Ryan was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1980. He accepted Christ at the age of 10 at FBC Center, Texas during a revival led by Henry Blackaby, author of the Experiencing God Bible study. While serving as an interim youth pastor during the summer of 2000, Ryan surrendered to God’s call to full-time ministry. He graduated from East Texas Baptist University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Ministry. It was during his time at ETBU that he met his wife, Kristen, and they celebrated their marriage in 2009. He went on to study at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with an M. Div. in Biblical Languages in 2011. Ryan is currently working on his Ph.D. in Family and Generational Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Kristen is from Forney, Tx and came to know Christ at 6 years old. She surrendered to a call to ministry in 2005 and attended ETBU where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2008. She has also earned a Master of Educational Leadership from University of Texas at Tyler in 2018.
Ryan and Kristen have two children: Ainsley (born in 2012) and Ryder (born in 2015).