Leader of conservative Anglican denomination takes leave while facing misconduct claims

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2025 (340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The top leader of the Anglican Church in North America — a conservative denomination that broke away from the more liberal Episcopal Church about 15 years ago — has taken a leave of absence after facing allegations of sexual and other misconduct, which he denies.

Archbishop Stephen Wood announced the leave Monday while he awaits the outcome of a church disciplinary process triggered by a formal complaint, called a presentment, of alleged misconduct against him.

The presentment has not yet been made public, but an investigative report by The Washington Post said it alleged Wood tried to kiss a former children’s ministry director at his parish in 2024, shortly before he was elected archbishop. The presentment alleged Wood made other comments and acted in ways that made her uncomfortable since 2021, and made thousands of dollars in payments to her from church funds, the Post said. The presentment also includes allegations that he bullied staffers and plagiarized sermons, the Post reported.

Wood, 62, a married father of four, has denied the allegations.

“I believe the charges against me lack merit, and I categorically and emphatically deny the particular accusation of attempted physical contact made against me by a former St. Andrew’s employee,” Wood said in a statement announcing his leave, during which he will still be paid.

Wood also took leave as bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas and retired as rector of his parish, St. Andrew’s in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina — roles he had been serving in addition to being archbishop.

The accusations against Wood center on alleged actions while he was bishop but before he also became archbishop, according to the ACNA.

Under the denomination’s rules, when someone submits a presentment, a board of inquiry is appointed to determine whether to send the matter to an ecclesiastical trial. No decision on that has been announced yet. The process typically takes from a few weeks to about three months, the denomination says.

The case is the most high-profile yet for the small denomination, which has had ongoing leadership turmoil in recent years.

Another bishop, Stewart Ruch III of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, has just undergone a church trial on charges that include alleged abuse of ecclesiastical power, according to the ACNA website. A verdict is pending in the case, which stemmed from scrutiny over how the diocese handled the case of a lay teacher convicted of child sexual abuse. The trial itself saw delays and controversies over procedures and the resignations of two church prosecutors.

A bishop heading the denomination’s military chaplains recently broke with the church after it pursued disciplinary proceedings against him over complaints of alleged “abuse of ecclesiastical power,” the ACNA said.

Last year, a former bishop overseeing a Canadian missionary district was removed from ministry for alleged abuse of power and inappropriate relationships and interactions, the ACNA announced.

In 2020, a bishop of Pittsburgh resigned after his diocese’s governing committee faulted his handling of a case in which a clergy member was accused of sexual misconduct. The ACNA also reported in 2020 it had removed yet another bishop from ministry after it said he admitted to long-term use of pornography.

Wood was installed last year as the third archbishop to lead the ACNA. The denomination was formed in 2009 by conservatives who split from the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and the Anglican Church of Canada. The long-building schism came in the wake of the Episcopal Church’s election of an openly gay bishop in 2003 and others since then. It is part of a wider, ongoing controversy in the global Anglican Communion, which is rooted in the Church of England.

The ACNA reports that it has about 130,000 members in about 1,000 congregations.

Wood recused himself from appointing the board in his own case, delegating it to the dean of the denomination, Bishop Ray Sutton, according to an ACNA statement. Sutton has also been named to assume Wood’s duties as archbishop during his leave.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.