The dangers of conflating God’s voice with a human one and letting prayer ministry turn into a form of control, even unintentionally, are among the issues explored in a new guide to prayer from Church House.

The guide, Lord, Teach Us to Pray: Prayer in pastoral settings and guidelines for good practice (Church House Publishing), was developed in partnership with specialists from the Faith and Public Life team, with advice and input from others, including victims and survivors of abuse.

The background to its production is “the realisation that churches have not always got it right when it comes to prayer and pastoral care”, the introduction says. “At the extreme end, practices like conversion therapy have deeply damaged and wounded people struggling to understand themselves and their identity before God.

“But there have been other questions asked, about safeguarding and how victims of abuse might be treated, and more generally about the ways in which prayer may be used to push certain agendas and beliefs, in ways that can be experienced as harmful and distressing.”

Read it all.

The dangers of conflating God’s voice 💬 with a human one and letting prayer ministry 🙏 turn into a form of control, even unintentionally, are among the issues explored in a new guide to prayer from the C of E’s Faith and Order Commission. #ChurchTimes https://t.co/W4RiuHaRlo

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 14, 2026

The independent Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, Dame Christine Ryan, is to step down after only a year in post, it was announced on Tuesday.

Dame Christine took up the post last October having been chair of Ofsted for five years (News, 3 October 2025). Her remit was to implement safeguarding reforms agreed by the General Synod last year (News, 14 February 2025).

A spokesperson for the Archbishops’ Council thanked Dame Christine “for her contribution to advancing our commitment to independent Church safeguarding”.

The spokesperson continued: “Under her direction as Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, we have established a clear vision and much of the detailed design for a new safeguarding structure built on greater independence, accountability, and consistency. This blueprint, subject to final approval, details how the organisation intends to operate in the future.

Read it all.

The independent Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, Dame Christine Ryan, is to step down after only a year in post, it was announced on Tuesday. #ChurchTimes #Safeguarding https://t.co/651CKmDVen

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 7, 2026

Twenty vocational deacons gathered with Bishop Edgar at the Cathedral on September 26 for their annual Deacons’ Day. Bishop Edgar spoke on 1 Peter 3 stressing the value of sharing their personal testimony in ministry. “He pointed out that testimonies often have a greater impact on seekers and nonbelievers than doctrine or teaching,” said the Rev. John Davis, who serves as a deacon at St. Helena’s, Beaufort. “Testimonies remind people they are not alone on their spiritual journey. They humanize ministry, build relationships and provide strong evidence of God’s continued work in the world.”

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/qf1accJdCb ‘Twenty vocational deacons gathered with Bishop Edgar at the Cathedral on September 26 for their annual Deacons’ Day. Bishop Edgar spoke on 1 Peter 3 stressing the value of sharing their personal testimony in ministry.’ [Anglican Diocese of SC] #parishminsitry #southcarolina #ordainedlife

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 8, 2026

The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox, said: “My first thoughts today are with the women whose courage brought this retrial to a conclusion. They have now given evidence, in full, not once but twice. It is unfortunate that that was necessary, and I am acutely conscious of the cost it has had for them. I am also conscious of the distress experienced by many others who have not been part of the criminal proceedings.

“Last year I offered an unreserved apology for the abuse of power and leadership that took place within the Nine O’Clock Service.  Today’s verdict adds to that same picture, and my apology stands in full.

“Last year I also commissioned an independent Safeguarding Practice Review into how the Church responded at the time. We took the decision to delay that review until these outstanding charges had been resolved, so as not to cut across the retrial. With today’s verdict, that review will now begin, and I remain committed to seeing it through, and to acting on its findings.”

Read it all.

Chris Brain, the founder of the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield, has been found guilty of one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault, after a second trial. #ChurchTimes #ChurchNews https://t.co/F2OC9HioAn

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 5, 2026

A California pastor named Justin Lester has built a digital twin of himself using nearly 2 million words from his sermons, books, and other messages. The artificial intelligence–generated clone offers counsel around the clock to hundreds of people in Vallejo, a city in the Bay Area. The New York Times, which reported on Lester, said the AI twin talks in the pastor’s cadence. It has comforted a woman the night before heart surgery, advised a person who felt despair over a lost job, and generated a letter for a homesick child at camp.

Lester is not alone in searching for ways to incorporate generative AI into Christianity. The creators of one AI-infused app, called Bible Chat, have created another sort of digital chaplaincy that allows users to confess their secrets and sins to a chatbot, and ask it for insight about how to interpret the bible. Bible Chat has been downloaded more than 30 million times. Other “faith tech” tools are also on the rise.

I’m sure most of us already sense something is off here, and plenty has been written about the obvious concerns with the technology: Can a chatbot pray for you? (No.) Can it know you? (No.) Can it be trusted to tell you the truth when the truth costs something? (No.) I won’t use this article to rehearse those arguments. Instead, I will focus on our existing problems, as Protestants, with spiritual authority and how AI technology that provides spiritual guidance threatens to make it a lot worse.

Read it all.

(CT) ‘The New York Times, which reported on Lester, said the AI twin talks in the pastor’s cadence. It has comforted a woman the night before heart surgery, advised a person who felt despair over a lost job, and generated a letter for a homesick child at camp’ https://t.co/eimklPp9eQ #faith #parishministry #ordainedlife #technology #ai #21stc

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 5, 2026

The communiqué also announced the failure of negotiations between the church’s Court for the Trial of a Bishop, Edgar’s diocese, and the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. The two dioceses were attempting to conduct a panel inquiry into the court’s troubled private proceedings during the trial of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch, who was acquitted of episcopal negligence last year.

