After graduating from Bismarck Junior College, Mike Montgomery attended the University of North Dakota, where he played basketball. While at UND, Mike made a commitment to Christ and was instrumental in the spiritual growth of other athletes. After graduating with a BA in Social Work, Mike began teaching and coaching in Oklahoma. During this time, he completed a degree in Biblical Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.  Since then, he has been involved in ministry in both church and parachurch settings. He served for nine years as an associate pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, ND.  He has also served as Executive Pastor and head of adult ministries at Bethany Community Church in Tempe, AZ.  He served as the Executive Vice President of the National Family Legal Foundation in Phoenix. 

Mike has worked with two ministry initiatives in Arizona. One involved establishing Bible studies and mentoring opportunities for CEOs. The other focused on connecting individuals coming out of prison with job opportunities in the construction industry. As Mike put it, the common denominator in both ministries was “keeping guys out of jail!” 

Mike is currently in his third year serving as Adult Discipleship Pastor at Salem Evangelical Free Church in Fargo.  He leads Freedom Way, a ministry to prisoners in the Cass County Jail.

Mike and Joan met in Grand Forks, where they were high school sweethearts; they have been married for 37 years.  They have three grown children – Shannon, Chad and Marcus.