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last mo.

ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood Takes Paid Leave as Misconduct Case Enters Church Inquiry

A 10-member Board of Inquiry will decide whether the formal presentment advances to an ecclesiastical trial.

ACNA bishops Ray Sutton and Ryan Reed, traveled to Latvia for the enthronement of a new archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. Bishop Rinalds Grant
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Archbishop Steve Wood stresses a point during a sermon at the ACNA’s Provincial Assembly. Photo: Heidi Reichert/Flickr)

Overview

  • Wood requested a voluntary, paid leave from his archbishop duties and also stepped back as bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas, while retiring as rector of St. Andrew’s in South Carolina.
  • Dean Ray Sutton is serving as acting archbishop with assistance from Bishop Julian Dobbs, and Wood has recused himself from appointing the Board of Inquiry.
  • The presentment alleges an attempted kiss in April 2024, thousands of dollars in payments from church funds, bullying, and sermon plagiarism, all of which Wood denies.
  • ACNA leaders say the Board of Inquiry typically reports within a few weeks to about three months, and a trial, if approved, could result in penalties ranging from admonition to deposition.
  • An open letter from chaplains has questioned Sutton’s prior handling of misconduct complaints in a separate case, intensifying scrutiny of the denomination’s accountability practices.