Brother Michael Parker is the General Overseer of the Church of the Latter Rain. His ministry began more than 20 years ago with a heart to see a church operating in divine love and divine unity. He has labored faithfully for the Lord from his youth and is now leading a unified ministry to preach the truth of the Gospel throughout the world.

Brother Michael was brought to the Body of Christ when he was three weeks old, one year after Brother Lacy Hawkins opened the church in Berkeley, California. Early in his childhood, he began to face some challenging family situations. During that time in his life, both Brother Hawkins and Sister Etta Hawkins took an interest in his spiritual and natural wellbeing and they began to develop a special bond. Through their positive lifestyle, love, and support Brother Michael began to grow in the Lord.

At the age of 16-years-old, Brother Michael became serious about serving the Lord. He was a talented basketball player who loved the game but sacrificed any future in the sport to focus on serving the Lord and His people. His decision to put the Lord first inspired a generation of youth to also develop a deeper personal relationship with the Lord. Brother Michael became a respected leader among the young people in the Body of Christ and the church across the nation.

In the early 1990s, Brother Hawkins established a program to bring youth together to focus on salvation, education, and recreation. At the center of this effort was Brother Michael, who began to develop leadership and operations management skills as the president of the Student Senate. He also began to facilitate special meetings where youth came together to read the bible and search the scriptures.

By the time Brother Michael graduated college, it was evident that the Lord was working in his life in a special way. He was ordained into the ministry as a young man, and for more than 20 years has nurtured and counseled thousands of people throughout the world.

Today, Brother Michael works side-by-side with Brother Lacy Hawkins to oversee all of the ministerial and administrative operations of the Body of Christ. He has helped establish new assemblies in the East Coast and India through a virtual operation, which he developed with the guidance of Brother Lacy Hawkins and in partnership with ministers in the church. This virtual operation would eventually become the foundation for spreading the Gospel internationally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Word of God continued to be preached virtually and the church has grown exponentially beyond the U.S. and India. 

Brother Michael has been married to Sister Maya Parker -- who also grew up in the church -- for more than 20 years. Sister Maya has been a pillar in the church since her youth and has had a great impact on the entire Body of Christ. Together, Brother Michael and Sister Maya have committed their lives to the work of the Lord, and continue to build upon the foundation that was laid by Brother Lacy Hawkins more than 40 years ago.