Brad Whitaker, former rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was deposed by the Diocese of East Tennessee in March 2025 following a Title IV clergy misconduct investigation. The diocese confirmed the allegations did not involve minors or criminal activity, though details remain confidential. Whitaker agreed to the deposition, which concluded his clerical status.

Ordained in 1989, Whitaker served as rector of Christ Church in Grosse Pointe, MI and Christ Church in Newton, NJ, and assistant to the rector at Holy Innocents’ Church in Atlanta and St. Peter’s in Rome, Ga. In 2010 the Bishop of Michigan, the Rt. Rev. Wendell Gibbs suspended Whitaker because of a “serious allegation” that was not disclosed to the congregation. In 2015 he was made rector of St Paul’s in Chatanooga and retired in May 2024.

In a letter sent to parishioners, St. Paul’s interim rector, the Rev. Ed Bacon, stated the diocesan investigation identified no criminal activity.

A therapist and family systems specialist has been engaged to work with the church and its leadership “during this season.”  A series of listening sessions have been scheduled for the parishioners of St Paul’s to discuss issues surrounding their former rector.