“Despite good-faith efforts on all sides, the parties were unable to agree on protocols for the panel’s work that would both address the questions raised by the two dioceses and satisfy the Court’s interest in protecting its independence. This effort has therefore concluded,” the communiqué said.

On October 1, the standing committee of Edgar’s diocese called the communiqué’s explanation “insufficient” and published documents detailing correspondence between the panel, the court, and the denomination’s Executive Committee.

According to those documents, negotiations broke down between the court and the six-lawyer panel—including chancellors from the dioceses of the Living Word, Canada, South Carolina, the Gulf Atlantic, and the Mid-Atlantic, and the Rev. Canon Andrew Rowell, chair of the province’s governance committee—when the court declined to provide access to the record of the Ruch trial after failing to gain the consent of Bishop Ruch and both sides’ counsel.

“We are ready to complete the task requested of us, but we are unable to do so without access to the Record of the Trial Court in the Ruch matter. We express deep concern about the practice of closing trials to the public without clearly articulated reasons,” the panel wrote in an August 21 letter to the Executive Committee.

South Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic had been prepared to challenge the court’s view of its independence earlier this year by bringing resolutions to the Provincial Council’s June meeting that aimed to compel the public release of the trial’s transcripts.

Edgar withdrew the resolutions before they came to the floor in favor of attempting the negotiated inquiry, but noted the diocese might reintroduce them to the Council in the event of failure. The Council’s next meeting is scheduled for June of 2027, though special meetings may be called by the archbishop, a majority of the Executive Committee, or by any fifteen Council delegates.

Read it all.

ICYMI on the ACNA Ruch trial review: the chancellor panel, which was drawn from a variety of dioceses, was denied access to the transcripts and trial record and could not move forward without that access. https://t.co/JU5UtpAaGU pic.twitter.com/GjsTslmtPm

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) October 2, 2026

A court in China’s Shanxi province sentenced Yang Rongli to 15 years for fraud in June 2025. She was the leader of a house church called the Golden Lampstand, and her fraud, according to the prosecutors, was collecting offerings from her congregation.

That’s the way churches have funded themselves for 2,000 years, and the Golden Lampstand’s congregants weren’t deceived. They gave willingly and knew where their money went. But in its campaign against independent churches, Beijing has doubled down on a troubling method: Take an ordinary practice and prosecute it as a financial crime. Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu’s Early Rain Covenant Church is another example: sentenced to nine years in 2019, partly for “illegal business operations” tied to printing Christian books.

My parents are likely next. My father, Gao Quanfu, founded Light of Zion Church in Xi’an nearly four decades ago. He and my mother, Pang Yu, both 69, lived frugally and gave generously. The church’s money was handled by a finance team and overseen by its elders and deacons. My father drew a fixed salary for preaching, and my mother cooked meals as a volunteer.

But in May 2025, the police came to our home in Xi’an and took my father, returning three weeks later to take my mother. The original charge was “using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law,” but—with the method of using financial laws for religious oppression—they’ve now been charged with fraud instead. Prosecutors are seeking 12 to 13 years.

Read it all.

In its campaign against independent churches, Beijing has doubled down on a troubling method: Take an ordinary practice and prosecute it as a financial crime, writes @GaoPu1231https://t.co/izxIujB28n

— Wall Street Journal Opinion (@WSJopinion) October 2, 2026

(To Be Shared as Helpful)
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are writing to you today in response to the Provincial newsletter that was sent out on September 28. The very last issue addressed in this email under the heading of “Follow-up from Provincial Council” was the chancellor-led inquiry that ended prematurely. The following timeline sets yesterday’s announcement in its proper context and reveals an ongoing issue with transparency in our province.

February 20, 2026 – The ADOSC Standing Committee sent a letter to the Executive Committee of the ACNA expressing certain concerns about the lack of transparency in the proceedings and Final Order  in the ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch. The letter includes a request for the release of the complete transcript of the trial and pretrial proceedings, with appropriate protections of the identities of abuse victims or victims advocates.
March 20, 2026 – Executive Committee responds to the ADOSC Standing Committee letter that it does not have the power to compel the Court to action. In response to our request for the release of the transcript of the trial and proceedings They make no further recommendation, except to contact the Clerk of Court directly.

“The Executive Committee is unable to order the release of trial transcripts, video recordings, motions, and other court documents, as you requested. The Court for the Trial of a Bishop is an independent body elected directly by the Provincial Council and is not under the jurisdiction or direction of the Executive Committee.”

May 4, 2026 – In an email, the Clerk of Court denies the Standing Committee’s request for access to the transcript, and says the College of Bishops will receive the transcript and has the authority to distribute it further.

May 5, 2026 – the Provincial Dean, Provincial Chancellor, and members of the Executive Committee meet with the Standing Committee of the ADOSC and encourage the submission of two resolutions to the Provincial Council regarding the release of the Ruch Trial transcript and the release of the final report of the ongoing Lathrup Investigation. Subsequently, two resolutions are submitted and also endorsed by the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

June 18, 2026 – At Provincial Council, an agreement is reached between the Rt. Rev. David Bryan, President of the Court, with the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar and the Rt. Rev Chris Warner, Bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, to withdraw the two resolutions in exchange for the formation of a Chancellor’s Panel to conduct a third-party mediated inquiry of the Ruch proceedings. During Provincial Council, the motions are withdrawn and the inquiry is announced.

