On July 31, 2026, Mike Riddle passed from this earth into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, after battling a long-term illness. While the loss of Mike is a major void for all of us here, we also rejoice when a brother or sister graduates to eternal life!
Mike leaves behind a tremendous legacy of speaking and teaching. He has been able to address audiences at NASA, various secular and Christian universities, over 500 churches worldwide, state homeschool conventions, and numerous educational institutions. In addition, over 15,000 youth have been able to hear about biblical creation and apologetics!
Mike spent the last 10+ years as the Founder and President of Creation Training Initiative, fulfilling his biggest mission — training new Christian soldiers according to the ministry verse, 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
I have had the pleasure of being discipled by Mike since 2014. In 2017, Mike asked me to join the CTI Board alongside long-standing members Pastor Jay and John, both of whom still serve in this capacity. In 2018, after years of grueling training sessions that only a push-up-prescribing Marine could put one through, Mike made me an official speaker of CTI.
While I have been speaking nationally since 2013 in creation apologetics, biblical apologetics, and evangelism — and even appeared in 2 movies — I have really enjoyed serving alongside Mike in our shared goal of training the next generation. We have worked closely over the years developing new courses and training materials that have come to fruition, including our Christian Educators’ Conference and our Apologetics for the 21st Century 1-day course. We also have many ideas for the future that are at various stages of development.
Mike spent the last several years preparing me to eventually run the ministry that the Lord entrusted to him years ago. With Mike’s passing, the Board has officially named me the new President of CTI. While these are tremendous shoes to try and fill, I am excited to continue the mission of CTI.
Please pray for the board members of CTI as we continue the legacy of Mike in the ministry. John, Jay, Scott, and I have been prepared for the challenge, and Lesley is excited to continue to serve CTI as she has done faithfully for many years alongside Mike.
Please also continue to be in prayer for his wife, Lesley, as well as the rest of his family as they continue to grieve their loss.
I am forever grateful for the mentoring and discipling Mike has done with me since we met in the Fall of 2013. It has been an honor and a pleasure working with Mike all of these years.
God Bless,
Dr. Anthony R. Silvestro, Jr.
President, Creation Training Initiative
anthony@creationtraining.org