Cliffe Knechtle (born May 20, 1954)[2][3] is an American Christian pastor and apologist.[4] He is the senior pastor of Grace Community Church in New Canaan, Connecticut, and the founder of the ministry Give Me an Answer.[5][6]
Since the late 1970s, Knechtle has held open-air question-and-answer sessions on university campuses across the United States,[7][8][9] and has continued this work alongside pastoral ministry since 2001.[10]
Since the 2010s, recordings of his dialogues attracted large audiences on digital platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. By 2025, Christianity Today reported his ministry had more than two million followers on TikTok and Instagram and over 899,000 subscribers on YouTube.[2][11]
Early life and education
Knechtle was born in New York City on May 20, 1954.[12][3]
In the early 1980s, he initiated open-air question-and-answer sessions on university campuses, which became a hallmark of his ministry.[13] His style emphasized dialogue with students on issues of faith, ethics, and philosophy, rather than confrontational preaching.[13] His first book, Give Me an Answer That Satisfies My Heart and My Mind (1986), was intended to extend this dialogue-based apologetic method beyond live settings.[14]
In 1991, recordings of his campus events began airing on television as part of the program Give Me an Answer, which reached audiences in the United States and abroad.[15]
Knechtle founded Grace Community Church in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 2001 and has served as its senior pastor since.[6] While leading the church, he continued his campus evangelism through the Give Me an Answer ministry.[10]
He has continued to appear at universities and public events, including a 2019 interview with Moody Audio,[12] he appered on within reason with Alex O'Connor,[16] a convocation address at Liberty University in November 2024,[17]
In August 2024 and February 2025 Cliffe and his son Stuart appeared with Charlie Kirk on podcasts and on The Charlie Kirk Show.[18][19]
He is married to Sharon Knechtle with whom he had 3 children.[5]
Two of his sons, Stuart and Rob, serve on staff at Grace Community Church as pastors.[22]
Publications
Give Me an Answer That Satisfies My Heart and My Mind: Answers to Your Toughest Questions about Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986).[23][24]
Help Me Believe: Direct Answers to Real Questions (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000).[25][26]
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