Pastor Mike Obadja · Chino, CA

The Barnabas
Co-Lab.

Six months. Sixteen leaders. A formation cohort for those called to build something that lasts.
Includes Mike's new book About Face — launching April 2026.

“You can lead people, build things, make money, make progress…
and still feel that quiet ache in your chest that says:
There has to be more than a life of performance.
— Mike Obadja, About Face

The Book

You don't have to earn love.

About Face is not a self-help book. It is a return. A reorientation of identity — from performing to belonging, from building to being, from surviving to becoming the blessing.

December 2023. A ranch outside Houston.

Mike sat at a table of Christian business leaders. He felt like the smallest story in the room. Pastor Craig Hill didn't respond to what Mike said. He just looked at him. Quietly. Waited. No challenge. No critique. Just presence. The kind that doesn't rush to fix you. And something cracked open.

That moment — and what it taught Mike about the Father's face — is what this book is about.

  • 1
    Identity & Sonship You are not a project to be managed. You are a son. This is where the turn begins.
  • 2
    Sabbath & Rest The ache beneath the calendar. Learning to receive, not just produce.
  • 3
    Blessing & Legacy What you pass down is not what you preach. It is what you practice.
  • 4
    Formation & Leadership Gifting can build crowds. Only wholeness can build family.
About Face by Michael Obadja — book cover
“Mike Obadja has discovered something profound — that it is impossible to truly love and bless others until you yourself have received the Father's blessing. I wholeheartedly recommend About Face to anyone who desires to deeply impact the lives of those God has entrusted to them.”
— Craig Hill · Family Foundations International

Coming to Amazon

Turning Back to the God Who Turns Toward You. Available on Amazon in April 2026 — Kindle and paperback. Join the list above to get notified the moment it goes live, plus a free chapter delivered to your inbox before launch.

Pastor Mike Obadja

Mike Obadja

Pastor · Author · Founder

20+Years in ministry
1Book launching

About the Author

A pastor who learned to come home.

Mike Obadja is a pastor and leader based in Chino, California. For over two decades, he has led communities, built teams, and cultivated leaders — while slowly learning that the most important formation happens in the quiet, not the spotlight.

About Face is his most personal work yet — a memoir and a pathway, written for every leader who has ever wondered if there's more to faith than function. Mike lives in Southern California with his wife Mira and their children Mika and Malakai.

Barnabas Co-Lab

Formation that outlasts the season.

Barnabas Co-Lab is a 6-month Christian leadership formation cohort based in Chino, CA. 16 seats. In-person and online. Built for leaders who are ready to stop performing and start forming.

Month 1

Leader First

Formation before function. Who you are before what you do.

Month 2

Apostolic

Kingdom vision. Building that outlasts you.

Month 3

Prophetic

Hearing God. Speaking into what is not yet.

Month 4

Teacher

Rooting others in truth. Wisdom that builds, not impresses.

Month 5

Pastoral

Care without losing yourself. Presence as ministry.

Month 6

Evangelistic

Living sent. Influence as witness.

Weekly Core Night

In-person in Chino, CA. Tuesdays, 7–9PM PST. Teaching, formation, community.

Zoom Integration Lab

Weekly online session to apply what you're learning in your actual context and relationships.

Sage Saturdays

Monthly gatherings with seasoned leaders — including Craig Hill, Ps. Eddy Leo, and others.

Enrollment

Choose your track.

Two ways to join the cohort. Both tracks attend the same Sage Saturdays. 16 seats total across both tracks.

Online

Barnabas Co-Lab · Online

30 days

free, then $250/month × 2 (total $500)

  • Weekly Zoom Integration Lab
  • Monthly Sage Saturday (virtual)
  • Formation community & cohort group
  • 30-day free start
  • Same curriculum and sages as In-Person
Enroll Online →

Sage Saturdays

Learn from those who've walked it.

Monthly gatherings with seasoned leaders who bring decades of formation, family, and Kingdom experience to the room.

C

Craig Hill

Family Foundations International

Author of The Ancient Paths and The Power of a Parent's Blessing. Foreword author of About Face. Global ministry reaching families in over 40 nations.

E

Ps. Eddy Leo

Pastor · Indonesia

Author of ECCLESIA and Havruta — True Friendship. Visionary leader with reach across Indonesia and the United States. A model of marriage, family, and apostolic vision.

B

Bob Roberts Jr.

Northwood Church

Pioneering voice on church multiplication, glocal mission, and multi-faith engagement. A practitioner, not just a teacher — with influence across the US and the world.

The turn starts
somewhere real.

One relationship. One room. One responsibility. Barnabas Co-Lab is that room — for 16 leaders who are ready.

Enroll in Co-Lab →Get notified about the book