People
A priesthood of believers — every person called to be a vessel of God’s grace to another.
Priesthood of All Believers
We believe that we come together as a priesthood of believers. This commitment grows out of our Anabaptist roots in the 16th century Radical Reformation, emphasizing each person’s calling to be vessels of God’s grace to another. As our Mennonite church’s namesake, Menno Simons puts it — “Christ has made us priests, a chosen and holy people, a people to serve God in love.”
Leadership Structure
We meet bimonthly for Congregational Life Meetings, where we make decisions by the consensus of the gathered members. We appoint church officers who guide us in our collective decision-making (a moderator, secretary, and treasurer) and deacons who supervise the pastor, facilitate discernment of the church’s mission, and share in caring for the congregation. We call and hire pastors, who minister and lead among us (see below). We also have committees that help us live out our mission as a church (for example Worship, Formation, Hospitality, Finance). To learn more about our church structure, read our Church Bylaws (updated 2024).
Pastors
Ben Rudeen Kreider
Ben Rudeen Kreider joined Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship as pastor in 2023. He values how the church makes space for people of all ages to listen and share their stories, coming to understand ourselves as part of God’s story of joy, justice, and peace.
Ben holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Bethel College (KS), a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University School of Social Work, and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Ben has worked with Offender Victim Ministries, Inc. at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas and with Mennonite Central Committee in Honduras.
Ben and his wife, Alli, are parents to an enthusiastic toddler, and live in Durham, where they love tending their garden and backyard chickens as a family. Ben enjoys cooking, soccer, woodworking, home renovation projects, and exploring the trails and waterways of North Carolina by foot or canoe.
Catherine Thiel Lee
Catherine has been a member of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship since 2009, serving as a preacher, deacon, committee member, and Sunday school teacher. In 2020 she began working part time as the Coordinator of Children’s and Youth Ministry, grateful for the CHMF youth who showed up faithfully to start a youth group over Zoom during the pandemic and kept coming back.
Catherine graduated with a BA in Religious Studies from UNC Chapel Hill and a MDiv from Regent College in Vancouver. Catherine works full time as a hospice chaplain for Transitions Lifecare. In the past she worked with refugee claimants in Vancouver, BC.