Board of Elders

Our elected board of elders meets on a monthly basis to plan and discuss how we can increasingly become a faith community where heaven and earth collide. The board also serve to encourage and care for our pastoral staff.

Alex, Linda and his three children started attending Ekklesia in the summer of 2017, after coming home from a week at Higher Ground. Alex is a sales engineer for a company that manufactures point-to-point communications systems. He is trying to figure out single parenting, work, and life balance after suddenly losing his wife of 28 years in the Spring of 2021. Reading, long walks and food & wine pairing are some of the things he loves to do for his free time.

Alex Kiener

board member

Erin officially joined the Ekklesia community in 2012 when she and her husband, Andy, moved back to Raleigh with their son, Sam (b.2010). Since then, they’ve added Charlotte (b.2013) and Henry (b.2015) to the mix. It was an easy choice to become part of Ekklesia, but the real joy has been in the sticking around to grow in faith with the community who calls Ekklesia Home. Erin’s proudest accomplishment of 2021 is surfing for approximately 3.2 seconds. When she’s not wondering if she’s going to be late to carpool (again), Erin is working at the Hope Center at Pullen, out hiking, folding laundry, or watching a movie with the fam (hopefully Marvel, Ip Man or Harry Potter).

Erin Witcher

board member

Cory grew up in a number of churches and eventually grew disillusioned with finding a church that would fit what his family was looking for. The church search is a difficult one so when Cory and his wife, Erin, finally found Ekklesia in 2016, they couldn’t have been happier. Since then, they’ve enjoyed a community that strikes the perfect balance between compassion, acceptance and continually learning more. Cory works as a CPA in public accounting on their innovation team. He also really enjoys working with the kids ministry as well as watching as many random stand-up comedy specials as he can.

Cory Kraftchick

board member

Katie and her husband, Scott, found Ekklesia after searching for a church that elevates the beauty of Jesus and welcomes everyone to God’s table. They knew right away that Ekklesia was a perfect fit for their family! By day, Katie is a Captain Planet wannabe, working for an environmental non-profit to create a more sustainable food system. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her two young daughters, Abigail and Ellie, eating delicious food, and enjoying parks in and around Raleigh.

Katie Anderson

board member

Sarah and her husband Joseph began attending Ekklesia in 2015, and have loved becoming a part of this community that is authentically welcoming to everyone. Coming from a background in which it was very important to have all the right answers, Sarah is so grateful for Ekklesia, where questioning and rethinking are encouraged. Sarah homeschools her four children and works part-time as a speech-language pathologist. In her little free time, she enjoys reading all kinds of books, hiking, and playing the violin in the Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle.
Sarah Kinnarney

board member