Chapel owner admits to impersonating clergy

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — Couples who said, "I do" in the Wedding Loft in Jonesborough, Tenn., in the 1990s found out later that, in fact, they didn’t. The former proprietor of the Tennessee wedding chapel recently pleaded guilty in county court to impersonating a professional in performing more than 600 nuptials over a decade. The state Legislature has since legalized those marriages.

Brenda Gorst, 64, claimed clergy ordination through "World Christianship Ministries," which her lawyer said was recognized by the IRS as a legitimate church. But prosecutors said nothing but money was required to receive its credentials and investigators obtained ordination for a child and a pet.

The "Encyclopedia of American Religions" lists World Christianship among 31 "mail order and Internet churches" that issue clergy credentials, according to the Associated Press. In a plea bargain, Gorst received six years of unsupervised probation if she behaves and returns to her native Britain.