Minister
Minister
Jake Morrill
Rev. Jake Morrill helps people get clear, creative, and courageous—so they can move with joy and purpose to serve a hurting world. He believes that faith is not about certainty, but about stepping forward despite uncertainty; that leadership is not about control, but about connection.
Before coming to Foothills UU Fellowship in August 2024, Jake served for 19 years as Lead Minister of the Oak Ridge UU Church. A former Trustee of both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Church of the Larger Fellowship, he now directs the UU Christian Fellowship and is a former Chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
A long-time student of Bowen Family Systems Theory, Jake teaches on emotional maturity and relationship management, especially in leadership. He serves on the Faculty of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family and presents widely on navigating relationships with wisdom and steadiness.
Jake’s work has always centered on building strong, resilient communities. In his twenties, he co-founded a multi-cultural youth leadership program in Cape Town, South Africa. He has served on the Board of the Race Relations Center of East Tennessee and, in 2016, received the "Community Spirit" award from the Anderson County NAACP.
He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Harvard Divinity School, and East Tennessee State University. A licensed Marital and Family Therapist, he has published five books, including The Boundaries Workbook (2022).
For fun, Jake hikes, reads, and plays music. He’s the lead singer of the novelty band Death Breakfast, which features uplifting songs about death and melancholy songs about breakfast. He and his wife, Molly, live in Oak Ridge and are the proud parents of two young adult sons.
