September 6, 2024
FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. — Ryan Ralston, is a young pastor with a love for the Lord, a passion for ministry and a desire to glorify God by faithfully fulfilling his calling.
Upon graduating from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with an M.Div. in Pastoral Ministry in December 2015, Ryan and his wife, Shasta, moved back to Georgia to serve as the campus pastor of Liberty Fort Oglethorpe, a satellite campus of Liberty Baptist Church in Dalton.
Ralston explained, “We served there for three and a half years, went through extremely difficult times that were out of our control and I resigned in September 2019. Shasta and I went to professional Christian counseling to heal from the hurt we experienced.
“As we prayed for direction from the Lord, Shasta mentioned that we should plant a church, because of the relationships we had built through our involvement in the community. I served as the president of the Tourism Association for the city of Oglethorpe, was on a local school governance board, and Shasta was working full-time as a sign language interpreter at a local high school, and we had recently purchased our first home in Fort Oglethorpe.”
As a mark of Ralston’s integrity, he resolved that he would only start a church in Fort Oglethorpe if he received the approval and blessing from the lead pastor and personnel team of Liberty Baptist Church and they were quick to respond in the affirmative.
“I wanted to make sure we were making the right decision,” remarked Ralston. “So, I reached out to pastors, leaders at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, mentors, and seminary professors. While at the seminary I worked at the Caskey Center, which was devoted to studying and equipping smaller-sized churches and bi-vocational ministers. I learned a great deal there and realize now that God was using that experience to prepare me for the calling to plant the church I am now serving.”
The Fort (Fort Baptist) had their first meeting on October 27, 2019, with 13 people present. Ralston reported, “Since we started our church, we have seen 36 people surrender to Christ through salvation, several have announced their call into ministry, and we have baptized 40 people. This year we have a goal of baptizing 20, and we’ve already baptized 11. Our average attendance is around 90, but this past Easter we had 167 in attendance.”
The Fort has not had a permanent home since its first meeting, but with the help of Associational Mission Strategist Dan Hyde that is about to change. Ralston remarked, “Dan called me one day and told me that Clearview Baptist Church was about to close their doors and was looking for another church to use their property for the Kingdom.
“The pastor had recently resigned and rather than trying to find another pastor, the Clearview Church began meeting with us. We prayed and after a couple of meetings, the church voted to give us their five acres with the church building, parsonage, and a 15-passenger van. The saints from Clearview have shown incredible humility in initiating this and have been some of the most Kingdom-focused people I’ve ever met. We will be closing on the property on June 19."
Ralston commented, “There are many projects that need to be completed before the building will be usable. We plan to renovate the property in four phases. We will first take care of the water damage, update the sanctuary with bare necessities for our worship, update the children’s spaces, and provide a welcome area at the entrance of the building. Our staff’s goal, and our renovation team’s goal is to have phase one of four phases completed so we can have our first service at the property on our four-year anniversary on October 29, 2023.”
Like most church planters and bi-vocational pastors Ryan’s schedule is frenzied, frenetic and feverish. In addition to pastoring a growing church, he teaches sixth grade social studies full-time, coaches cross country in the fall and coaches either baseball or golf in the spring. He is working on his Ph.D. in Christian Leadership from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has a wife and young daughter that certainly deserve a portion of his time and devotion.
Ralston stated, “I have had to learn to say ‘no,' how to delegate more effectively, how to strategically pray and plan and say ‘yes’ to what is best. I must focus extra hard on my personal quiet time with the Lord and not the next thing on my ‘to do’ list for the Lord. Someone said, ‘It’s more important to be than do,’ and being can sometimes take a backseat to doing.”
Ralston often expresses gratitude for Donny Lewis, his student minister, and Adam Bolin, who serves as the worship pastor of the church. Together, they make a formidable team of pastors who share the same vision and passion for ministry.
Ryan generally goes with his dad, Howard Ralston, to Alaska for a fishing trip each summer. He explained, “I think I am like a lot of other pastors who have a difficult time turning off work because we are passionate about what God has called us to do but finding time to take off from work and be with our family, do a hobby, and rest, are vital parts of taking a Sabbath and finding restoration and strength in the Lord.
Ralston asks that anyone interested in helping with the renovation at The Fort contact him via the church's website by filling out the connect card.
