Episode 71. Dave Stone –⛪ Former, Senior Minister, Southeast Christian Church (2007-2019)⛪

Dave Stone’s passion for excellence and sharing his faith with others drives him in his role as senior minister at Southeast Christian Church.

Dave achieved senior minister status due to his optimistic vision for the church’s future. Identified as a “mega-church,” Southeast Christian is Kentucky’s largest church with 17,000 people in weekly attendance.

Before his outstanding achievements at Southeast, Dave attended Cincinnati Christian University. He is also a published author of the book “Refining Your Style.” Known for his humor and caring nature, Dave is passionate about connecting people to Jesus and one another. He retired as Senior Pastor in 2019.

Role and tenure. Dave Stone served at Southeast Christian Church beginning in 1989 and succeeded Bob Russell as senior pastor in January 2006, following a multi-year succession process. He led the church—one of the nation’s largest—until his retirement in 2019, when teaching pastor Kyle Idleman was named his successor.

Scale and growth under his leadership. During Stone’s 13 years as senior pastor, reported weekend attendance grew from roughly 18,000 at one campus to approximately 27,000 across seven campuses.

Current affiliations and ministry activity. After stepping down, Stone remained active in national church leadership. He serves on boards including the Spire Network (where he has been board chair), Focus on the Family, and the Rawlings Foundation, and he regularly teaches or guest-preaches (e.g., at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix).

Publications. Stone has written family-focused Christian books, notably the Thomas Nelson “Faithful Families” series—Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord, Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter, and How to Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World—as well as 60 Simple Secrets Every Pastor Should Know (with Rick Rusaw).

Earlier career. Before his long tenure at Southeast, Stone served as youth minister at Shively Christian Church (1981–1985) and then as Director of Recruitment at Cincinnati Christian University (1985–1989).

Succession timeline (key dates).

• Jan 2006: Stone publicly receives leadership from Bob Russell.

• Sept 2018: Announces planned step-down within 6–9 months, naming Kyle Idleman as successor.

• May 2019: Local coverage confirms retirement at month’s end; Idleman to take over as senior pastor.