Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Fontenot.
Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story really begins when I became a follower of Jesus at 18 years old. The Gospel completely changed the direction of my life and gave me a purpose bigger than anything I had imagined for myself. Not long after that, I sensed God calling me into ministry—especially to reach young people with the same message that had transformed me.
I earned my undergraduate degree from East Texas Baptist University and later completed a Master of Divinity at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Along the way, I served as a youth pastor in Shreveport and then worked with students in an inner-city ministry. Those experiences gave me a front-row seat to both the challenges facing the next generation and the incredible difference the Gospel can make in a young person’s life.
A defining moment came in 2000 while I was on a mission trip in Amsterdam. God made it clear that I was being called to the work of evangelism. In 2003, my wife, Heather, and I stepped out in faith and founded R.A.G.E. Ministries. Our mission is simple: to preach the Gospel to the next generation and prepare them to do the same.
The journey has not been a straight line. In 2010, I helped replant a church in the Dallas–Fort Worth area and served as its lead pastor for several years. That season taught me a great deal about leadership, building teams and serving a local community. But the call to evangelism never went away. In 2018, I began traveling and preaching more frequently again, and by 2019, I had returned to leading R.A.G.E. Ministries full-time.
Since then, God has opened doors for us to speak in churches, schools, camps and conferences across the country and internationally. We have seen thousands respond to the Gospel, and since 2022, we have trained more than 200,000 people to share their faith through our 1 Million Sent initiative. Our goal is to equip one million believers to live sent by the year 2030.
Recently, our family relocated from the DFW area to East Texas, where I also serve as Evangelism Pastor at New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview. I continue to lead R.A.G.E. Ministries and travel as an evangelist, while helping churches and leaders build cultures of everyday evangelism.
Looking back, I can see that every season—from youth ministry and church planting to traveling evangelism and leadership development—has been part of the same calling: helping people meet Jesus and equipping them to help others do the same.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Ministry can look exciting from the outside—the crowds, the travel and the stories of changed lives—but there have been many seasons of uncertainty behind the scenes.
One of the greatest challenges has been learning to trust God when the calling was clear but the path was not. Starting R.A.G.E. Ministries meant raising financial support, building relationships with churches and continuing to move forward when opportunities were inconsistent. There were seasons when we did not know where the next invitation or provision would come from. We had to learn that faithfulness could not be measured only by a full calendar, a large crowd or immediate results.
Balancing ministry and family has also required sacrifice and intentionality. Travel can take you away from the people you love most, and pursuing a meaningful mission does not automatically guarantee a healthy rhythm. Heather and our children have made tremendous sacrifices along the way, and I have had to learn that success in ministry means very little if I fail to be present and faithful at home.
There have also been difficult transitions. I have served as a youth pastor, church planter, lead pastor and traveling evangelist. Each transition required letting go of something familiar without always knowing exactly what was next. Returning to full-time evangelism was especially challenging because it meant stepping away from the stability and identity that came with leading a local church.
Then, in 2020, nearly every in-person event on our calendar disappeared. For a ministry built around traveling and gathering people, that could have stopped us. Instead, it forced us to innovate. We created a digital youth camp and began finding new ways to communicate the Gospel and equip churches online. What initially felt like a major setback became a catalyst for expanding our reach.
On a personal level, I am naturally driven and quick to pursue a vision. That can be a strength, but it can also lead me to move too fast, carry too much and become discouraged when progress takes longer than expected. God has continually taught me that calling does not eliminate hardship, growth takes time and obedience matters more than momentum.
The struggles have not weakened the mission; they have clarified it. They have taught me to depend on God, value the people walking beside me and remain faithful even when I cannot yet see the outcome.
As you know, we’re big fans of R.A.G.E. Ministries. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
R.A.G.E. Ministries is a nonprofit Christian organization with a mission to preach the Gospel to the next generation and prepare them to do the same.
We partner with churches, schools, camps and conferences to communicate the message of Jesus in a way that is biblical, clear and relevant. Our team speaks at student events, evangelism trainings, retreats and worship gatherings across the country and internationally. We also create practical resources that help ordinary believers confidently share their faith in everyday life.
What sets us apart is that we are focused on both proclamation and multiplication. We do not simply want to speak to a crowd and leave. We want to see people respond to the Gospel, become equipped and then carry that message into their schools, workplaces, families and communities. We believe evangelism is not reserved for pastors or professional speakers; every follower of Jesus can live sent.
One of the initiatives I am most proud of is 1 Million Sent. Our goal is to train one million believers to share the Gospel by 2030. Since launching the initiative in 2022, we have already equipped more than 250,000 people. Every one of those individuals represents the potential for countless Gospel conversations that our team may never personally witness.
We are also developing creative tools that make those conversations easier to begin, including Gospel wristbands, digital resources and Emoji-vangelism—using four simple emojis to help people understand and share the Gospel. These resources connect people to websites such as JesusSave.me, where they can explore the message further.
At the heart of R.A.G.E. Ministries is a conviction that the greatest need of every generation is the Gospel. Methods and technology will continue to change, but that message never will. We want readers to know that God can use anyone who is willing to share it—and our job is to help them get started.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned is that my responsibility is obedience; the results belong to God.
I am naturally wired to move quickly, pursue big ideas and measure progress by visible momentum. But ministry has repeatedly taught me that a clear calling does not always come with a clear roadmap. There have been seasons when the opportunities were plentiful and the impact was easy to see. There have also been seasons when we were working faithfully without knowing what God was building through it.
Over time, I have learned not to confuse visibility with significance. A large platform does not automatically mean lasting impact, and a quiet act of faithfulness may influence someone’s life in ways we never see. Some of the most meaningful stories from our ministry began with one conversation, one student or one leader deciding to obey God.
That lesson has also changed how I define success. Success is not simply how many people attend an event, how full our calendar becomes or how quickly an idea grows. Success is being faithful to what God has placed in front of us, loving people well and trusting Him with the outcome.
Vision matters. Strategy matters. Hard work matters. But none of those can replace dependence on God. I still believe in setting bold goals—like equipping one million believers to share the Gospel—but I have learned that the mission must remain bigger than my ego, and obedience must remain more important than recognition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rageministries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rageministries
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareragemin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rageministries
- Other: https://www.jesussave.me
