'We exist to come alongside the church': Lifeway installs Ryan Blackwell as new president
Megachurch Pastor Ryan Blackwell has been installed as the new president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, the media and resource arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
During a service held Monday, as part of Lifeway's Board of Trustees multi-day meeting in Brentwood, Tennessee, Blackwell was installed as the organization's 11th president. Lifeway has existed for more than 130 years and its resources are used in more than 160 countries across six continents.
"I never expected or aspired to be in this role," said Blackwell, according to Lifeway, "but I’m grateful the Lord has entrusted me with the leadership of Lifeway.”
In his remarks, Blackwell also emphasized Lifeway’s longstanding mission of serving local churches rather than competing with them.
“Lifeway does not replace the church, nor do we compete with the church. We exist to come alongside the church,” he said. “Our responsibility today in this room is not simply to preserve what previous generations built. It’s to move Lifeway into serving churches in the future.”
During the installation service, Ronnie Floyd, Blackwell's former pastor at Cross Church, read from Isaiah 43 and prayed over him. Nick Floyd, Cross Church's current pastor and a lifelong friend of Blackwell's, shared personal reflections, saying, "No greater thing can be said about a man than that he will do whatever God tells him to do. This is Ryan Blackwell," according to Lifeway.
Blackwell compared Lifeway’s role to that of Aaron and Hur, who supported Moses’ hands during Israel’s battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
“Church leaders are carrying burdens that many people never see. They do not need us to stand at a distance and tell them what they are doing wrong,” Blackwell stated. “They need people who understand the weight they carry and are willing to come alongside them.”
In April, it was announced that Blackwell, an executive and teaching pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, was unanimously elected by trustees to become the new president during a special-called meeting in Nashville, following an eight-month search process led by a seven-trustee search committee approved in July 2025, according to Baptist Press.
Blackwell was chosen to replace Ben Mandrell, who resigned in July 2025 to become the new lead pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Tennessee, replacing former SBC President Steve Gaines as its senior pastor.
He began serving at Cross Church in 2020 and is credited with helping to grow weekly attendance from 7,000 to over 11,000. A native of Arkansas, Blackwell grew up at Cross Church and previously served there as pastor of young adults before returning as executive pastor. Previously, he served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church of San Francisco for almost 10 years, from 2010 to 2019.
Blackwell, 42, is married to Rachel Blackwell, and the couple has three children, Brady, Allie and Mae, according to Baptist Press. He earned a bachelor's degree in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2006, followed by a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, now known as Gateway Seminary.
“I’m deeply humbled and grateful to be given this opportunity by the trustees. Lifeway has a long and faithful history of serving churches, and I’m honored to step into this role at such a pivotal time,” said Blackwell in a statement earlier this year.
He added, “I love the local church and believe deeply in its mission. My heart is to serve pastors and church leaders by helping provide biblically faithful resources that strengthen discipleship and advance the Gospel.”