“I want to say that I fully support this proposed action. Please understand that the court in no way wants to hide its work. In fact, I think Bishop Chip’s algebra teacher would be pleased that we showed our work to the entire College of Bishops. And they’ve been able to review the full transcript. What we’re concerned about is protecting the dignity of the people who participated in the proceedings and honoring the commitments of confidentiality which we had with all of the people that participated in those proceedings. I’m very thankful that we have worked out a way to approach these issues relationally to come together and to have the opportunity to ask questions and to answer questions that I pray will build trust in our province.” – Bp. David Bryan, remarks during Provincial Council, Afternoon Session.

August 21, 2026 – The established Chancellor’s Panel writes to the Executive Committee and the Bishops involved in the agreement stating they could not conduct their work because the Court will not execute the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the work of the Chancellor’s Panel, and will not provide access to the transcript.

“At the end of July 2026, we were provided information indicating that the Court for the Trial of a Bishop will not execute the proposed MOU or provide us access to the Record of the Trial Court in the Ruch matter. As of this writing, that remains our understanding. Accordingly, we are unable at this time to complete the task requested of us.” (see below)

August 24-26, 2026 – Bp. Bryan asks Bp. Ruch and both parties’ counsel to consent to the Chancellors’ inquiry. On all accounts, consent is not granted. Bp. Bryan declares the inquiry is over. (see below)

August 29, 2026 – Despite Bp. Dobbs’ involvement in the establishment of the MOU, Bp. Dobbs and the Executive Committee write to all involved stating they have no oversight over the inquiry and that they understand the issue is closed. – Email from Ms. Deborah Tepley (see below)

September 28, 2026 – The Provincial Office reports that the College of Bishops was informed that:

“…despite good-faith efforts on all sides, the parties were unable to agree on protocols for the panel’s work that would both address the questions raised by the two dioceses and satisfy the Court’s interest in protecting its independence. This effort has therefore concluded.” (see below)

 
With great concern for our province and with hope for greater transparency, we believe that the provincial announcement about the end of the Chancellor’s Inquiry is an insufficient explanation. The encouragement, endorsement, and subsequent announcement of an inquiry by agreed upon and experienced diocesan chancellors with access to all records was a sign of hope for transparency. With its retraction, we are left wondering how trust will be built unless there is follow-through. Before the Ruch trial concluded, the court itself volunteered to “issue its findings and all of the evidence that supports those findings in an order, appropriately redacted where necessary to protect vulnerable individuals” (Response to Resignation Letter, July 23, 2025). We ask only that they would keep their word. Yet we do not lose heart, for we are convinced that all things are possible through our Lord Jesus Christ. Please join us in prayer for the Anglican Church in North America, the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and our shared mission for the spread of the Gospel.

  With unwavering hope,

  The Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina.

Executive Committee Response, March 20, 2026

Bp. David Bryan, remarks during Provincial Council, Afternoon Session, Thursday, June 18 2026

Chancellor’s Panel Status Report, August 21, 2026

Email from Bp. Bryan, August 26, 2026 

Email from Ms. Deborah Tepley, August 29, 2026

College of Bishops Recap email, Sept 28, 2026

A Clergy Update from the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Standing Committee https://t.co/HXIKcHdUJD #acna #ethics #duprocess #justice #transparency #accountability TK pic.twitter.com/AtymQy8foR

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 1, 2026

I once witnessed a theatre director giving notes to a cast of actors preparing to perform on stage. She said to them: “Imagine, just before you go on, that you’ve forgotten all your lines, forgotten the whole play, forgotten all the work you’ve put into rehearsals and preparation. Forget it all, and then step into the light, into the story.”

But forgetting presupposes the memory you are to forget. For the actor, the truth of their performance arises out of this process of remembering and forgetting. And then you step into the light, into the story. . .

I want to say this is truth reclaimed for meaning, truth as meaning. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (18.37) So, the actor’s truth and the Christian’s truth are alike in this respect: it is something we come to belong to; it is how we live our part.

Rather than the truth being raw, or coherent with other truth statements, or somehow correspondent with reality out there, the truth is a memory of an encounter with meaning, something to which we can belong and which re-members us in turn. In short, it’s personal. More, it’s a Person.

Whether or not you try to record this truth on paper is ultimately immaterial. But you must record it in your heart.

Read it all.

‘The love we share at Christmas is a refuge. It replenishes our depleted batteries and allows us to go out again into the world’: The 2023 Country Life Christmas message, by Revd Colin Heber-Percy https://t.co/Vedsc9ywQX pic.twitter.com/97trNbTmlt

— Country Life (@Countrylifemag) December 25, 2023

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with renewed hope and deep gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ that I announce to you that the Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops have sentenced Bishop Edgar to a censure with no accompanying pastoral admonition. There are no restrictions to his exercise of his episcopal office and, this action puts to rest the official  response of the Province to the [shared eucharist and] Chapel dedication at Porter-Gaud. Thank you for your prayers and concerns for Bishop Edgar. We now return our hearts and focus to the Gospel mission that is our primary calling.

