About Michael J. Fast

My journey has been one of steady learning — in classrooms, in churches, and in the everyday life of the communities I’ve been part of.

My heart has always been in teaching and pastoring. Since 1992, I’ve served in youth ministry, church planting, and mission work. What keeps me going is hearing how God is at work in people’s lives — those stories still move me. That same love for learning and ministry led me into academic work (a BA, MDiv, and later a PhD in Philippine Studies), and eventually brought my family and me to the Philippines in 1999.

My research grows out of real questions. My PhD explored masculinity and religiosity among Filipino men, and I’ve also studied how immigrant communities pass on their faith. At the core, I’m drawn to truth — not just ideas, but how belief shapes people, families, and societies. Today, I serve as Academic Vice-President at South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc., where I help prepare future leaders for ministry.

This website is where the different parts of my life come together — the pastor, the teacher, the cross-cultural learner, and the Métis Canadian who is still growing in understanding his own story. It’s a place for me to think out loud about how the church can engage the world with wisdom and hope.

I don’t have all the answers. But I believe honest questions, asked with humility, can bring us closer to truth and to each other. I write to reflect, to share, and to invite conversation.

If you’d like to explore more of my academic work, you can find it on ResearchGate and Academia, or see my personal bio page at South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc.

And if you’re curious, my wife Eva blogs here as well. I hope you’ll enjoy her writing.

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