an American Presbyterian minister, theologian, pastor, broadcaster, author, professor, U.S. Army Reserves chaplain (Colonel), and composer-musician. Milton was elected to the James Ragsdale Chair of Missions and Evangelism, Erskine Theological Seminary, in June 2015. Milton, a former pastoral intern under D. James Kennedy, became President and Senior Fellow of the D. James Kennedy Institute for Reformed Leadership and Training. Milton succeeded D. James Kennedy as the Teaching Pastor on the nationally televised sermon broadcast, Truth That Transforms (2013-2015).
Contents
Milton's record includes service as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee and his election as President of the Charlotte campus of RTS (2007) and then Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) (2010). He is the founder and president of Faith For Living, Inc. a North Carolina religious non-profit engaged in Christian discipleship, education, and communication.
Milton's writings and sermons have been published in the United States and the United Kingdom, and his published works appear in other languages.
Theological career
Michael A. Milton was educated for the ministry under D. James Kennedy, George W. Knight III, R. Laird Harris, and Robert L. Reymond at Knox Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California; received a B.A. from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and Master of Divinity from Knox Theological Seminary. He earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from the University of Wales, Lampeter. He wrote his dissertation in seventeenth century pastoral theology under William Price and Noel Gibbard, University of Wales, Lampeter. Milton is an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Master of Public Administration program of the School of Government (2016). Milton studied public administration under Dr. William Rivenbark. He is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Milton was founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and of Westminster Academy of Overland Park, Kansas; Interim President, Knox Theological Seminary; founding pastor, Kirk O' the Isles, Savannah, Georgia; Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee; before his appointment as president of RTS-Charlotte.
Milton was elected to become chancellor and chief executive officer of Reformed Theological Seminary on September 2, 2010, and officially assumed those duties on June 1, 2012, succeeding the Reverend Robert "Ric" Cannada, Jr. . The investiture and inauguration service was held on September 14, 2012.
Prior to becoming chancellor, Milton was President of RTS-Charlotte, elected in 2007, interim president of RTS Orlando, and the James M. Baird, Jr. Chair of Pastoral Theology since 2009. He retained the Chair of Pastoral Theology with his election as Chancellor.
On March 13, 2013, it was announced that the Executive Committee of the Seminary granted a retirement from the position in order to seek recovery from a chronic illness that had become increasingly debilitating. The move was described as compassionate in order for Milton to fully recover and be able to return to ministry. Milton wrote a theological reflection on the illness called, "Difficult but Necessary: Relinquishing Leadership in Winter to Renew Ministry in a New Season." Milton remains an adjunct member of the faculty.
Milton is a faculty member and speaker with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and is a contributor to the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College. He is a contributing editor to and contributing writer for Preaching Journal. He is, also, an adjunct faculty member of Belhaven University and holds the chair of missions and evangelism at Erskine Theological Seminary.
In addition to devotional and Biblical themes, Milton has written commentaries on Christian faith in the public square. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association asked Milton to serve on a lead team to write the theological affirmation for Billy Graham's final crusade, "My Hope". Milton was invited by President Ronald Reagan's son, Michael Reagan, to speak at the Reagan Center in Santa Barbara, California. He spoke on September 26, 2013 at the Reagan Center, before the guests of the Young Americas Foundation, on the topic of "What the Legacy of Ronald Reagan Can Teach Us Today about Religious Liberty."
Milton serves as a Chaplain,Colonel, in the United States Army Reserves. Milton was appointed by the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army in 2010 to the College of Military Preachers. Michael A. Milton also served as a faculty member of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was Senior Editor of the Chaplain Corps Journal'. In 2015, Michael A. Milton was appointed as the Command Chaplain of U.S. Military Intelligence Readiness Command.
In addition to his membership and contributions to the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature, Milton is a member of the Sons of the Revolution and the American Legion.
Milton teaches or has taught on the mission of the Church in the world, homiletics, church planting, apologetics, world religions, and pastoral theology courses at the masters and doctoral levels at Reformed Theological Seminary, Knox Theological Seminary, and Erskine Theological Seminary. Milton, also, teaches theological perspectives on economics, public policy, leadership, and public administration.
Milton has advocated a "reorientation" to a "parochial theology" or a "parish ministry" in order to more faithfully fulfill the Biblical vision of the ordained ministry and the ordinary work of discipleship, especially in Refomed churches. He codified a vocational training portion of this vision in his concept of "pastoral residency" following theological seminary training. Milton wrote on accomplishing this arrangement under a proposed fellowship called the D. James Kennedy Institute of Reformed Leadership. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church voted in 2017 to partner with Milton to become the host and developer for the D. James Kennedy Institute and the pastoral residency fellowship.
Books
Milton is the author of or contributor to the following books:
Music
Milton is a singer-songwriter, performer, and recording artist who has released five Christian music albums: He Shall Restore (2005, ASIN: B0013BJ7QS), Follow Your Call (2009, ASIN: B001J6VP58), Through the open door (2011, ASIN: B004CHP1LK), Wind and Waves: A Collection (2015, ASIN: B00TV63PW4).
A Christmas album, (2012, ASIN: B009YJQ72S) was released on October 23, 2012.
Milton, under Bethesda Records, released a single entitled, "A Promise is Stronger than Blood". A press release from McCain & Associates announced that the single was released to support sanctity of life adoption ministries.
Preacher
In addition to pastoral work, Milton is an evangelistic preacher. He is the Founder and President of Faith for Living, an evangelistic outreach ministry. Milton followed D. James Kennedy as preacher on the broadcast Truth that Transforms.
Milton has been the keynote preacher for the National Preaching Conference on three occasions, and the International Congress on Preaching in Cambridge, England. He was the preacher at the General Synod of the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church in 2017.