Faithfully,

Shay +

The Very Rev. Shay Gaillard
President Standing Committee   

Reminder to all that the ACNA College of Bishops begins its meeting today, where they will decide how to sentence both Bp Chip Edgar (who consented to discipline) and Bp Derek Jones (who was convicted last month and has made no appeal): https://t.co/BOy9Ukki3r

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) September 21, 2026

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America deposed Derek Jones from the Sacred Ministry on September 23, 2026.

This is in response to his guilt of four canonical charges against him, as determined by the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. The facts now established show that over a period of many years he has offended against God and the Body of Christ through acts of wickedness, cruelty, and abuse of power against chaplains with limited recourse.

The pain and destruction to these chaplains and their families is loathsome, and we are deeply ashamed and lament that members of this body who knew about this behavior neither urgently nor robustly addressed concerns and complaints regarding Mr. Jones.

Having read the affidavits and victim statements, we commit to continual prayer for victims known and unknown, pleading for God’s healing and hope. We also commit as a College to do everything in our power to address these injustices.

While we understand that we are unable to fully expunge the pain, destruction, and despair inflicted upon the lives of those who suffered, the College is undertaking a process by which chaplains may obtain canonical and pastoral restoration.

As part of our collective repentance, we recognize the culture of our College must change and we are seeking to understand how this abuse was allowed to happen.

Finally, the goal of disciplining a bishop is to protect the sheep and to invite the fallen shepherd to repent. Let us all fix our eyes on Christ Jesus the Good Shepherd under whose authority and care we all stand.

ACNA News: The College of Bishops has deposed Derek Jones, former chaplaincy bishop, from the ministry. "… we are deeply ashamed and lament that members of this body who knew about [his] behavior neither urgently nor robustly addressed concerns and complaints regarding [him]." pic.twitter.com/bf4kDRoymY

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) September 24, 2026

Stephen Arscott Named Diocesan Lay Coordinator for Cursillo

Stephen Arscott, a member of Holy Comforter, Sumter has become the new Diocesan Lay Coordinator (DLC) for our diocesan Cursillo community. Stephen’s Cursillo journey began at Cursillo 170 in the summer of 2013, which he attended with his wife, Melissa. Since then, Cursillo has been an important part of their lives and their walk with Christ. Over the years, Stephen has served in numerous roles on Cursillo teams and committees, including serving as Ultreya Rector for Santee and, most recently, leading Cursillo 191. Stephen received his BS in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. In 2006 he purchased Sumter Lighting and Home, a residential lighting and home decor business. He and Melissa have three adult children. In a wonderful Cursillo connection, Stephen’s priest, the Rev. David Booman, was actually his roommate at Cursillo 170! Read the announcement. 

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/CjlCMIee3l #parishministry #lowcountrylife #faith #ACNA #communication pic.twitter.com/ExisNjZ7b1

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 23, 2026

As part of those concrete steps to rebuilding trust, I hope that the CoB is considering these questions:

What is the plan for releasing the Lathrop report? This report examines the Provincial Office’s handling of the disciplinary process for Bp. Stewart Ruch, and its publication (with appropriate redactions) would increase transparency and display a desire for accountability. (Additionally, thoughtful preparation will avoid the problems that plagued the release of the Husch-Blackwell report during the investigation into Bp. Ruch.)

Will the transcripts of the Ruch trial be released? Given the many irregularities in that trial, making the transcripts available would show that the province is willing to be transparent about its own processes.

Will the College release the presentment against Bishop Edgar? As of now, we do not know what charges were brought against Bp. Edgar, nor who brought them, which shrouds the disciplinary process in secrecy and veils potential conflicts of interest on the part of the presenting bishops.

As the province transitions to the new disciplinary process outlined in the recently passed revisions to Title IV of the canons, how specifically does the province intend to care for reporters and whistleblowers? What are the protections against retaliation for those who raise concerns?

What specific steps will the province take to rebuild trust after the Wood trial concludes? Regardless of the outcome, the ACNA must grapple with how to move forward and demonstrate its commitment to caring for reporters and keeping the disciplinary process transparent….

What message does it send to the province that a presentment could be filed so swiftly against Bp. Chip Edgar for blessing a school chapel [as I have noted elsewhere this is NOT the heart of the issue it is participation in and reception of the Eucharist] alongside an Episcopal priest, while it took significantly longer—and much persistence from reporters—for presentments to be filed against Bps. Ruch, Jones, and Wood?

Read it all.

Today on Substack, we’re naming questions we hope the College of Bishops addresses as it convenes this week. Which questions would you prioritize?https://t.co/dFw7dfdeys

— anglicanrenewal (@anglicanrenewal) September 21, 2026

 What is happening?

On October 23, 2025, The Washington Post reported that Archbishop Steve Wood, leader of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), is the subject of a formal presentment—a canonical complaint alleging sexual misconduct and other violations of church canons.

Summary of Allegations

• The presentment, filed October 20, 2025, centers on claims by Claire Buxton, a former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
• Buxton alleges that between 2021 and 2024, Wood made inappropriate comments and gestures toward her, culminating in an unwanted advance in April 2024, when he allegedly attempted to kiss her.
• She also reported receiving about $3,500 in unsolicited payments from church funds over a 13-month period.
• Additional accusations in the presentment include plagiarized sermons, bullying of staff, and misuse of church resources.
• On November 7, 2025, The Washington Post reported that a second woman had come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, and the presentment was amended to include her affidavit and additional testimony from former colleagues.

