The Southeast Project is a progressive Christian church. By that, we mean we embrace an inclusive faith that celebrates the image of God in all people and welcomes everyone to explore the way of Jesus in authentic, life-giving community. We center the teachings of Jesus as our guide, focusing on the love, justice, and compassion that he embodied and taught, which leads us to be voices of peace, hope, and healing in our neighborhoods, city, and world. In this journey, we embrace the gift of uncertainty and foster spiritual exploration, engaging thoughtfully with questions of faith and doubt that arise as we practice an ancient faith amid the complexities of our modern world. We're not your typical church. We don't ask you to check your questions at the door or pretend everything's fine when it's not. In fact, we believe doubt isn't the opposite of faith—it's often the pathway to deeper faith.
You Can Belong Here—Questions, Doubts, and All
If you've clicked on this page, chances are you're searching for something. Maybe it's community. Maybe it's a different kind of faith experience. Maybe you're just curious about what a church like ours even looks like. So, here's what you'll find at Southeast:
• Intellectual honesty about scripture and theology.
• Authentic community where you can fully be yourself.
• Progressive theology that challenges harmful interpretations and offers hope instead of shame.
• Real relationships built on mutual respect, not religious performance.
• Space to question without judgment—we're all figuring this out together.
What Happens When You Visit
Sunday gatherings are at 10:30 AM and last about one hour and 15 minutes. You'll find a casual atmosphere, good music, teaching that makes you think, and people who are genuinely glad you're there. No pressure to give money, join anything, or come back if it's not your thing, though we hope it will be.
Not ready to visit in person? That's completely okay. You can:
• Listen to our teachings on our podcast.
• Follow us on social media to get a feel for who we are.
• Watch Ryan's messages and shorts on YouTube.
• Send us a message—we’d love to hear your story and answer any questions.
Whether you're returning to church after years away, exploring faith for the first time, or somewhere in between, there's a place for you here.
We're saving you a seat.
Want to connect before you visit? Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you.
Our Story:
The Southeast Project began in an apartment living room in 2011 when our founding pastor, Ryan, and his wife, Jill, gathered a group of friends together and dreamed about a new kind of church in the city of Indianapolis. Having graduated from Franklin Central High School, on the southeast side of Indy, starting Southeast was all about coming home helping people looking for a new kind of church find a place to belong. A lot of the focus early on was about helping people find a church after they had given up on the idea of church.
A lot of people today talk about this as deconstructing faith. Language changes, but the need for a different kind of church, one that redefines church continues to be a need. For a long time church has been defined with words like anti-science, judgmental, and political. There’s got to be a better way to be the church.
That desire to find a better way to be the church drove us in the beginning and continues to drive us today. What if we can reconstruct our faith and redefine the word church with words like family, goodness, and love? This vision continues to shape everything we do by reconstructing faith in a way that feels both honest and hopeful.
Our journey has taken us from that original living room to a bar, then a conference center, a theater, and now a school. But wherever we gather, the heart remains the same: creating a home where everyone is welcome to explore the way of Jesus.