Archbishop D. E. Chase is a prophetic pastor, passionate leader, social activist, church planter, and educator engaged in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and fighting against racial injustice. Archbishop Chase is also committed to practicing and preaching a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic inequality. As the senior pastor of Metropolitan Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky, he oversees various ministry and educational enterprises. He currently serves as the Presiding Prelate of the African Episcopal Church, the President of Metropolitan Christian University, and the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the River Valley.
Archbishop D. E. Chase is a dedicated and anointed man of God. He was raised in New Jersey and was initially reared in the Anglican Church. Today, he credits his sense of structure and liturgical training to his childhood Christian upbringing. During his early twenties, he left home and his hunger for a more in-depth knowledge of the Scriptures and a more open worship environment led him to embrace various Christian traditions. He faithfully served as an Administrator and Liaison Officer at the New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. While there, he was licensed and ordained at the hand of his father in ministry, the late Bishop Alfred Blakely. He was also active in the Urban Ministry and Evangelism campaign at New Shiloh, through the American Baptist Churches, USA.
With a unique gift to communicate across generations, Archbishop Chase’s insightful teachings have inspired young and old alike. He is highly influenced by the works of Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. DuBois, Nelson Mandela, and the Civil Rights movement. The work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pastoral ministry of his father in ministry, the late Bishop Alfred Blakely have been primary mentors for his spiritual formation. He was educated at the World Bible College, Southern Indiana Bible College and Seminary, and the University of Jerusalem.
In obedience to the calling of the Lord, Archbishop Chase was led to bring ministers together from various denominational backgrounds. It has always been his agenda to lay aside denominational and dogmatic philosophies and unite under the banner of Jesus Christ alone. It was during this time that he was consecrated to the office and dignity of Bishop at the hands of Bishop John H. Covington and Bishop Lawrence J. Grayson of the Full Gospel Missionary Church in June 1999. Since then, he has emerged as a noted expert on episcopacy, sacramental theology, and liturgical studies. Under his tutelage, he has had the privilege and honor of ordaining several men and women into the ministry and consecrating several Bishops throughout the United States and abroad.
In February 2005, he was elevated and coronated as an Archbishop and Patriarch, bestowed with full lines of Apostolic Succession. Archbishop Chase was also received into Sacred Orders in the Holy Order of St. Paul the Apostle, which is a sacred, ecumenical order dedicated to biblical scholarship and unity within the body of Christ.
Throughout his ministry, Archbishop Chase has planted several churches and ministries. He is married to the love of his life, Lady Tia Chase. Lady Tia is an anointed, talented, and gifted woman of God and walks side by side with the Archbishop. Together they are fulfilling the purpose of God for this generation.