Wood has stated he believes the allegations “lack merit” and has expressed trust in the ACNA’s canonical process.

2. What is the ACNA doing about it?

Upon receiving the presentment, ACNA initiated its disciplinary process, referring the case to a Board of Inquiry to determine whether an ecclesiastical trial is warranted.

November 4, 2025, the ACNA reported that Archbishop Wood took a voluntary, paid leave of absence from his roles as Archbishop and Bishop of the Carolinas. Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of the Province, was appointed to oversee the Archbishop’s duties during the investigation. To help ensure objectivity in the proceedings, Bishop Sutton formally recused himself from all matters pertaining to Archbishop Wood’s Board of Inquiry and any subsequent disciplinary process, according to the ACNA.

Bishop Sutton appointed Bishop Julian Dobbs, who is serving as Dean of Provincial Affairs, to form a three-member panel of bishops to represent Bishop Sutton in any action he may be required to take in the disciplinary process against Archbishop Wood. This newly formed panel will review and approve the composition of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) to ensure its impartiality, and receive its report.

Wood also announced his retirement as rector of St. Andrew’s, describing it as previously planned.

November 16, 2025, Bishop Julian Dobbs, with the written consent of the five senior diocesan bishops of the College, determined by date of admission, Bishop Julian Dobbs inhibited Archbishop Stephen D. Wood from the exercise or ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in North America, in accordance with the canons of our Church. This inhibition does not determine guilt or innocence, nor does it pre-judge any allegation or any step that may follow. The canons provide for the imposition of an inhibition when it is determined to be in the best interests of the Church to do so. The inhibition document may be found here: [link to inhibition document].

As stipulated in the Constitution of the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas, Bishop David Bryan, as Bishop Suffragan, is now assuming the duties of Acting Bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas for the duration of this period.

The ACNA has emphasized that Archbishop Wood is accountable to the same canonical standards and disciplinary process as any other leader accused of misconduct.

Read it all.

The Anglican Church in North America (@The_ACNA) has never put a sitting archbishop on trial.

That changes next week when the trial of Steve Wood begins. He faces charges of sexual immorality, abuse of church power and violating his ordination vows.https://t.co/9dP3rILsAF

— Roys Report (@ReachRoysReport) September 4, 2026

You may listen directly here:“>

Or you may download it there.

Or you may watch it there:

Evangelism doesn’t have to be awkward.

Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to say the perfect thing, know every answer, or somehow convince someone to believe.

But people aren’t projects, and you’re not the Savior. Jesus is.

Love the person in front of you. Listen… pic.twitter.com/wVILpVNWJe

— Daniel Adams (@TSNLDAN) September 10, 2026

CHARLESTON, SC — At long last Archbishop Steve Wood goes to trial for allegations that could derail his future hopes and aspirations and lead to a future of ignominy and shame. Exonerated, he will go back to leading a denomination struggling over the ordination of women and distrust by a growing number of laity disillusioned by his leadership. He faces a split among his fractious military chaplains, unresolved lawsuits and much more. 

No archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America has ever stood in the dock of his own church. Wood is the first. The denomination that was born in 2009 out of a flight from the Episcopal Church — a flight undertaken in the name of holiness, orthodoxy, and the plain reading of Scripture — now finds itself asking whether it can hold its own primate to the standard it once demanded of Canterbury. That is the real question the six-day trial in Charleston will answer, and it is far larger than the fate of one man. 

The court will not make it easy to watch. The proceedings, seated September 7 through 12 with extension dates reserved for September 21 through 26, are closed to the public. The Court for the Trial of a Bishop, presided over by the Rt. Rev. Ryan Reed, has given each side fifteen hours — no more — to lay out its case, examine and cross-examine witnesses, and argue before the bench. 

The Charges

Wood answers three formal charges: violation of his ordination vows; conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power; and sexual immorality. They are among the gravest a bishop can face, and they carry, on conviction, the prospect of deposition. 

The Allegations

Behind the three charges lies a presentment that ranges wider still.

The case broke into public view in October 2025, when The Washington Post reported that Wood had been accused of sexual harassment during his long tenure as rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina — the flagship parish he built over twenty-five years and the platform from which he rose to the archbishopric. Claire Buxton, a divorced mother of three who served as the parish’s children’s ministry director, alleges that Wood began behaving inappropriately toward her in the fall of 2021, showered her with attention and with money — more than three thousand dollars, she says, drawn from church funds — called her by a pet name, and, in April 2024, attempted to kiss her in his office. 

A presentment — the canonical instrument by which charges are brought — was filed that same month by a group of Wood’s former colleagues, among them four presbyters and seven lay people. It carried not only Buxton’s account but allegations that Wood bullied his staff and plagiarized sermons. In November it was resubmitted to add the account of a second woman, who said Wood had pressured her into situations that made her uncomfortable and had invited her to drink with him, and to add the claim of the province’s former communications director that Wood had conspired with other senior leaders to tilt the church’s investigative machinery in a “bishop-friendly” direction. 

Wood has denied the allegations, declining to comment on the most recent.

Read it all.

The Anglican Church in North America (@The_ACNA) has never put a sitting archbishop on trial.

