Meet Benji Kelley
Dr. Benji W. Kelley, Senior Pastor
Benji Kelley is the founding pastor of newhope church in Durham, NC and multi-site campuses throughout the Carolinas, and Kenya.
Pastor Benji is from Sumter, South Carolina and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1994 with an Associate’s Degree in Religion and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. He then studied at Duke University’s Divinity School where he received two Master’s Degrees in Divinity and The Theology and Practice of Christian Preaching. The Kelley family then traveled to Kentucky where Pastor Benji received his Doctoral Degree in Christian Leadership and Preaching from the prestigious Beeson Pastor Program at Asbury Theological Seminary. In 2002, Pastor Benji returned to North Carolina and started newhope church with his wife Amy Lynn and children.
newhope currently ministers to over 7,000 people. With an emphasis on leadership development, outreach, and a multi-site ministry where reverence meets relevance, newhope is a thriving multi-ethnic community of faith spreading throughout the world. Currently, newhope church has campuses in North and South Carolina, with two in Kenya, Africa. newhope has become a sprawling network of church campuses committed to a clear Mission to Reach people for Jesus, Teach the Bible, and Release fully devoted followers and other churches to the glory of God! Outreach Magazine has listed newhope church as one of the top 100 Fastest Growing Churches in the United States on numerous occasions.
Pastor Benji has authored two books titled, Preaching to Connect Truth to Life (Copyright 2012) and, Wrecked and Redeemed – Finding Hope, Freedom, and Acceptance in Christ (Copyright 2019)
At the end of the day, newhope church can only be described as a, “God Thing.” Any words, stories, or adjectives fall woefully short of what has taken place since 2002. newhope continues to see growth not just in numbers but thousands of salvations a year, baptisms, missions’ trips around the world, community engagement, and a movement of people investing and inviting their friends to Christ and/or the newhope environment! We praise God for this harvest!
Pastor Benji lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife, Amy Lynn, and together they have five children.
Contact Information:
newhope church
7619 Fayetteville Road Durham, NC 27713
Ph: 919.206.HOPE (4673)
Twitter: @benjikelley