Honoring the Legacy Impact of Michael Catt on Our Lives
As we approach another Christmas day, we pause and remember a dear friend who also celebrated his birthday on December 25th. It’s hard to put into words the significant impact our former pastor, Michael Catt, had on our lives. When Michael called us to serve on staff at Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia, we had no idea the two-decade journey we would take together.
Michael became a beloved friend, counselor, and mentor to us. His wife Terri graciously poured into our wives. They prayed for us, blessed us, and believed in our families and our future.
Michael instilled in us and our entire church family a greater love for scripture, a devotion to prayer, a passion for revival, and a stronger faith in the God of the “Himpossible.”
He was a maverick. Fearing God more than human opinion, Michael constantly challenged Sherwood to pray about every major decision and not presume upon the Lord.
Michael was a lamb in person, but a lion in the pulpit. No one questioned where he stood. He spent countless hours studying and it showed on Sundays. He refused to water down the Gospel or avoid the discipleship call to fully surrender to Jesus.
Michael joyfully proclaimed the love and grace of God, but he also preached against sin, hypocrisy, legalism, and racism in our community.
As a leader, Michael refused to sweep problems under the rug, but confronted anyone found to be divisive or toxic to the health of the church. He would shut down outdated traditions and programs if they became unfruitful. He would ask us in staff meetings, “Why are we doing this if there is no lasting fruit? Why are we wasting our time and the church’s money on this?”
In staff meetings, Michael challenged his team to stay on their toes with new ideas, reminding us to redeem the time knowing we would give an account of our ministries to God one day. He hated the idea of any minister of Jesus Christ operating in low gear or coasting into retirement. But he also supported our wives and would tell the staff to go home and not use ministry as an excuse for neglecting our families.
As the movies began to expand at Sherwood, Michael would invite us and the crew to the altar and call the church to pray over us. He would exhort us not to compromise and would sometimes pull us off to the side and warn us beforehand of how the enemy was likely to attack.
Behind the scenes, Michael was one of the most generous men on the planet. Truly a hilarious giver. He personally gave to the ministries of the church and constantly gave books and resources to the staff. God used His example to form Sherwood into a deeply generous body.
When guest ministers came, Michael and Terri would host them with love and encourage the church to give sacrificially to support their ministries. Guests would cry as the church met their needs and Michael would cry as he watched our church give to men and women of God. As a pastor to pastors, Michael hated hearing of men and women of God being disrespected, underpaid, or mistreated by their congregations. He and Terri made Sherwood an oasis for them and encouraged them never to quit serving the Lord during the hard seasons.
For years, he led ReFresh conferences to bless thousands of ministry leaders across the nation. Many beat-up and worn-out pastors would remain in ministry because of how God used Michael to encourage them. His book “Prepare for Rain” has helped so many ministers to walk by faith and serve God in difficult circumstances.
One of our last, cherished memories with Michael was a lunch we shared in January of 2023 at a restaurant in Albany. We spent hours catching up, reminiscing about the past, and discussing the future and our desire to make a movie about discipleship. Michael was gracious, as always, and shared his support for us and The Forge while emphasizing the great need for the church to better understand and embrace Biblical discipleship. That meal was deeply meaningful and significant. Looking back, it would be our last meal together as a team this side of heaven.
We had no idea that the first day of production on The Forge that summer would be the same day Michael entered into eternity. The following week, we paused movie production so our crew could attend Michael’s inspiring celebration of life service. (You can watch it here.) It was an emotional and powerful day for our entire church family.
Michael believed and often said, “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.” He had that statement printed on the wall and fully integrated into the church’s ministries. Those words became a clarion call for the staff and our church body to invest in future generations and remain steadfast to fulfilling the Great Commission. We were grateful to include it in The Forge to pass on what had been invested into us. 
As The Forge now takes the Gospel in 40 languages to the nations, we praise God for His faithfulness and recognize that Michael’s investment in us continues to influence others around the world. His life and ministry still inspire us and others to live with purpose and passion for Christ.
Michael fought the good fight, finished his course, and kept his faith in Christ. We are so grateful that Michael was faithful to the Lord, to his wife Terri, to his daughters, and to pass the torch of ministry to future generations. He not only clung to Jesus, but has helped us and so many others to do the same.
With love and gratitude,
Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick, and Jim McBride