That changes next week when the trial of Steve Wood begins. He faces charges of sexual immorality, abuse of church power and violating his ordination vows.https://t.co/9dP3rILsAF

— Roys Report (@ReachRoysReport) September 4, 2026

The Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Steve Wood, will face a church trial starting on Monday (Sept. 7). It’s the young denomination’s first trial of a sitting archbishop.

He faces three charges: violation of ordination vows, abuse of church power and sexual immorality.

“Our young Province finds itself in a challenging and uncomfortable season,” Julian Dobbs, who has taken over the archbishop’s duties, wrote in an email to the denomination on Tuesday. “Our unity, fervor, and faith are surely being tested.”

Read it all.

(RNS) — ‘Our young Province finds itself in a challenging and uncomfortable season,’ Julian Dobbs, who has taken over the archbishop’s duties, wrote in an email to the denomination on Tuesday. ‘Our unity, fervor, and faith are surely being tested.’ https://t.co/eyrrP5OR4I

— RNS (@RNS) September 8, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar, bishop of the ACNA’s Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, has been canonically charged with misconduct a week after he apologized for publicly dedicating a school chapel together with his counterpart in the Episcopal Church.

“I share this with heaviness of heart but in obedience to the truth Christ calls us to proclaim,” wrote the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs, acting primate of the ACNA, in an announcement of the charges against Bishop Edgar on September 2.

On August 18, Edgar had joined the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, in dedicating St. Timothy’s Chapel at the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston. The bishops, who both sit on the board of the independent Episcopal school, blessed the chapel’s furniture and distributed the Holy Communion to the mixed congregation. Photos of the event circulated widely and prompted a wave of public criticism.

The following week, Edgar expressed regret that his participation alongside Woodliff-Stanley had caused “anger and pain.” In response, Dobbs denounced the event as an occasion of “great offense,” adding that the denomination’s College of Bishops would consider the matter further at their next meeting in September.

Instead, formal charges were filed against Edgar by August 30, according to a September 2 letter from his standing committee. Dobbs’s same-day announcement stated that “the seriousness of the situation led a complement of Bishops” to file the charges, which Dobbs did not describe, but which the standing committee said accused Edgar of conduct giving “just cause for scandal or offense” at the chapel dedication.

Read it all.

New for @Livng_Church: ACNA Bishop Chip Edgar has accepted charges of "scandal or offense" made confidentially after joining his Episcopal counterpart in blessing a school chapel.https://t.co/3k15eoVR5S

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) September 4, 2026

What we have realised, over the last five years, as Save the Parish has got off the ground and started to ask the questions that should have been asked decades ago, is that what we are in danger of losing is not just some old buildings, or the clerical stipend, or one mode of training over another, but the essence of the Church of England itself.

Who are we? What is the unique ecology of the Church of England, which we love so dearly that we have got up and come here on a Saturday morning?

“If the Church of England were to fail,” said John Keble, “it should be found in my parish.”

Or, listen to Justin Welby, who, I concede isn’t often quoted by Save the Parish: “you could lose the House of Bishops tonight…[and] it’d be a couple of years before there was any noticeable impact on the Church of England. Whereas if you got rid of all the parishes and the churchwardens and the laypeople it would be noticeable in about one second.”

Well, we are here for the parishes and the churchwardens and the laypeople today. And for the priests. (I do declare an interest…)

Read it all.

Last night people from across the country – lay and clergy; Evangelical, High Church, Solidly Middle, Anglo Catholic; Tory, LibDem, Labour – gathered to pledge to Save the Parish.

Alison Milbank, @revstrott, and I all shared our thoughts – have a watch!https://t.co/nV43HmzWee pic.twitter.com/DuCnbEYNkt

— Marcus Walker (@WalkerMarcus) August 4, 2021

(From email;KSH).

Bishop Julian M. Dobbs is pleased to announce the appointment of the Right Reverend Ryan Reed, Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth, as Assistant Dean of the Province, effective immediately.

“Bishop Ryan Reed is a man of steady judgment, with a deep commitment to Christ and a sincere love for the Church. Over many years, I have seen Bishop Reed serve faithfully and I have worked alongside him as a senior bishop of our College,” said Bishop Dobbs. “This appointment follows prayerful consideration and consultation with the College of Bishops, and I believe Bishop Reed will serve with wisdom, humility, and the heart of a shepherd.”

This appointment is effective immediately and follows the provisions of the Province’s Canons, which were recently amended and ratified by the Provincial Assembly to establish the office of Assistant Dean. After a season of prayer, the appointment has been made in accordance with those canonical provisions and with the counsel of the College of Bishops.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Bishop Reed was raised near Houston. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, and a Master of Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1997, Bishop Reed has served congregations in Fort Worth, Bridgeport, and Bedford, Texas, and has held a variety of ministerial and administrative leadership positions.

He has served each role with faithfulness, humility, and pastoral wisdom. His willingness to assume this new responsibility reflects his longstanding commitment to the Church, and the Province looks forward to the gifts of leadership, experience, and pastoral care he will bring.

Please join us in prayer, lifting up Bishop Reed, his wife Kathy, their family, and the Diocese of Fort Worth as he undertakes these additional responsibilities. May the Lord grant him wisdom, strength, and grace as he continues to serve Christ and His Church.

