Brian Lee Cole (born December 7, 1967) is an American prelate of the Episcopal Church who is the current Bishop of East Tennessee.

Education

Cole was born in Hayti, Missouri, and was educated at

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

in 1989. He spent time employed with the Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center in

Berea, Kentucky Berea ( ) is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, Madison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The town is best known for its art festivals, historic restaurants and buildings, and as the home to Ber ...

. In 1992, he earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The s ...

. In 2001, he completed studies at Sewanee: The University of the South, where he focused on Anglican church history. He also undertook further studies in art and prayer at the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

in 2006 and in

liturgics Liturgics, also called liturgical studies or liturgiology, is the academic discipline dedicated to the study of liturgy (public worship rites, rituals, and practices). Liturgics scholars typically specialize in a single approach drawn from anothe ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, between 2002 and 2005. Sewanee awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

degree in 2019.

Ordained ministry

Cole was ordained priest by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Robert Hodges Johnson in 2002 and served as vicar at Church of the Advocate in

. In 2005, he became sub-dean of the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, while in 2012 he accepted the position of rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. Cole was elected Bishop of East Tennessee on June 28, 2017, during the 33rd annual diocesan convention. He was then consecrated on December 2, 2017, at the Church of the Ascension in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

by the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry."Brian Lee Cole ordained and consecrated as fifth bishop of East Tennessee"
''Episcopal News Service'', December 5, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2020. He was installed at St. John's Cathedral on December 3, 2017. He is an associate of the Order of the Holy Cross.

References

External links

Diocesan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Brian Lee 1967 births Living people People from Hayti, Missouri Murray State University alumni Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of East Tennessee