LEAD PASTOR– Ryan Carrell
Having graduated from Franklin Central High School in 1998, starting Southeast was all about coming home to Franklin Township in Indianapolis.
Ryan’s desire is to create a place where people who feel disconnected from faith can belong. Ryan loves to peel back the layers of scripture and dig into the history, context, and language. Rather than avoid asking hard questions of the Bible and faith, Ryan loves to lean into them. His biggest joy is when people discover that God’s desire for their lives is to bring good to our world and make a real difference in the community.
Ryan graduated from Anderson University School of Theology. It’s there he began a love for the original languages of scripture, a passion for asking hard questions, and the importance of developing a theological framework. His home library, and his guitars, have a place of prominence in his home, and he’s always eager to talk about either.
Ryan and his wife Jill founded Southeast after serving in several churches in the midwest and they love living in here! They, along with their daughters Emily and Maggie, love to explore Indianapolis. They love sports and, depending on the season, you will find them cheering on our Indianapolis teams! Their favorites being their Flashes, Bulldogs, and Pacers, and IndyCar!
ASSOCIATE PASTOR– Suzanne Higgs
Suzanne is the Associate Pastor at The Southeast Project. Suzanne is passionate about helping people learn how to take their faith to the next level, especially for kids, teens, and new believers. As someone who didn’t grow up in church, she understands how easy it is to try to read the Bible and never get further than Leviticus. She wants to help people understand the Bible and how their faith connects to their day-to-day lives no matter where they are in their journey so that their faith can blossom and their world can be transformed.
Suzanne along with her husband Ben and daughter Alex have been at Southeast since launch Sunday. Ben has served on the setup/tear down team since the beginning and is generally a go-to for whatever needs to be done around Southeast. Alex, who also serves in setup/tear down as well as teaching in Southeast Kids, is a student at Franklin Central High School.
The Higgs’ are big fans of the arts – if you see them around town, it will usually be at a concert rocking out or at Newfields soaking in the exhibits. They also have the uncanny ability to have conversations that consist entirely of movie or tv show quotes.