Our History

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church was established as a mission church of St. Paul’s, in downtown Chattanooga. The first service of St. Peter’s was celebrated by the Rev. Thomas H. Carson Jr. on March 10, 1957, in the Red Bank High School auditorium with 147 people in attendance. The new community moved quickly to build its own building. Ground was broken for the original church building on June 8, 1958, and the first service was held in that building on December 21 of that year. The official dedication of the building by the Right Rev. Theodore N. Barth, Bishop of Tennessee, followed on January 11, 1959.

Under the leadership of the Rev. Hallie Warren, St. Peter’s School was established as a preschool in 1966. Elementary school grades added in 1983. To this day, the school continues to serve children and families of the Chattanooga community as a vital part of the life and ministry of St. Peter's. An expansion project to benefit both church and school was undertaken in 1992. This expansion included a new worship space for the church, and the first service held in the new Nave on Easter Day, April 11, 1993. Dedication and consecration followed two weeks later by the Right Rev. Robert Gould Tharp.

The history of St. Peter's is one of our dependence on the grace of God made known to us in Jesus Christ. Through our years have worshipped, grown, reached out to the community, planted churches, and cared for one another. Our history is rich and we are thankful for God's faithfulness through it all, but we are most excited about where God calls us today. We are a community of disciples learning to hear that call and follow Jesus together. We invite you to be part of this history, to share in our common life, and to join us as we follow Jesus wherever he leads us.