LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – On Thursday evening, July 11, the Southeastern Jurisdictional (SEJ) Conference’s Committee on Episcopacy assigned Bishop David Graves as the next episcopal leader of the new Kentucky-Tennessee Episcopal Area, which includes the Tennessee-Western Kentucky, Kentucky, and the Central Appalachian Missionary (formerly, Red Bird Mission) Conferences.
Bishop Graves will be leaving his positions as bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, which he has held since 2016, and as bishop of the South Georgia Conference, where he has served since 2021.
Bishop Graves’ passion is sharing Jesus, seeing the overlooked, joining God in transforming lives and changing the world one person at a time. His study of leadership permeates all his work as a pastor, district superintendent, and bishop.
Rev. Harriet Bryan, who, along with Josh Shaw, serves as a TWK Conference delegate to the SEJ Committee on Episcopacy, spoke to the compatibility between the strengths of Bishop Graves and the current realities of our conference.
“The committee believes that this bishop is a great fit for us,” said Rev. Bryan. “Bishop Graves has experience creating collaborative teams, he accomplishes measurable goals, he has an ability to lead multiple annual conferences, and he possesses a desire to build trust by listening to diverse constituencies.”
He is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, with a Master of Divinity.
He has shared 40 years of marriage with his wife, Nancy, and they have two children, Casey and Gregg. Casey is married to her husband Bryan, and they reside in Kingsport with their son Brooks and daughter Lucy. Gregg resides in Chattanooga.
Bishop Graves will begin his new episcopal assignment on September 1, 2024.
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