[T]he New England chapter of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has commenced an investigation into the Williamstown Lutheran Church’s pastor, Calvin Kemp, who was the subject of a recent VTDigger report that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by Kemp in his role as a chaplain at the Vermont National Guard.
Kemp’s former assistant, Heather King, told VTDigger that she entered into a coercive sexual relationship with Kemp that lasted from roughly 2005 to 2008.
“At work, [Kemp] kept saying how easy it was to fire a chaplain assistant. He made this point lots of times, at random times, reminding me that my job was hinging on him,” King said in an interview earlier this year. “I knew I couldn’t report it; I thought nothing would happen and I’d lose my job and I loved my job.”
Kemp has served at the Williamstown church since August 1995, first as a vicar then as a pastor. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Kemp retired from the Guard in 2014 following an investigation into King’s allegations. Kemp did not respond to phone and email messages left for him Tuesday.
Rev. Timothy Yeadon, the supervising church authority over the Williamstown Lutheran Church, said the church opened an investigation into Kemp this week, after church officials were made aware of VTDigger’s reporting.
“I am beginning the process of ecclesiastical investigation into the matter, which our church body takes seriously,” Yeadon wrote in an email. “We have the highest regard for the moral conduct of our clergy and as such I am saddened by the reports concerning Rev. Kemp.”
Kemp will remain in his role at the Williamstown Lutheran Church as the investigation proceeds, Yeadon said. Kemp could face expulsion from the clergy depending on the results of the probe.
In a call Tuesday, Yeadon said he planned to visit Kemp and interview him sometime this month, as well as consult with members of the church’s congregation. Yeadon is also looking to speak with King and any other individuals with relevant information concerning Kemp.
When Kemp was first brought into the Williamstown church in the 1990s, Yeadon said he faced an evaluation that focused chiefly on his readiness to serve in the ministry. The process also included consultation with officials at the Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Kemp took up ministry. Yeadon said the church had been unaware of any allegations against Kemp until this week.
After the results of the 2014 investigation into Kemp’s conduct were presented to the Vermont Guard’s Administrative Discharge Board, the board decided to administratively discharge Kemp. However, as the decision went up the military chain, it was deemed “legally insufficient” by the Air Force’s Judge Advocate, and sent back to Vermont headquarters. With the case stalled, Kemp was able to retire with full benefits and the rank of colonel, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation.
“Guard leadership allowed Kemp to ride off into the sunset even though command had the authority and ability to stop his separation and finish the investigation,” Jeff Rector, the Guard’s sexual assault response coordinator at the time, told VTDigger. “They just chose not to.”
Military regulations prohibit relationships between members under a variety of circumstances, including when they include “the improper use of grade or position for personal gain or demonstrate the abandonment of organizational goals for personal interests” or “is reasonably perceived to be, exploitive or coercive in nature.”
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is the second largest Lutheran body in America, with nearly two million members.
“We let all our incoming pastors know that we have a zero tolerance regarding sexual misconduct,” Yeadon said. “But oftentimes, rather unfortunately, troubling information comes out after the fact.”