Ryan Reed appointed Assistant Dean of the ACNAhttps://t.co/Qp6CusP3fT pic.twitter.com/WIvrfPqMF6

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) July 24, 2026

Ms [Lyndall] Bywater encourages clergy to engage regularly in different types of prayer rather than “making prayer in our own image”, she says.

“Church leaders will also often have people coming to them who are struggling with prayer, and it is important to be able to help them understand how their personality interfaces with their spirituality.

“Are they essentially cataphatic: preferring knowledge and understanding? Or are they apophatic: preferring mystery and deep questioning? Do they love the task of prayer most, or the relationship of prayer? Where and how have they previously connected with God in helpful ways?

“If leaders can ask these questions and understand how to help people based on the answers, then many more people would develop a deep love for prayer.”

MOST people feel guilty about prayer, believing that they are bad at it, Ms Bywater says. Part of that comes from a “work hard, be passionate” personality, and part from comparing themselves with others, she says.

While recognising that prayer is a discipline and involves choices about making space in our lives to pray, Ms Bywater says: “What prayer is — the conversation with God — I refuse to believe it’s possible to be bad at that.

Read it all.

"One difficulty that faces ordinands as they leave the formation of their training institutions, is teaching prayer to an unchurched generation." Loved this piece. https://t.co/RfaRNaP3gB

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) July 17, 2026

As many are aware, the Final Order from the trial of Bp. Ruch in 2025 (the 71-page document, not the decision itself) left many concerns about how the trial was conducted. After consulting with the Provincial Executive Committee, our Diocese proposed two resolutions to be considered at Provincial Council. One called for the public release of the full trial transcript. The other called for the public release of the final investigation report already commissioned by the Province. 

The two resolutions to the Council, that were the result of the work of our Bishop and Standing Committee with the Executive Committee of the ACNA, were consequently withdrawn without prejudice on the day they were to be debated and voted upon. This withdrawal was not the result of any attempt to thwart the purpose of these resolutions, nor did it represent a lack of resolve on our part. Rather, God opened a door for us to gain fuller access to the proceedings of the Ruch trial through the above-mentioned agreement with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. We are now in a very favorable position with our chancellor Ben Hagood taking the lead in the inquiry.

Because all of this happened on the ground in Tulsa and Bishop Edgar was the only one of us present, he took the lead in the negotiations. The Standing Comittee President was informed of the opportunity on Wednesday night and was an early part of the decision to withdraw the resolutions. The Standing Committee and Bishop regret the lack of process these deadlines prevented as well as the void of information that existed in the aftermath. We wholeheartedly believe that the work of this inquiry and its release to the Standing Committees of the Province represents a large step forward in our quest for transparency.

With the trial of the Archbishop currently set to begin on September 7, we will again redouble our prayers for the health and welfare of the Anglican Church in North America and our Diocese. 

Read it all.

The ACNA has posted a "Potential Timeline" for what may happen procedurally after the trial of Abp Wood, assuming it goes ahead with its currently scheduled starting date of September 7. pic.twitter.com/tJraKclI2i

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) July 15, 2026

An investigation into why the public have lost confidence in the Church of England is required, the General Synod heard on Monday afternoon.

The Rector of St Bartholomew’s, Smithfield, Fr Marcus Walker (London), speaking during a debate on the report Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England, observed that all 16 members of the laity interviewed for the report were involved in the Church’s structures (News, 3 July). They comprised six diocesan secretaries, and ten lay chairs or members of General Synod.

“The elephant in the room — the elephant herd harrumphing around the report — is all of those who are outside, alongside, walking with the household of faith,” he said.

“The people who have not lost faith from within the institution of the Church, but who have lost trust in the institution of the Church. Who have lost trust in the Church and its mission. . .

Read it all.

An investigation into why the public have lost confidence in the Church of England is required, the General #Synod heard on Monday afternoon#trust #churchnews #churchtimeshttps://t.co/mJy7udBTA3

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 14, 2026

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

Or you may watch it there:

Finally, I wanted to update you on Provincial Council and Assembly with a particular eye towards the Resolutions our Diocese presented to the Provincial Council.

You likely heard that our two resolutions to Provincial Council that came from a meeting of our Standing Committee and the Executive Committee of the ACNA, were withdrawn without prejudice on the day they were to be debated and voted upon. This withdrawal was not the result of any attempt to thwart the purpose of these resolutions, nor did it represent a lack of resolve on our part. God opened a door for us to gain an even fuller access to the proceedings of the Ruch trial through an agreement with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. We are now in a very favorable position with our chancellor Ben Hagood taking the lead in an inquiry into those proceedings.

This all happened on the ground in Tulsa. It began with an offer that answered what we had originally requested—a review of the courts process. It became a conversation about the nature of the review and how this inquiry would proceed. I kept Shay Gaillard, President of the Standing Committee, informed of these matters, and he offered his counsel and advice. After Provincial Council, I went on a retreat and haven’t had the opportunity to update you until now. I believe, and the Standing Committee has affirmed this, that the work of this inquiry and its future release to the Standing Committees of the Province represents a large step forward in our quest for transparency.

I wanted to send this letter before I leave town so that you would be up to date on these matters. I also want you to pray for the trial of the Archbishop currently set to begin on September 7, for the health and welfare of the ACNA, and for our Diocese.

Read it all.

