Introductions from around the Heartland: Ryan Austin
Ryan and Ashley Austin and their children: Josiah, Isaac, Simon, Hannah, Lydia, and Sarah
God has greatly blessed our district with churches and ministers faithfully committed to the work of the gospel. In a district our size, however, we don’t always get to know each other well. Over the next several months, we hope to help foster connections across the district with pastoral interviews. Some faces will be very new, and some will be better known.
This month, we’d like to introduce a newer face to the Heartland. Welcome Ryan Austin, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Sibley, IA, a new affiliation to Converge Heartland.
1. When did you first believe God was calling you to pastoral ministry?
When I was a child, I knew that if there was a God, he wanted me to be a pastor. But as a child, I didn’t care, and I didn’t want to be a pastor.
When I was in high school, I was making plans to join the Air Force when God made it abundantly clear that I needed to stop living for myself and start following him. I went to college with the aim that I wanted to make disciples but was not sure what that actually meant. I was avoiding the (senior) pastor career route if I could, but there is no running from God.
The “discipleship” focus at my college was done by the children’s ministry professor. My first job in ministry was Director of Children and Youth. It was in that position that I was taught how to preach. Eventually, I left that church job to try my hand at ministry in the secular world, and I became utterly convicted that I was not using my gifts to serve God. At that time, I started looking for a pastoral position, but I was not looking at the senior pastor position.
I happened to click on one just for kicks, and as I read it, it seemed like it was written for me. I sent it to my wife, expecting her to say “no” to it. Surprisingly, she also thought it was written for me. So I applied, and after much prayer and many interviews, the church issued a unanimous call. Clearly, God wants me here!
2. Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My wife Ashley and I have been married for 13 years this June. God started giving us kids about a year after we got married. God has blessed us with three sons: Josiah, Isaac, and Simon. Then he blessed us with three daughters: Hannah, Lydia, and Sarah. He has also blessed us with a seventh due this Christmas.
3. Where did you study in preparation for ministry?
My first college was the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, which is a small 20-student Advent Christian school. I knew nothing about their theology when I went; I only went because they offered a trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. After earning a one-year Bible certificate from them, I transferred to Lancaster Bible College, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies.
I am currently researching how to pursue an M.Div. or master’s degree online.
4. What kinds of ministry have you been involved in before your time as pastor of First Baptist Church of Sibley?
I served for six years at my previous church in Lancaster, PA, and gained experience in many areas of ministry. I taught God’s word to kids from four-year-olds to seniors in high school. I also preached on many occasions and helped the elders lead while the pastor was on sabbatical.
5. Who have been some influential people in your ministry journey? (Mentors, authors, other pastors, friends, etc.)
My last pastor was the most influential—Phil Good. He taught me his job. When I took the children-and-youth job, my wife was nervous about the youth ministry side of it. “What if they ask you (complicated theology question)?” So I started binge-listening to MacArthur, Sproul, Baucham, Begg, and Piper, challenging myself to take biblical theology and be able to explain it in terms a sixth grader could understand.
6. What is your favorite book (other than the Bible, of course)?
I love anything by David McCullough (John Adams, 1776, The Wright Brothers, etc.). His writing is like a time machine that can take the facts and make them a reality the reader can live in for a time. But my favorite book is Lilith by George MacDonald. MacDonald is the author who influenced Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and this novel (despite the author’s universalism slipping in) is a profound delight.
7. What is one interesting or random fact about you that you’d like to share?
I love studying American military history and am excited to see more American history out here in America’s Heartland.
8. Please share with us something you would like the Heartland to know about First Baptist Church of Sibley, IA.
First Baptist Church is a very special church that will be 150 years old in two years. FBC Sibley looks nothing like it did 24 years ago, and not every change has been kind. We are in a place of revitalization, unifying members and regular attendees by scripture through expository preaching, making plans to be strategic in our outreach, and praying we will have a heart of compassion as Jesus did for his neighbors. My prayer is that God’s name will be hallowed in Sibley.