PASTORS

PHIL THOMPSON

Phil Thompson has lived in the Greenville area since 2003 and was affirmed as a pastor at Christ Fellowship Cherrydale in 2020, prior to being commissioned for work in the Eastside area. Phil currently serves as director of digital strategy for the North American Mission Board. He previously served for seven years with The Gospel Coalition, building and launching, among other resources, The Carson Center for Theological Renewal. Phil holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from Columbia Biblical Seminary. He has been married to Laurel since 2008 and has four daughters: Lane, Kately, Harper, and Darcy. During his extensive leisure time, Phil enjoys hanging out for coffee, hiking, reading biographies, and traveling.

Read articles by Phil at The Gospel Coalition, Themelios, New Churches, and Send Network.

PHIL THOMPSON

JONATHAN CHASTEEN

Jonathan Chasteen was initially a part of the church plant that became Christ Fellowship Cherrydale. Jonathan was later affirmed as a pastor in 2014 before he was sent to plant CFE in 2020. “Chasteen” serves CFE by providing oversight of assimilation, groups, and Sunday gatherings. Jonathan and Kim have three daughters: Ella, Sophie, and Evie. Jonathan is a registered Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Clemson University. Jonathan enjoys spending time with family, Clemson Tiger sporting events, yard work, and gardening.

PHIL THOMPSON

RODNEY BRADFORD

STAFF

LENA WILLIAMSON

Director of Counseling and Admin

Lena Williamson moved to the Greenville area in 2022 after her husband Nick retired from the Navy. Nick and Lena have two sons, Christian and Caleb. During their time as a military family Nick and Lena homeschooled both boys, despite many address changes and a couple of overseas posts. After returning stateside in 2018, Lena served as a women’s ministry leader as part of a church plant in Southern California. Lena has been in the mental health field since 2006 and holds a Master of Arts in Behavioral Science from Bastyr University. Lena has worked in both community mental health as well as private practice. She is currently pursuing a second Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from Southern California Seminary. Lena enjoys spending time with family, drinking a good cup of coffee, engaging in great conversation, and traveling.

Rodney began serving CFE as pastor in November 2023 and is responsible for small groups, pastoral care, and counseling. He grew up in Greenville and met his wife Kathy while they were students at Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC) in a British Novels class. They have been married since 1994 and are parents of four adult children—Emma, Elijah, Evan, and Kate—and grandparents of Juniper Lee. Kathy teaches English at Southside High School in Greenville and is passionate about mentoring and discipling women.

Rodney holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served congregations in the Carolinas, Indiana, and Georgia. Prior to serving CFE, he had a decade long career in landscaping and was a part of the Pastor Team at Christ Fellowship Cherrydale. He enjoys the beach, good ice cream, reading memoirs, cooking pancakes, and watching British crime shows with Kathy.