Chantal: Exposing Abuse in the Episcopal Church

In this episode of Beyond Belief: Tales of Religious Exodus, host Shalom interviews Chantal, an Episcopal priest from North Carolina who grew up with both traditional church life and expansive spirituality, felt a clear call to priesthood, and was ordained at 24.

While serving in an affluent parish, she experienced sexual harassment by a senior rector and, after reporting it with email evidence, faced a traumatizing canonical process that shamed her, led to PTSD, and involved repeated psychological evaluations she felt were aimed at institutional self-protection.

She later planted a multicultural, bilingual church in a lower-income neighborhood and became a coaching consultant, then publicly shared her story at a women’s clergy conference, prompting many others to disclose harm. Chantal discusses her book, Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls, her expanded spirituality, calls for “future church” without harm or hierarchy, and her Water and Light network supporting healing cohorts and advocacy.

Website: https://www.chantalmckinney.com

Chapters00:00 Welcome to Beyond Belief01:23 Chantal’s Spiritual Upbringing02:03 Called to the Priesthood03:35 Harassment and Threats05:30 Seeking Justice and Betrayal06:04 Systemic Cover-Up and PTSD10:11 Building a Scrappy Church Plant11:52 Speaking Out and Others Come Forward15:16 What Episcopalians Believe16:52 Faith Beyond the Denomination20:08 Church Leadership Response and Silence24:28 Life After Payroll and New Communities26:47 Patriarchy and Empire29:03 Church Noise and Silence30:41 Women Leaders and Power33:02 Book and Healing Trauma38:04 Divine Feminine and Scripture41:04 God and Suffering42:30 Vision for Future Church45:11 Episcopal Values and Inclusion46:00 Water and Light Network47:05 Closing Thanks and Outro