About

Ryan, Nikki, Caleb, and Lydia Strother

About Me:

I have the privilege of serving as the senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Marion, Ohio. I love being a husband, father, motorcycle rider, and Florida Gators fan (even in Buckeye country!).

My desire is for Central to love Christ and His Word, and demonstrate that love to see Marion changed for God’s glory. This blog’s purpose is to improve communication with the people at Central, and to make ministry more effective with the content that is posted.  To read about how I use this blog, click here.

A Quick Background:
Being a pastor’s kid, I understood what the church was supposed to look like and how Christians were supposed to act.  The problem was that I realized that acting and being are two different things.

I was seven years old when I surrendered my life to Jesus and was baptized, burying my sinful nature and rising with new life in Christ!  I had (and still have) much maturing to do in my faith at that point, and God began teaching me about Himself and who I needed to become.  I knew that my life needed to become more like Jesus’.  At thirteen, I surrendered my work to the Lord.  I was open to His leading in my life.  Eventually God led me into the ministry, calling me to preach and pastor when I was 19.  He has given me great opportunities to learn and serve (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, LaVale Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church) that have led to the current position He has given me.

I praise God for Central, a church of loving people who want to know Christ more and more and experience His blessings.  It is a privilege to lead them.