Ryan Forbes is presently serving the First Baptist Church of Decatur, GA as the Associate Pastor in Music and Worship Leadership. Among his responsibilities are planning and leading in worship, coordinating all music ministries, directing several choral groups (youth to adult), and directing the church orchestra. Ryan has over 25 years experience in church music and worship serving churches in North Carolina , Indiana , Kentucky , and Georgia . He is presently in his fifth year at First Baptist Church of Decatur coming from North Broad Baptist Church in Rome , GA where he served for over 17 years. In addition to his church related responsibilities, Dr. Forbes was an Adjunct Professor for the School of Fine Arts and a teacher for the Center for Ministry Education, both programs of Shorter College in Rome where he taught several courses related to music and worship. Ryan has led several worship conferences for various organizations throughout the years. He is an active hymn writer and arranger.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Georgia Southern University with a major in music theory and composition. His applied area is trumpet. He received his Master of Church Music degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1982. In 2002, Ryan earned the Doctor of Worship Studies from The Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville , Florida .

Ryan lives in Lilburn , GA with his wife, Cynthia, and his two sons, Tucker and Tanner.