Archbishop Stephen Wood, the highest-ranking prelate of the Anglican Church in North America, will undergo a formal church trial following a board of inquiry’s determination that sufficient evidence exists to proceed with charges encompassing abuse of power and sexual immorality. The ecclesiastical judicial process was initiated after a group of congregants submitted a formal presentment—a detailed list of charges—against the archbishop in October.
Wood, a married father of four, has consistently denied all allegations of misconduct. He was initially suspended from his ministerial duties by his fellow bishops in November 2023 when the accusations first became public knowledge. The board’s statement did not provide specific details regarding the nature of the charges, which officially include: violation of ordination vows, sexual immorality, and conduct causing scandal through the abuse of ecclesiastical power.
According to investigative reporting by The Washington Post, the presentment alleges incidents of sexual misconduct occurring prior to Wood’s installation as archbishop in 2022, during his previous tenure as both pastor and regional bishop. Additional accusations reported by the media outlet include claims of bullying church staff members and sermon plagiarism. The Post subsequently reported that a second woman has formally accused Wood of sexual harassment.
During Wood’s suspension, Bishop Julian Dobbs, the church’s current dean, has assumed the responsibilities of archbishop. Meanwhile, the Diocese of the Carolinas, which Wood previously led, is now under the temporary leadership of Acting Bishop David Bryan. Wood has also retired from his position as rector at St. Andrew’s parish in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, following the emergence of these allegations.
The Anglican Church in North America represents a conservative breakaway movement established in 2009 by dissidents from the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, who opposed the liberalization trends within those denominations, particularly regarding the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy. The denomination currently reports approximately 130,000 members across nearly 1,000 congregations throughout the United States and Canada.