The Reverend Thomas McKenzie, an Anglican rector in Nashville, Tennessee, has died in a car crash.
"It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you that this morning, Thomas and his 22-year-old daughter Ella died in an accident on Interstate 40 west of Nashville," the Rev. Kenny Benge wrote to his congregation on Monday. McKenzie and Benge were both pastors over the Church of the Redeemer in Nashville. "They were driving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Ella was to continue her studies at St. John's College. Thomas was just beginning his well-deserved sabbatical."
According to local reports, McKenzie's vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on the interstate while changing lanes, leading to a collision in the middle of the highway. The tractor-trailer driver was not injured in the crash.
McKenzie, 50, had served at Church of the Redeemer for several years and had established himself as a vocal member of the Nashville Evangelical community. He is the author of The Anglican Way.
McKenzie was a well-recognized voice in the Anglican community, leading to several recountings of how the Nashville minister introduced so many to his denomination. He was also known as a prominent voice in the denomination, often speaking to support the conservative Anglicans. In 2003 he made news when he signed a public statement condemning the confirmation of the first Anglican gay bishop. He planted the Church of the Redeemer in 2004 and has lead the church since. The Church of the Redeemer would later leave the Anglicans and join the ACNA in 2012.
McKenzie is survived by his wife Laura and daughter Sophie.
