A native of Colorado Springs, Rev. Benjamin Ledell Reynolds has spent nearly five decades in active ministry and believes that life is a series of calls—and that we may very well have more than one calling over the course of our lives. He feels the purposes of his calling are yet ahead of him.

Benjamin has served in various pastoral roles. Currently, he is the Interim Minister at Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC; and most recently, as the Interim Pastor for the Historic First Congregational United Church of Christ, Naperville, Illinois; First Church of the Brethren on Chicago’s west side; and as an Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston. The University of Denver awarded him a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, and the Iliff School of Theology in Denver a Master of Divinity.

Benjamin has become established for his activism and organizing around issues of equality, access, and community dialogue; serving as Director of the LGBTQ Religious Studies Center at Chicago Theological Seminary; Director of Faith Communities for Illinois Unites for Marriage Equality campaign; and lead consultant for the Table to Action Project bringing Chicago’s diverse community of religious, academic and moral leaders together for dialogue and collaboration to build a stronger ecumenical community in the city.

Benjamin takes the position that “race and sexuality (and gender and class) are co-constitutive in our lives; however, repeatedly we find members of the community placing anti-racist work in conflict with the struggle for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Of his work as an Interim Minister, Rev. Reynolds says, “I love being present with a congregation in transition. The interim period between one pastor leaving and the next arriving can be a special time when God moves into a congregation. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the next person to arrive, the interim time creates a wonderful opportunity to address issues, questions, concerns, vision, and the church’s health. Turning the interim period into an intentional interim period can make a tremendous difference in the future of a church.”

Ordained American Baptist, Benjamin has standing in the United Church of Christ. He is married to Gerard Clifford Bragg-Reynolds; they have a Yorkie named Wabi and reside in Oxon Hill, Maryland.