It’s been a pretty incredible ride for the Ragsdale’s to start Catalyst Community Church! Our Partnership Class is the best way to get the whole story, but here’s little about our Pastor to give you a little insight into his life and ministry.

Growing Up

Pastor Adam grew up in a small town in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama. He met his ridiculously beautiful wife Allison there and tricked her into marrying him. That was 27 years ago. They have two daughters together: Kelsie and Maggie Beth. After serving in Student ministry and traveling to speak and perform for many years, he had the chance to be a part of two incredible church plants with Lifepoint Church. All of the lessons from those opportunities birthed the concept of Catalyst in Rags’ (as he’s known) heart.

WORKING HARD

Adam founded Catalyst with a desire to do church differently. Adam loves his Catalyst family and the community God has placed him in.  God has done some amazing things the first 8 years of Catalyst but Adam believes God hasn’t even gotten warmed up yet! As God continues to grow Catalyst, Pastor Adam’s prayer is that God gets all the credit and that Jesus is made famous one life at a time.

Adam also has a non-profit for Veterans he founded called Valor’s Voice that he’s extremely passionate about.  

Spare Time:  Rags enjoys hiking and going to the movies. 

Favorite Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Seth is a native of Etowah County, Alabama and brings an enormous amount of knowledge and passion to the Catalyst Staff. Seth was one of the first people to come on board with Catalyst, and we’re sure glad he did! Here’s a little more about our Recovery Pastor.

Seth’s Story

Seth grew up in Glencoe, AL. playing sports and doing all your small town stuff. He got into  trouble based on some bad choices he made and found himself in jail on drug related charges after high school. Though this process, Seth discovered that God still had great things for him and he was able to be transferred to an outpatient rehab facility that was Christian based. The turn around was remarkable. Seth completed the program, became a counselor, and began a life in ministry dealing with addictions.

After starting and helping run more Recovery ministries than we care to mention, Seth joined Catalyst to start something from the ground up. He’s also a small business owner and operator, Laser Graphics, and is married to his wife Emily, who's a school teacher. Together they’re raising a great big family together. Apparently all of that isn’t enough, because Seth is also a junior high basketball coach on the side.

God is going to do amazing things through Seth and Catalyst Recovery!

Spare Time:  Seth trains for triathlons.

Favorite Scripture: John 16:33 

Blake grew up in Glencoe with a passion for music and worship since his youth. Blake's had many guys he looked up to who inspired and invested in him to pursue his involvement in worship ministry. Here's a little more about our Worship Coach!

a Passion for people

It all started with his sister teaching him a handful of guitar chords around the age of twelve on an old Washburn 6-string. From that point forward, he taught himself to play guitar, drums, and keys. Blake grew up in a household with an alcoholic father. Although those childhood days were not always pleasant, they helped shape the man he would become. 

Blake has always had a desire to help people and truly make a difference in the lives of others. He went to ministry school to learn more about the Word and to be able to teach others about what it means to follow Jesus. Blake has been involved in ministry for fifteen years and is very excited to return to Catalyst. He was one of the first guys to be a part of Catalyst when it was planted and is very excited to be serving as the worship guy. 

After having the internal struggle of whether or not he was doing enough to make an impact in lives outside the church walls, he went back to school at Jacksonville State University and earned his elementary education teaching degree. He strives be a positive father-like figure to these students and display the love of Christ to those around him. Blake is married to his beautiful wife, Taylor. They have been married for eight years. Blake and Taylor anticipate God doing some amazing things at Catalyst, and they look forward to being a part of it.

Spare time: playing guitar, traveling, watching movies, and cooking.

Favorite Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3

Michael has always had a heart for missions! So when the time came for us to ask him to join Catalyst and be our Missions guy, we had our fingers crossed that he’d accept. We’re grateful he did! Here’s a little more about Michael.

A passion for missions

Michael's faith began at an early age at Cumberland Presbyterian Church and later at Piedmont First Baptist where he became a Christian on June 1, 1997, ordained as a deacon, and actively attended and served for more than twenty-five years.  It is there that Michael was first introduced to missions and later felt a call from God to be involved in missions.

Michael was very involved in Piedmont Carpenters for Christ for twenty-five plus years, where he served as PCFC’s Spiritual Leader for a decade and as Project Coordinator for the next decade.  In addition to his work with Carpenters for Christ, he has also participated in numerous stateside and international short-term mission trips, including ministering in the Philippines, Bahamas, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Malawi.

Michael grew up in Piedmont and lives there with his wife of twenty-five years. Michael and Julie have four children, sons Noah Cole and Carter, and twin daughters Ellie and Anna.

Michael and Julie partnered with Catalyst at the end of 2015 and  has been serving as Pastor since January 2016.  Michael has  taken the role in leading our community groups, online ministries, and creative atmospheres.

Spare Time:  Michael enjoys his hobby business, msm details, where he does a little bit of everything.  Wedding planning and decorating, vinyl cutting, and all sorts of woodwork crafts. 

Michael's motto for life: When you do something, do it to the best of your ability as if you are doing it for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)

Favorite Scripture Passage: Romans 12