Michael Youssef (born September 25, 1948) is an Egyptian-American pastor. He is the founding rector and senior

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and the

executive president An executive president is the head of state who exercises authority over the governance of that state, and can be found in presidential, semi-presidential, and parliamentary systems. They contrast with figurehead presidents, common in most parlia ...

o
Leading the Way

Life and career

Youssef was born in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, where he became a Christian. The

Six Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June 1967. Military hostilities broke ...

in 1967 caused Youssef to flee Egypt with just a suitcase. He lived in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

before moving to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. While in Australia, Youssef studied at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney holds ''ex officio'' the presidency of t ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, was ordained as a minister, and met his wife, Elizabeth. The Youssefs immigrated to the United States in 1977, and in 1984 Youssef became a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

. He earned additional degrees from

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Youssef worked for nearly 10 years with the Haggai Institute, traveling around the world and teaching courses in

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

and church leadership to church leaders. He founded the Church of the Apostles in 1987. He has authored more than 50 books, including ''The Barbarians Are Here'', ''End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi'', and ''Jesus, Jihad and Peace''. Youssef founded Leading The Way in 1988, a ministry in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, with a focus on reaching Muslims in the Middle East. He is also the founding pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta. Youssef and his wife live in Atlanta and have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

Publications

* ''Fearless Living in Troubled Times: Finding Hope in the Promise of Christ's Return'' (2017) * ''Life-Changing Prayers: How God Displays His Power to Ordinary People'' (2018) * ''Saving Christianity?'' (2020) * ''Is the End Near?: What Jesus Told Us About the Last Days'' (2022) * ''How to Read the Bible: As If Your Life Depends on It'' (2023) * ''Heaven Awaits'' (2024) * ''God's Final Call'' (2025)

References

External links

Church of the Apostles official website

Leading the Way official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Youssef, Michael Living people Christians from Georgia (U.S. state) Evangelical pastors Egyptian Evangelical writers American Evangelical writers Egyptian emigrants to Australia Egyptian emigrants to the United States Naturalized citizens of the United States Fuller Theological Seminary alumni Moore Theological College alumni Emory University alumni 1948 births 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century evangelicals