When Rev. Frank E. Alexander Sr. first walked through the doors of 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church, he had no idea he was stepping into what would become the next chapter of his ministry.
Alexander, who was recently called to serve as pastor of the Owensboro church, initially came at the request of his own pastor in Evansville. The pastor had been scheduled to preach for the anniversary celebration of then-Pastor Carl Grubbs, but was unable to attend and asked Alexander to fill in.
What began as a one-time visit quickly became something more.
“From the moment that I walked through the front doors, it was just such a warm and loving feeling,” Alexander said. “I just fell in love with this church from the first day I came here.”
Alexander said he immediately connected with Grubbs, who invited him to stay for dinner after the service.
“We just connected right away,” he said. “He had me stay and have dinner with him, and I think we just sat and talked through the whole dinner.”
After returning to preach a second time, Alexander said the bond with the congregation only deepened.
“It’s the people,” he said. “They are a very warm and receptive people. They know the Lord, and you can tell that Pastor Grubbs did an awesome job while he was here leading them.”
That connection was mutual.
Loretta Deal, a member of 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church for more than 50 years and a member of the church’s pastoral search committee, said congregation members quickly embraced Alexander during the months he served as congregational care minister following Grubbs’ illness and death.
“He’s so personable, he’s very easy to talk to, he’s a compassionate person,” Deal said. “We just knew that was the man we needed.”
Alexander brings decades of ministry experience to the role. Born in Chicago and raised in both Chicago and Clarksdale, Mississippi, he accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized in 1971 at Alpha and Omega Missionary Baptist Church.
His father, Pastor Scott Alexander, later entered the ministry and pastored churches in Mississippi for more than two decades, serving until he retired at age 92.
Despite growing up in a pastor’s home, Alexander said his own path to ministry was anything but direct.
“My calling really was at a young age,” he said. “I just didn’t accept it. I wanted to be like the other fellas. I wanted to spend my time playing ball and running up and down the streets like everybody else.”
Instead, Alexander pursued other avenues of church service, including music ministry and serving as a deacon. Eventually, he said, he could no longer ignore what he believed was God’s calling.
“He just wouldn’t leave me alone, and I finally had to give in to the calling,” Alexander said. “I’m grateful that He was patient with me, because I waited a long time.”
Alexander was ordained as a deacon in 2002, accepted his call to preach in 2003, and was ordained into the ministry in 2008. Throughout the years, he has served in numerous leadership roles, including associate minister, assistant pastor, Sunday school teacher, Bible teacher, and mentor.
Before entering full-time ministry leadership, Alexander also served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. Alongside his wife, First Lady Deborah Alexander, he later built and operated transportation and brokerage companies for more than 35 years.
Founded in 1910, 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church has been a fixture in Owensboro’s Black community for more than a century. Deal said the congregation has weathered numerous challenges over the years, including the deaths of pastors and the construction of its current church home.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Deal said. “But everybody just banded together, we prayed about it, and we kept going.”
Now leading the congregation, Alexander said that one of his primary goals is to invest in the next generation.
“My biggest goal for 10th Street is to get our young people involved,” he said.
The church recently restarted its Wednesday night Bible study, and attendance has exceeded expectations.
“When I first came, they didn’t have Bible class,” Alexander said. “Our last Bible class, we had 42 people, which was really unheard of in a small church like this.”
He said the church has also seen growth among younger members, including several recent baptisms.
“I have been blessed to have baptized four young people, and we have one this morning that we’re baptizing,” he said.
Alexander believes attracting young people to church is only part of the challenge.
“We have to be able to offer them something to keep them,” he said. “A lot of them join, but then they get to where there’s no place for them. They’re just sitting there watching everybody else do everything.”
His vision is to create opportunities for young members to serve and develop leadership skills so they are prepared to carry the church forward.
“They’re the future,” he said. “We want to train them up and have them ready so when their time comes to step into that next role, they’ll be prepared.”
Deal said Alexander’s commitment to personal ministry became evident long before he was selected as pastor. During a hospital visit in Evansville with her husband, she was surprised when Alexander arrived to check on them and offer prayer.
“He had prayer with us, and that just meant a lot,” Deal said. “He’s that way with everybody.”
While 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church is historically a Black congregation, Alexander emphasized that the church welcomes everyone.
“The Bible says, ‘Whosoever will, let him come,'” he said. “When we get to heaven, there’s no color in God’s eye. There’s only souls.”
Alexander said his broader mission extends beyond church membership and focuses on helping guide young people in a world filled with distractions.
“We’ve got to learn how to love one another,” he said. “Our young people are running wild right now. We’ve lost them, and it’s our job to get them back.”
As he begins his ministry at 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church, Alexander said he remains thankful for the journey that brought him to Owensboro and for the opportunity to serve a congregation he quickly came to love.
“I’m grateful that I accepted the call,” he said. “Pastoring is a great responsibility, and if you’re not willing to put your heart into it, I don’t think you would be successful.”
Deal believes the congregation’s prayers were answered in the selection process.
“We prayed and prayed and asked the Lord to send us someone who would be a good leader for us,” she said. “Here comes Reverend Alexander.”
