I am always impressed by what a friendly congregation I am blessed to serve. The people of our church have a heart for mission, and have creatively sought ways to impact the lives of others in our community.
Our worship service now takes place on Zoom. We gather for worship 10 am to 11am, and then continue to meet afterwards for conversation and sharing. Contact the church office if you are interested in joining us on Sunday morning.
Diversity is truly valued here. We do not claim a uniformity of beliefs, but we do strive for an agreement about what our mission is.
The South Church can engage your creative side, find meaningful ways for you to be involved in mission work, and stimulate your mind with challenging sermons.
Rick Kesler, Pastor
Rick Kesler was ordained in 1994 at his home church in Columbus, Ohio. Rick grew up in central Ohio, graduated from Ohio State University in 1977 with a B.A. in English with Honors. He attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary and graduated in 1993 with his Masters of Divinity degree.
Before entering seminary Rick worked in many fields. He has been a professional singer and actor, frequent house painter, and computer programmer. He is often amazed at how his experiences in each of those fields helped prepare him for work with The South Church.
Rick was not raised in the church and didn't consider himself at all religious for the first half of this life. He came to the faith in his thirties. Before long he was leading Bible studies and directing theatre at his church. This was the beginning of the path that eventually led him to seminary.
Rick's first call was to a position in Campus Ministry and Christian Education with University Baptist church in Columbus, Ohio. After serving for seven years,he accepted a post as senior pastor with The First Baptist Church of Bedford, in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. He was there for five years before coming to South Church in 2008.
You may contact Rick at: rkesler@thesouthchurch.com