Staff

Brian Kearns

Senior Pastor

Pastor Brian Kearns was raised in South Point, Ohio and was saved at a revival meeting at the age of eight years old. After finishing high school he joined the U.S. Air Force. During his service in the Air Force he met a friend who lived in the Sequatchie Valley in Tennessee, and he later decided to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. It was through an invitation from his friend’s family that he started attending Ewtonville Baptist Church. While at Ewtonville he met his wife Brenda, and they were married soon after on June 27, 1981. It was also during his time at Ewtonville that God called him into the ministry.

Upon receiving the call into ministry he and Brenda left Tennessee to attend Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In the following years, after leaving seminary, Pastor Kearns held various positions including youth pastor in Georgia and Virginia. God then called him to pastor Artesian Baptist Church in Virginia for three years. After Pastor Kearns had been away for many years, God called him back to Ewtonville Baptist Church to be an associate pastor. God’s plan came full circle when Pastor Kearns was given the opportunity to become the senior pastor.

Pastor Kearns has faithfully served the church as senior pastor since 1996. In teaching and preaching the word of God, he has always strived to meet the charge of 2 Timothy 2:15: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth., in following the work of a pastor as written in Ephesians 4:12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:.

Pastor Kearns is a devoted family man and enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife, four children, and four grandchildren.

Johnathan Perez

Youth Pastor

Johnathan Perez is an experienced youth minister with over 20 years dedicated to guiding and inspiring young people through various youth-related ministries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied/Christian Psychology and a Master’s in Ministry Leadership from Bryan College. Johnathan’s commitment to his faith and his family shapes his approach to ministry and leadership. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys golfing, hunting, fishing, and occasionally indulging in video games. His well-rounded background and diverse interests reflect his balanced approach to life and ministry.

Robert Smith

Music Minister

Robert Smith grew up in central Ohio, where he came to faith in Christ at an early age. In 2000, he moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to study Recording Industry Management at Middle Tennessee State University. While there, he started attending Grace Baptist Church, where he met Danielle. They got married in 2002.

In 2009, Robert battled and beat cancer, which made him realize he might be on this earth for a bigger reason than just making great playlists. So, he accepted his first ministry position as a Technical Director—because if you can manage a soundboard, you can pretty much handle anything, right?

In 2012, Robert and Danielle made the leap to San Antonio, Texas, where Robert joined a Christian record label called Difference Media. They also adopted three amazing kids, turning their home into a lively mix of love, laughter, and Legos underfoot.

By 2019, they decided to trade in the Texas heat for Michigan winters, where Robert became a Worship Pastor at Lake Superior Christian Church. These years were a blast, filled with music, ministry, and enough layers of clothing to make a penguin jealous. But eventually, they felt the call to head back to Tennessee.

Rob has been the Music Minister at Ewtonville Baptist Church in Dunlap, TN since 2024.

In his downtime, Robert is all about music, teaching, coaching, and writing. And when he’s not busy with all of that, you can be certain he’s exploring the next project or idea that fuels his creativity.