Charles Irving Jones III (born September 13, 1943) was an Episcopal prelate who served as Bishop of Montana from 1986 until 2001, when he was deposed by the Court for the Trial of a Bishop.

Biography

Jones was born on September 13, 1943, in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

, the son of Charles Irving Jones Jr. and Helen A. Heyward. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1965 and a Master of Business Administration from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in 1966. He also graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1977 and with a Doctor of Divinity in 1989 from the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

. He worked as a public accountant with D.E. Gatewood and Company in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

between 1966 and 1972. In 1972, he became Director of development at Chatham (Virginia) Hall, while in 1974, he became an instructor of accounting at the

, retaining the post until 1977. From 1977 until 1981 he was College chaplain at

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

and Vicar of Trinity Church in

Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was firs ...

from 1977 until 1985. He was also Archdeacon of Kentucky from 1981 until 1986,when he was elected Bishop of Montana.

Resignation

In 2000 an allegation was made against Bishop Jones alleging that he had a sexual relationship with a parishioner and parish employee who sought pastoral counseling from him when he was the rector of a parish in Kentucky, hence violating Title IV, Canon 1. Jones submitted his resignation to the diocesan council on February 26, 2001. The resignation, which became effective on February 28, followed a February 14 decision by the Court for the Trial of a Bishop deposing Jones for sexual misconduct. In exchange for Jones' resignation, the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council agreed to give him a $170,000 settlement. The agreement included forgiving his home mortgage with the diocese, which had a balance of slightly less than $55,000, and the remainder covering 15 months of his salary, minus travel pay.

References

1943 births Living people Episcopal bishops of Montana Clergy from El Paso, Texas University of North Carolina alumni Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Sewanee: The University of the South faculty Western Kentucky University faculty {{US-reli-bio-stub