​Email:  benschc@gmail.com

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Chris Bensch grew up in a Lutheran family in Columbus, Ohio, with a grandfather and uncle who were both Lutheran ministers. In 1983, a professional opportunity took him to Utica, New York, where the First Presbyterian Church felt like a better match than the Lutheran church. He's been an active member of Presbyterian congregations ever since, playing numerous leadership roles.

 

In the late 1990s, Chris joined Third Presbyterian in Rochester where he served as Clerk of Session for 25 years before accepting a nomination to serve as a Ruling Elder. Now in his second term as an elder at Third, Chris also chairs the Adult Spiritual Formation team and is part of the church's capital campaign leadership and Generosity & Gratitude teams. Chris was honored to represent the Presbytery of Genesee Valley
as a commissioner to the 227th General Assembly in Milwaukee in the summer of 2026. 

 

Chris came to Rochester in 1989 for a curatorial job at what was then The Strong Museum, concentrating on how everyday Americans lived between 1820 and 1940. By the time he retired in April 2026 after 37 years, both the museum and his position had morphed into new forms as The Strong National Museum of Play where Chris acted as Vice President for Collections for more than two decades, responsible for a team of curators, librarians, and conservators who oversee the museum's 500,000 toys, dolls, games, and video games. Today he relishes the newfound flexibility of retired life with more time for cooking and gardening, as well as traveling, seeing movies, reading recent fiction, and attending Eastman School jazz concerts.