Resident Pastor, MCAG Barking
The Man Who Stopped Hiding
For many years, Pastor Michael Darko did what so many faithful believers do: he served quietly. He helped where he could. He carried bags, ran errands of ministry, and described himself — modestly, perhaps a little protectively — as someone simply playing a “supportive role.” It was easier that way. Safer. Less exposing.
But God, as it turns out, is not particularly impressed by hiding.
After years of what he himself describes as “indecision and hiding under the pretext of just helping,” Pastor Michael finally stopped resisting the call of God upon his life. He enrolled with Assemblies of God UK to undertake the Minister in Training course — and from that moment forward, the trajectory of his life turned outward. Two years later, in 2017, he graduated with full AoG ministerial status, and was subsequently ordained as a fully-fledged minister of the Assemblies of God.
The man who once played supportive had stepped fully into the spotlight of his calling.
A Journey from Amsterdam to the Heart of East London
Pastor Michael’s MCAG (UK) story began in 2004, the year he relocated from Amsterdam and made his way into the small but growing community of believers that would, in time, become one of the most influential Pentecostal church families in the United Kingdom.
He did not stay quiet for long.
Appointed shortly thereafter as the Mission and Evangelism Director for MCAG (UK), Pastor Michael set about doing what would become a hallmark of his ministry: pushing the Church out of the building and into the streets. Under his leadership, the various branches of MCAG (UK) embarked on series of street evangelism initiatives across London — taking the message of the Gospel directly to the pavements, parks, and high streets of the city.
But his vision of mission was never narrow. Under his stewardship, MCAG (UK) extended its hands of compassion in tangible, sustained ways:
- Food donations to homeless centres across London
- A formal partnership with Compassion UK to sponsor four orphan children in Ghana
- Clothes donations to orphanage homes in Ghana, forming the backbone of MCAG (UK)’s overseas mission outreach
For Pastor Michael, evangelism and compassion have always been two sides of the same coin — a Gospel preached must also be a Gospel lived.
A Heart for Planting
If there is one word that captures Pastor Michael’s ministry beyond preaching, it is planting.
He was instrumental in MCAG (UK)’s establishment of a branch in Coventry — a work that was later stewarded forward by another Assemblies of God church. He played an active role in the planting of MCAG Northolt. And he stood at the forefront of the planting of MCAG Barking in 2014 — the very church he now leads as Resident Pastor.
Few in MCAG (UK)’s history have placed as many spiritual stakes in the ground as Pastor Michael. Church planting, in his estimation, is not a project. It is a passion — a conviction that every community deserves a local church where the unfiltered Gospel is faithfully preached, lives are transformed, and people are nurtured for Christ.
That conviction shapes the way he pastors. Visit MCAG Barking on any given Sunday and the marks of his leadership are unmistakable: a Christ-centred environment, a commitment to holiness of life, a heavenward focus, and the undiluted Word of God preached without apology.
Building the Foundations: Theological Formation
Pastor Michael’s commitment to faithful preaching has been matched by an equally serious commitment to study.
Not content to rest at ordination, he pursued further theological education at the London School of Theology (LST), one of the most respected theological institutions in the country. After three years of full-time study, he graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Theology.
What this season represented, for those watching closely, was the unmistakable mark of a minister taking his calling with the seriousness it deserves. The man who once shied away from ministry now devoted years of his life to studying it with intellectual rigour.
What He Stands For
Ask Pastor Michael about his ministerial convictions and the answers are clear, ordered, and quietly fierce:
- Church planting — building new houses of worship across the nation
- Christian values — anchoring the next generation in biblical truth
- Holiness of life — a personal walk that matches the public message
- Focusing on Heaven — keeping the Church’s eyes fixed on eternity
- Preaching the undiluted Word of God — without compromise, without dilution
- Leadership that nurtures people for Christ — patient, pastoral, intentional
These are not slogans on a wall. They are the rhythms of a ministry built over two decades of service.
A Vibrant Church, A Growing Family
Under Pastor Michael’s leadership, MCAG Barking has become a vibrant and growing local church — a community known for its warmth, its biblical depth, and its commitment to reaching the multicultural neighbourhoods of East London.
He carries that same warmth into his home. Affectionately called “Pastor Michael” by the church family, he is the devoted husband of Mrs. Hagar Darko and the proud father of two wonderful boys, Marcus and Andrew.
It is from this foundation — a faithful family, a steady doctrine, and a long obedience to the call of God — that he continues to lead MCAG Barking into all that God has next.
