Ryan Wood

Ryan has served in pastoral ministry for over 25 years. After 15 years as an associate pastor, he and his family planted a new church in the community of Bonney Lake, Washington. The decade that followed was a time of growth, blessings, and challenges. The church grew, leaders were trained, people were reached, missionaries sent out, and then the doors closed. After 10 years of ministry as a local church, a multitude of events in 2020 brought that season to a close. Ryan stepped away from pastoral ministry and into a “regular” job.

But that season brought all kinds of new challenges. Ryan struggled with depression, false guilt, shame, and numbness towards the Lord. Yet in God’s kindness, he led Ryan to a faithful and healthy church, in which he and his family were loved and cared for. And the pastors of that church connected Ryan with a Standing Stone Shepherd.

Through both Standing Stone and Ryan’s local church family, God restored him to spiritual health and vitality. He also opened the door for him to be an encouragement to others who were struggling in ministry. Ryan is now a lay pastor at his local church as well as a Standing Stone Shepherd, humbly sharing from the wealth of ministry experience, joys, and trials God has brought him through.

Ryan and his wife Amy have been married since 1998. They have two daughters, Rylie and Anna, who are two of their favorite people on the planet. The Woods still live in Bonney Lake and are part of Summit Christian Fellowship, in Tacoma, Washington. Ryan suffers as a life-long Seattle Mariners fan, and enjoys a good cigar, an engaging movie, and great coffee.