The speed of the board’s work, which by canon involves investigating by “hear[ing] the accusations and such proof as the accusers may produce,” suggests that the formal complaint and its affidavits could have been sufficient to establish probable cause. The standing committee of Wood’s Diocese of the Carolinas had suggested that the board use an outside firm to conduct a fuller investigation, but the board appeared to reach its conclusion on its own.
With the board’s indictment, Archbishop Wood will face a prosecutor of Bishop Dobbs’ choice and will be tried before the denomination’s Court for the Trial of a Bishop. The court consists of two adult members, two priests, and three bishops. Its senior-most bishop, who serves as its president, is the Rt. Rev. David Bryan, who has served as suffragan in the Diocese of the Carolinas since 2016.
While the next procedural steps toward trial are clear, its timeline is not. Speaking at a provincial Q&A session on December 12, Bill Nelson, the denomination’s chancellor, emphasized that the court could only hear one case at a time, and would not be able to turn to the Wood matter until the conclusion of the trial of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch (Diocese of the Upper Midwest). A verdict in that matter is due December 16.
“I can’t tell you any further right now what the court’s timetable will be, but … the Wood matter will be the next matter to be considered. And we will just post updates on timing as they become available,” Nelson said. In the Ruch matter, 13 months elapsed between the Board of Inquiry’s indictment and the court’s first scheduling order, and 15 more will have passed by the time of the verdict.
Wood has been canonically indicted on charges of violation of ordination vows, conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, and sexual immorality. #Anglican #ACNA #news
— The Living Church (@Livng_Church) December 15, 2025
https://t.co/6nctiH3q9c