Michael Catt Obituary: Death At 70 From Cancer

Michael Catt Obituary: Michael Catt, the longtime pastor of Sherwood Church who oversaw the establishment of Sherwood Pictures, passed away today at the age of 70 after a valiant battle with prostate cancer, the church announced on social media.

Pastor Catt’s unwavering dedication to proclaiming the truth of the Bible and his undeniable impact on our congregation will never be forgotten. If you knew Michael Catt as a pastor or friend, please pray for his family and for all of us who are reading this. The former pastor’s family reported that his health had recently declined.

From 1989 until his retirement in 2021, Catt served as Sherwood’s senior pastor. He subsequently relocated to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. During that time, the church’s membership grew to encompass individuals from over 20 countries and multiple generations.

In Sherwood, a 100-acre Legacy Sports Park and several crisis pregnancy centres were constructed, and a former Coca-Cola bottling plant was converted into a centre for disaster relief and outreach to at-risk adolescents.

Ken Bevel, the pastor of Connections and Local Missions at Sherwood, established and manages the Hope Centre in the former bottling facility. “Michael was a great pastor and expositor of the Word,” Bevel told Baptist Press. For the thirteen years he served as our leader, I will be eternally appreciative.

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Michael Catt Obituary

Bevel’s roles in “Courageous” and “Fireproof,” both produced by the ministry and associated with Catt – Sherwood Pictures, may have increased his notoriety beyond Albany. A few years after employing Alex and Stephen Kendrick as associate pastors of media and associate pastors of preaching and prayer, respectively, Sherwood Church entered the filmmaking industry.

The 2003 release of “Flyw, heel” signalled the beginning of Sherwood Pictures. Catt served as executive producer on “Facing the Giants” (2006), “Fireproof” (2008), and “Courageous” (2011), in addition to “Facing the Giants” (2006). In addition, he would serve as an executive producer on the film “Woodlawn,” which was directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin.

During his second year of college at Sherwood, Catt revealed he was adopted at age 38. He discovered through a series of chance encounters that his biological mother had viewed Fireproof, but was unaware that his granddaughter starred in the film.

Catt was the leader of a number of media outlets, a prolific author, and a sought-after speaker at events around the globe, including The Billy Graham Training Centre at The Cove. In 2008, he served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, trustee of the International Mission Board, director of the Preaching Conference for the Georgia Baptist Convention, and vice president of the GBC. Catt was also present at a 2002 meeting between Southern Baptists and President George W. Bush.

“So thankful for the life and ministry of Michael Catt, whose ministry reached throughout the Southern Baptist Convention and far beyond,” tweeted SBC President Bart Barber. In spite of his condition, “he faced it with a faith and confidence that made every word in Fireproof all the more real.”