Serving as GBC’s Associate Pastor, Ryan oversees our ministries and equips volunteers and leaders to use their gifts to serve our church, community, and world. He leads our discipleship ministries, which include small groups, education, and outreach. He provides general oversight for the maintenance of our grounds and facilities.
Before joining the staff at Grace, Ryan earned an M.A. from Furman University, taught for five years in the Greenville County School system, and was certified as a school administrator. He then worked for a company that bought and flipped foreclosure homes (much like those shows on HGTV, minus all the drama). These opportunities, along with previous pastoral experience and seminary training, have grown Ryan into an effective minister of the Gospel. He holds both an M.Div. and a D.Min. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently working on a second Ph.D.
When not at work, Ryan spends time with his wife, Tracy, and kids, Nora and Hudson. He enjoys his Pittsburgh sports teams, drinking his weight in coffee, playing Settlers of Catan, having good conversations with friends, and reading a good book. When possible, he tries to tackle all of these at the same time. Ryan also blogs at ryanleasure.com where he writes about Christian apologetics.