Ben Knisley
Senior Pastor
Ben grew up in Kingsport and then Spring Hill, Tennessee. Ben submitted his life to the Lord’s call to Vocational Ministry in 2006 and has been pursuing that call ever since. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity in Biblical Counseling online through Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ben served in Student Ministry for more than a decade with various ministries and churches before coming to Grace Baptist Church as the Outreach Pastor in 2021. Then, in January of 2024, Grace Baptist Church called Ben to serve as Senior Pastor. Ben believes that God has called every follower of Jesus to make disciples who make disciples and that the best way to accomplish this mission is to plant churches that plant churches.
Ben met his wife, Mackenzie, in Knoxville while in college, and they were married in 2013. They have four children, Micah, Caleb, Ivy, and Luke. Ben is an avid sports fan and follows all things Tennessee Athletics (Go Vols!) as well as the NFL. Ben loves to make and drink good coffee (a Chemex pour-over is a favorite) and can most often be found reading, listening to a podcast, or spending time with his family.