Southeast Christian Church’s First Preacher, Joe Rex Kearns, circa 1962
Joe Rex Kearns died this past Thursday. Joe was 93 years old and quietly graduated into eternity while residing in Batavia, Ohio where he had preached for many years. The name Joe Rex Kearns probably doesn’t mean anything to most who will read this article, but he indirectly impacted thousands who never heard of him. You see Joe was the first preacher of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
Joe was more gifted as an organizer and initiator than he was an orator or evangelist. On July 2, 1962, he helped launch Southeast Christian with less than 100 people. The church began meeting in the cafeteria at Goldsmith Elementary School in the Hikes Point area of Louisville. Joe laid the groundwork for three years and then in the spring of 1965 agreed to step aside so the church could move on to the next level.
Bob Russell preaching at the original Hikes Lane Campus of Southeast Christian Church, circa 1970
I became Southeast’s minister in June of 1966. I was not a skilled organizer or administrator. My gifts were teaching and preaching. But Joe and the elders had already planted the seeds that were eventually to become a bountiful harvest that far exceeded all of our wildest dreams. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Joe Rex Kearns for his tireless efforts and his humble spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
Today we could say: Joe Rex Kearns planted, Bob Russell watered, Dave Stone and Kyle Idleman cultivated, but God gave the increase. However, that wouldn’t be even close to telling the whole story because thousands of staff members, elders, deacons, Bible Teachers, nursery workers, and a plethora of volunteers and faithful members made invaluable contributions as well. But it was still God who gave the increase. Only He can create a seed that grows and multiplies. For years we sang the same hymn to open every service, “To God Be The Glory; Great Things He Hath Done!”
One of my favorite sayings is, “When you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know it didn’t get there by itself.” Today, when you look at the nation-wide ministry and worldwide influence of Southeast Christian Church, you have to see the unmistakable, powerful hand of God at work.
Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29).
Southeast Christian Church originally met at the Goldsmith Lane Elementary School for services
Joe Rex Kearns never dreamed that when he began sowing spiritual seed in the east end of Louisville in 1962 that the harvest would be so plentiful. When I came as minister of Southeast Christian in 1966, I never imagined that the church would grow to be 18,000 and now 24,000 in attendance. In my mind, I hoped it would become a church of 400 or maybe even 500 members. Visitors look at the spacious facilities and effective ministries of Southeast Christian today and say to me, “You must have had a tremendous vision for this church!” I often quip, “Well, actually we’re a little behind schedule…”
That’s a joke! God did immeasurably more than I ever asked or imagined. And since Joe Rex Kearns was a quiet, unassuming guy, he felt the same way. He had to hold back a smile when he saw the end result of what he helped start fifty-six years ago.
Southeast Christian Church, First Worship Center, 2601 Hikes Lane Campus
I’m confident that a few days ago Joe heard the Lord Jesus say to him, “ Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
If you have been blessed by the ministry of Southeast Christian Church take a moment to thank God for the humble, faithful service of Joe Rex Kearns. Although you didn’t know him, you live in and benefit from the wake of his influence.
Let’s all faithfully sow the seed of the gospel to the best of our ability so that people we may never meet will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in the future.
Southeast Christian Church Worship Center, 2840 Hikes Lane Campus
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches”(Matthew 13:31-32).
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Southeast Christian Church, 920 Blankenbaker Pkwy Campus
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