Our Pastor

Kendrick Vinar is the Lead Pastor at Grace Church in North Carolina with campuses in Chapel Hill and Alamance. Kendrick leads with energy, encouragement, and a positive grace-filled life message: don't try harder, enjoy more. His biblical and practical messages will inspire you to take healthy steps in your relationship with God and people.

Pastor Kendrick came to Grace Church in 2002 and has served as lead pastor since 2005. Originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, Kendrick received his undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in Math and Religion and his masters in Teaching from the University of St. Thomas. He taught high school math and physics and coached basketball for five years at Bethany Academy in Bloomington, MN, and then served as a staff pastor for eight years at a church in the Twin Cities. Kendrick’s wife Nana grew up in Fayetteville and graduated from UNC's School of Public Health. The two got married on July 3, 1993, and they now have five children from 17-29 years of age as well as two daughter-in-laws and a grandson. The Vinar family lives on their hobby farm where Kendrick trains his English Springer Spaniels. Nana gardens and raises Black Angus steers and chickens. Kendrick's other pastimes include golf, exercise, hunting, boating, and downhill skiing.