Mike Schadt is known for taking a bold, even fearless approach to preaching Christ where He’s not known, resting in the truth of Psalm 115:11, “You who fear the Lord, then trust the Lord.” Fearing God more than man, Mike has pursued his calling to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, ministering to the Lost and planting churches on all six habitable continents over the years of the Lord opening doors for ministry.
Entering adulthood, Mike joined the US Marine Corps, where he served both stateside and in East Asia. After his military service, he pursued and excelled in a career as a professional beach volleyball player. In the midst of all this, his life was spiraling out of control quickly and dangerously. With pending arrest warrants in multiple states, it was then the Lord rescued and called Mike from darkness to life…at just the right time, as Romans 5:6 tells us!
With a newfound passion to share the Gospel and a calling to plant churches, Mike and his wife, Sandy, founded SOS Ministries in 2000. They invited a number of godly men to join them in leading this new non-profit endeavor. This pioneer church planting ministry has served unreached people groups around the world, following the example of the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:20, “It has always been my ambition to preach Christ where he is not known, so as to not build on another man’s foundation.” Over the last 26 years, God has opened many doors where SOS served in 10 countries – from the Middle East to West Africa and from Latin America to the US. With a sense of urgency that there is still much work left to be done, Mike desires to see SOS continue expanding its outreach to new countries, planting more churches, making more disciples, baptizing more believers, and most importantly, bringing more glory to Jesus Christ in all ways!
From his years as a pro-athlete, serving with Athletes in Action in Romania and at the Olympics in Australia, to mission trips loving on homeless street children in Brazil, to ministering the Gospel as a professor/teacher at a secular college in Florida, to living overseas as a pioneer church planter, God has brought amazing opportunities to spread the Gospel and build up the kingdom of God. As the Scriptures say, anyone who desires to be bold and live godly will be persecuted (II Tim. 3:12), and indeed, Mike has suffered persecution, even kidnapping, for the sake of Christ. But the ministry and the calling to go into the darkness have compelled him to press on. Whether preaching Christ to some of the most murderous men on the planet from the MS-13 gang, or to Muslim clerics in Taliban strongholds, or to chief sorcerers worshipping Satan, or to the underground church, God has found Mike faithful to share the Gospel boldly with the Lost and passionately with the church.
As a young Christian and throughout his years serving with SOS, Mike has been featured by multiple media outlets, from TV to newspapers to magazines, such as the Discovery Channel, TLC, Fox News, CBN, and Bay Focus, as well as in the international media. As an Ordained Pastor and a director of SOS Ministries, Mike is a frequent conference and event itinerant speaker.
Mike has been faithfully married for over 30 years to his beautiful wife and partner in ministry, Sandy. The couple shares three children, all married, whose 6 (soon to be 7) fantastic grandchildren lovingly call Mike their favorite “grand-dude”!
