By Aaron Earls
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Surrounded by friends and family, Ryan Blackwell was installed as the 11th president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources on Monday evening, Aug. 24.
The installation service, held during the organization’s biannual Board of Trustees meeting, brought together Southern Baptist leaders and Blackwell’s ministry mentors to encourage and challenge the new Lifeway leader.
“I never expected or aspired to be in this role,” Blackwell said, “but I’m grateful the Lord has entrusted me with the leadership of Lifeway.”
He then shared his understanding of the organization’s purpose. “Lifeway does not replace the church, nor do we compete with the church. We exist to come alongside the church.”
Blackwell compared Lifeway to Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ arms allowing the Israelites to win the 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,” he said. “They need people who understand the weight they carry and are willing to come alongside them.”
Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said Blackwell must “maintain missional discipline.” Iorg, who was a member of Blackwell’s church in San Francisco, called Blackwell to “lash Lifeway tightly to its mission and expend your life fulfilling that mission with passion, integrity and service.”
Ronnie Floyd, who served as Blackwell’s pastor at Cross Church in Arkansas, read from Isaiah 43 and prayed over Blackwell. Nick Floyd, current pastor of Cross Church and lifelong friend of Blackwell, shared personal reflections. “No greater thing can be said about a man than that he will do whatever God tells him to do,” he said. “This is Ryan Blackwell.”
On behalf of the organization and his fellow trustees, board chairman James Carroll, pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown, Kentucky, pledged to pray for Blackwell and serve him in his leadership of Lifeway. “When you need us, we will help you,” he said. “We will offer you unwavering but not blind support.” Carroll said he and his fellow trustees would ask questions to challenge and encourage Blackwell and Lifeway to become all God calls it to be.
Presidential address
Beyond the installation service, Lifeway’s Board of Trustees meeting took place in the organization’s building from Aug. 23-25.
In his first report to trustees as president and CEO, Blackwell offered commitments to the board and invited them to make those commitments as well.
Drawing from the organization’s core values, Blackwell pledged that Lifeway will treasure biblical truth, care about character, be better together, create customer delight and chart what’s next.
Examining Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 3, Blackwell said Lifeway must prioritize the Bible. “It’s important for me to say this from the very beginning: Scripture must remain the foundation of Lifeway,” he said. “We don’t build on what’s popular, profitable or convenient. We build on the Word of God.”
As the organization builds on its biblical foundation, Blackwell said it must constantly remember who they serve — local church leaders. He said his desire stepping into the presidency is that “the local church would feel the heart of Lifeway like never before.”
After lauding Lifeway’s “rich history,” Blackwell challenged trustees, saying, “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.”
He noted trustees have had to make difficult and important decisions in the past that enabled Lifeway to be at a new moment of opportunity. “Now, we can ask, ‘What’s next?’ That means asking God, ‘What do you want to do?’”
Blackwell said charting what’s next is not about chasing every new idea. “It means praying, listening and then moving with wisdom and courage.”
In the end, the organization is dependent on God. “The future of Lifeway will not flourish because of a new president or the collective wisdom of a trustee board,” Blackwell said. “We need the direction and power only God can provide.”
He said they must chart what’s next on their knees in prayer with open Bibles and open hands.
Budget update
Chief Financial Officer Cossy Pachares informed trustees of the projected numbers for the end of the 2026 fiscal year and the 2027 budget. He said Lifeway should end the year with strong revenue growth compared to prior year and better than budgeted for fiscal year 2026. The fiscal year 2027 budget plans for continued growth.
Pachares noted continued growth in several key areas. During the pandemic, ongoing curriculum sales dropped precipitously as church groups weren’t able to gather in person. Lifeway did not return to pre-COVID levels until 2024 but has continued to grow since then. Bibles and reference material sales continue to be strong. Vacation Bible School, supplies and camps have all seen continued growth since 2020.
“We are thankful to God for His faithfulness as we continue to see growth at Lifeway,” Pachares said.
Trustees unanimously approved a $321.3 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
Organizational updates
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Walker shared areas of intentional emphasis for the organization, including a strategic repurposing of the Lifeway website to be more focused on local churches and church leaders. Walker said the organization wants to leverage retail trade partners to serve individual customers, while focusing Lifeway.com on the church.
He also updated trustees on issues related to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Lifeway hosted two micro-conferences at the 2025 annual meeting and is planning on leading six in 2026. Additionally, Walker said Lifeway is formalizing how the organization is addressing requests made by the Special Needs Task Force. Many of the responses are still being developed, but material is already being highlighted at Lifeway.com/SpecialNeeds.
Devin Maddox, publisher for B&H Publishing Group, shared that the nation’s largest publishing companies are investing more in Christian publishing because the area is growing more than other areas of the industry. Lifeway, however, is not driven by profits but by the Great Commission and the mission of the local church.
Kirk Kirkland, director of Lifeway Worship, updated the board on the renewed investment in LifewayWorship.com. When the website relaunches in October, it will feature new music for churches in three specific areas: congregational, presentational and NextGen.
He noted that Southern Baptist churches will need 20,000 new worship leaders by 2040. He’s taken that as a responsibility. “On my way, we will raise the next generation of worshipers and worship leaders,” Kirkland said.
He emphasized a desire to serve smaller congregations. “There is no such thing as a small church,” he said. “There are smaller churches. But there are no small churches in the kingdom of God. I am intent on letting our smaller churches know that we are here for them.”
Other trustee business
Trustees approved new dates for the next two winter meetings: Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2027, and Feb. 27-29, 2028.
The board also welcomed nine new trustees who began their term in June: Alan Arthur and Carla Lasater from Texas, Frank Carlisle from Mississippi, Ginger Gilhooly from Ohio, Philip Huggins from Pennsylvania, Bill Johnston from Alabama, Kathy Kirk from Louisiana, Pedro Linares from Florida and Andy Roberson from South Carolina.
Earls is the senior writer for Lifeway Christian Resources.
Comments are closed.