Overview
- Four presbyters and seven lay members filed a formal presentment alleging sexual misconduct and abuse of power by Archbishop Stephen Wood.
- Former staffer Claire Buxton says Wood put his hand on the back of her head and attempted to kiss her in April 2024 while he was rector at St. Andrew’s; Wood denies the claims.
- The filing also alleges bullying, sermon plagiarism, and unexpected payments to the accuser from church funds totaling thousands of dollars.
- Denominational officials asked the presentment’s signers to re-attest under penalty of perjury, a step the backers declined as not required by church bylaws.
- If the presentment is validated, Dean Ray Sutton would convene a Board of Inquiry to consider an ecclesiastical trial, while a separate case against Bishop Stewart Ruch has concluded testimony with a verdict expected later this year.