ACNA legislative news: Bp Chip Edgar (South Carolina), joined by Bp Chris Warner (Mid-Atlantic), withdrew the diocese's 2 resolutions seeking the release of the Ruch trial transcripts & the eventual third-party report on the Ruch investigation. 🧵 https://t.co/lYhxW83zqL pic.twitter.com/NH7xhk0rsG

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) June 18, 2026

THIS MATTER is set for trial beginning September 7, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. EDT.
Counsel for all parties shall also appear at a calendar call via Zoom at 1:30 p.m. EDT on
September 4, 2026. The trial will be held in Charleston, South Carolina from September 7-12,

2026. The specific courtroom location will be provided in advance of the calendar call.

Read it all.

The ACNA's Court for the Trial of a Bishop has issued a new scheduling order regulating more discovery ahead of Abp Steve Wood's trial, which is set for September 7. pic.twitter.com/VXY8dGP1Vz

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) July 9, 2026

Despite the well-intended efforts of the Church, the prayer was widely mocked on social media. As a result, vicars and lay members of the General Synod raised their concerns in writing, asking: “Is there a requirement for staff writing such prayers to be practising Christians?”

Despite the well-intended efforts of the Church, the prayer was widely mocked on social media. As a result, vicars and lay members of the General Synod raised their concerns in writing, asking: “Is there a requirement for staff writing such prayers to be practising Christians?”

Among those who criticised the prayer, published last month, were commentators such as the Rev Jamie Franklin. On his Irreverend podcast, he described it as poorly written, theologically shallow, embarrassingly unserious and a perfect symbol of the institution’s current woes.

A post on the Anglican Ordinariate Forum on Facebook read: “The Church of England insists on making a mockery of itself and of prayer.”

Read it all.

A prayer for the World Cup 2026. ⚽ pic.twitter.com/32I2TgC2it

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) June 11, 2026

Clerical accountability must be “vigorously tackled” and is “the key issue for the Church to tackle and should not be a protracted debate”, a report on trust in the Church of England concludes.

The report, Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England: Listening and responding to usual and unusual challenges, was produced by Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, a former Dean of the Business School at the University of Bristol, drawing on 74 interviews with bishops, clergy, lay people, and members of the national church institutions.

“Whilst no one wants to return to the feudal patriarchal structures of the past, if the institution is to restore trust with the society it is meant to serve, clerical accountability must be vigorously tackled,” Professor Hope Hailey writes.

“It’s not simply about formal control but also the need to change the culture of individualism some clergy seem to think they deserve. That love of autonomy means that they can be inconsistent and unpredictable in their promises to implement policy.”

Read it all.

Clerical accountability must be “vigorously tackled”, a report on trust in the Church of England has concluded. It is “the key issue for the Church to tackle and should not be a protracted debate”, it says ⚖️#Clergy #churchnews #report https://t.co/oyP7wJBq8p

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 1, 2026

 “Strong frustration” that a report on the seal of confession remains with the House of Bishops and has “effectively been paused for over a year” has been expressed by members of the Task and Finish Group for the Makin report.

The group has requested that the issue be escalated to the National Safeguarding Steering Group.

The group was established to “scrutinise, challenge and advise” on the Church of England’s response to the 27 recommendations arising from Keith Makin’s review of the Church’s handling of allegations of abuse perpetrated by John Smyth.

Last year, it reported that all 27 would be accepted — 24 in full, and the other three “partially” (News, 7 November 2025).

Read it all.

“Strong frustration” that a report on the seal of confession remains with the House of Bishops and has “effectively been paused for over a year” has been expressed by members of the Task and Finish Group for the Makin report.https://t.co/y7QCdyTY0t

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) June 24, 2026

Bishop FitzSimons Allison is now in his 99th year. His mind, though not as quick as when I interviewed him in 2022, – “The Lion in Winter” (Allison was 95) – remains profoundly alert to the times in which we live. He is a living witness to nearly the entire arc of the modern Anglican crisis — from the pre-revisionist Episcopal Church through the Singapore consecrations to the founding of the ACNA. Very few people alive can speak to that history from personal experience.

Christopher FitzSimons Allison was born on March 5, 1927, in Columbia, South Carolina, the son of James Richard Allison and Susan Milliken FitzSimons. He attended the University of the South at Sewanee, though his studies were interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II. He was discharged and returned to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. He then earned a B.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1952 and a D.Phil. from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1956. He married Martha Allston Parker on June 10, 1950.

Early Life and Formation

Academic Career

Ordained deacon in June 1952 and priested in May 1953, Allison went on to become one of the Episcopal Church’s most respected patristic scholars and Anglican historians. Following his Oxford doctorate, he served as associate professor of church history at the University of the South, Sewanee, from 1956 to 1967, and then as professor of church history at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria from 1967 to 1975.

Parish Ministry and the Diocese of South Carolina

He then served for five years as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in New York City — one of the most prominent evangelical Anglican parishes in the country — before being called to lead the Diocese of South Carolina. He was elected at a special meeting of the Diocesan Convention on May 17, 1980, and consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina in a service attended by approximately 2,500 people at the Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston. The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, served as chief consecrator. He became diocesan bishop in 1982 and served until his retirement in 1990.

Read it all.

Giving thanks for the life and ministry of retired bishop of #southcarolina C. FitzSimons Allison who is (I can’t fully believe it) 99 years old pic.twitter.com/A6CYBFIEV3

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 22, 2026