Dear friends in the Diocese of East Tennessee,
I write to update you on a matter involving clergy discipline in our Diocese.
On February 10 of this year, we received a complaint through one of our Intake Officers against Brad Whitaker, the former Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Chattanooga. The complaint alleged that Mr. Whitaker had engaged in inappropriate conduct with an adult and had misrepresented information. We handled this complaint in keeping with the Title IV canons of The Episcopal Church, which govern the way we handle clergy discipline, and discipline resulted promptly under these procedures.
The Title IV reference panel, which consists of the Bishop, the President of the Disciplinary Board, and the Intake Officer, referred the matter to me as the Bishop, which is one of the options outlined in the Church discipline canons. With Mr. Whitaker’s agreement, we deposed him from the priesthood on March 17. This means that he can no longer function as an Episcopal priest in any way.
In the Diocese of East Tennessee, we refer any matter that may involve criminal conduct to the civil authorities for their own investigation. We did not make any such referral because no such behavior was alleged.
We resolved this complaint swiftly because the complaint against Mr. Whitaker was not the first we had received. In 2019, an adult member of St. Paul’s made a complaint that Mr. Whitaker had engaged in inappropriate digital communication with them. The reference panel in that case, after reviewing all the evidence presented to them, referred that matter to me. We placed Mr. Whitaker under a pastoral directive, which placed restrictions on certain aspects of his ministry. At that time, all parties in that case agreed that this was a suitable discipline.
After Mr. Whitaker was deposed in March, we learned that the complainant in the 2019 case has come to believe that their complaint should have been handled differently. We are grieved any time someone experiences hurt because of clergy misusing their power. We also continue to believe that the complaint in 2019 was evaluated and treated in accordance with both the aims and the procedures of our disciplinary process.
Before he became a priest in our diocese, Mr. Whitaker was disciplined in another Diocese for other misconduct. That discipline resulted in a sentence of suspension from ordained ministry for three years. Our predecessor, Bishop Young, was aware of that discipline, and made the lay leadership of St. Paul’s Church aware of it before allowing Mr. Whitaker to be called as Rector. That information was available to us at the time of the 2019 complaint. However, the elected and appointed members of our disciplinary process believed that a pastoral directive was a sufficient response. Based on these circumstances of allegations of additional misconduct by Mr. Whitaker, we have taken further action—the most serious action available to us under the canons of the Church.
In the Diocese of East Tennessee, our mission focus is reconciling all things in Christ. Part of that reconciliation is building a safe church in which all of God’s beloved people are free to follow Jesus without fear of harm. If you have information in this matter, or in any matter, regarding someone who is making church unsafe, we urge you to be in touch with us. The contact information for our Title IV Intake Officers is available at https://dioet.org/intake-officer/, and you may as always call our offices at 865.966.2110 for assistance. Our disciplinary process exists as a way of being sure that clergy are living into their ordination vows, which include the promise priests make “to be a faithful pastor to all whom [they] are called to serve” (BCP 532). As your Bishop, my highest calling is to ensure that all clergy, including myself, understand, honor, and abide by that charge. As your Bishop, one of my most solemn responsibilities is to ensure accountability when they do not.
As we enter the mystery of Holy Week and Easter, we remember that God promises to stay with us, whether in the most painful of circumstances or in the most joyful of Easter moments. May that God give you the blessing of peace, this day and always.
Peace,
The Rt. Rev. Brian L. Cole
Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee