Our Rector
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III serves St. James Episcopal Church as its 14th Rector (called in May of 2018). Father Saunders previously served churches in Maryland and North Carolina.
Father Saunders has a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Congregational Development from the Bexley Hall – Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation in Chicago, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from the University of the South; School of Theology in Sewanee, TN, and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Management from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
He specializes in organizational systems, pastoral and relational ministry, and covenantal leadership and behavior. His recent research led to the development of best practices rooted in the baptismal covenant for church human resources.
In addition to his work with St. James, Dr. Saunders serves as a core group facilitator for the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree program at Bexley Seabury Seminary, where he helps other priests apply their experiences and research to benefit the church. He currently develops workshops and courses on covenantal leadership and other areas of church human resources and congregational health.
Ken is a lifelong Episcopalian with a diverse background. Born and raised in Tidewater, Virginia, he is a 1985 graduate of Frederick Military Academy in Portsmouth. He also attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, as a cadet until his junior year (class of 1989).
Before ordination, Ken was a Health Physics & Radiological Controls Technician with Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and helped establish the Moored Training Ship (MTS) project (Nuclear Submarine Prototype) in Goose Creek, SC. After Bettis, Ken spent over ten years in general management and consulting for residential construction companies, helping them organize and strengthen their teams to streamline operations and maximize profit.
Ken finally responded to God’s call to the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church while living and working in Asheville, North Carolina. He had been wrestling with a call to ordained ministry for most of his adult life.
Throughout his priestly ministry, Dr. Saunders has served on committees and project groups at the local, diocesan, provincial, and national levels of the church. He has led ecumenical groups of local pastors to study Scripture and develop ecumenical programs that benefit the whole community. He is involved in diocesan committees (programs of the church, liturgy, property, board for camp & conference center [Claggett & Grace Point], etc.), facilitated a small group at the National Preaching Conference, and served on a committee that held a six-diocese Church Leadership Conference (in N.C. & V.A.). He is currently serving his 2nd term on the Standing Committee for the Diocese of East Tennessee (served as president in 2023) and the Liturgy and Music Commission for the Diocese of East Tennessee.
With deep faith in Jesus Christ, Fr. Ken is devoted to God, family, community, and country. He enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with his family and friends. You will find him to be very approachable.
Ken and his wife, Kelly, have three grown children: Kent (and Sophie), Kyle (and Kara), and Kaytlynn (and Ben), and one grandchild.
423.638.6583 office
e-mail Fr. Ken
Worship Services
Fr. Ken’s Sermon Blog
Reflection blog (Sabbatical, Pilgrimage, and Travel)
Gospel-Based Disciple (Seasonal Scripture Reflections)
Living the Questions of Faith
Our Bishop
The Right Reverend Brian L. Cole, Bishop
The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
The Rt. Rev. Brian Lee Cole was ordained and consecrated as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee on December 2, 2017. He was elected June 28, 2017, during the electing portion of the 33rd Annual Convention of the diocese, succeeding the Rt. Rev. George Dibrell Young, who retired on December 2, 2017. (See Bishop Cole’s Official Website)
Bishop Cole is responsible for 50 parishes and worshiping communities in East Tennessee and Northern Georgia under his pastoral and administrative care. The bishop’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, pastoral visits to each congregation, preaching, celebrating the Holy Eucharist, and confirming individuals into The Episcopal Church in the apostolic tradition by laying on hands.
As a bishop, he ordains priests and deacons and joins in the ordination of other church bishops. In these rites, the church remains in continuity with the apostles’ early church through the laying on of hands.
Bishop Cole presides over the annual diocesan convention and has administrative responsibility and ecclesiastical authority over all diocesan activities.
