To: The Clergy of the Diocese
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In recent days, the people of our Diocese and Province have witnessed unsettling developments related to the ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch.
Given that two of our own diocesan leaders, Bishop David Bryan and Mr. Alan Runyan, have played major roles in this trial and have issued public and seemingly conflicting statements, this turmoil is being experienced particularly acutely within our Diocese. The discomfort we’re feeling is real and personal.
Before we address that discomfort, we offer this brief sketch of the key events that have led us to this place:
• In 2021, accusations were raised against Bishop Steward Ruch regarding his handling of credible reports of sexual abuse that took place in 2019 by a Lay Catechist of a church within his Diocese, the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The abuser was convicted in 2022 of multiple counts of child sexual abuse, and he also pled guilty to raping another victim in 2018 and 2020.
• Two presentments were filed against Bp. Ruch, the first by three fellow bishops in December 2022 and the second by lay and clergy in June 2023. A presentment is a list of charges that are formally brought against a member of the clergy. Bp. Ruch was charged with habitual neglect of duties, causing scandal or offense, violating his ordination vows, and contravention of the canons of the church.
• A Board of Inquiry convened in accordance with ACNA canons reviewed the presentments in 2023, and in both cases found probable cause to go to trial.
• After a prolonged delay, the trial began on July 14th of this year with members of our Diocese in key positions: Mr. Alan Runyan serving as the Provincial Prosecutor and Bishop David Bryan serving as the President of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop.
• On July 18th, an incident occurred during the trial that led Mr. Runyan to conclude that the trial process had been irreparably tainted and that he must resign from his position as Prosecutor.
• The Court has ordered the trial to resume on August 11th after the appointment of a new Prosecutor, and on July 23rd it issued a Limited Response to the Public Release of the Former Provincial Prosecutor’s Resignation Letter which was signed on behalf of all seven members of the court by Bp. Bryan as the trial court’s President. This response directly contradicts statements made in Mr. Runyan’s resignation letter, as well as corroborating statements made later by Mr. Runyan’s Assistant Prosecutor.
• On July 25th, the Assistant Prosecutor released a statement bringing further context to Mr. Runyan’s mid-trial resignation and making further claims of inappropriate conduct by Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff in the ACNA’s Provincial Office. Her letter also indicates that Bp. Bryan is not the member of the court whose actions led to Mr. Runyan’s resignation.
• On July 29th, after reviewing some of the facts on the previous day, a Joint Statement from the College of Bishops and Executive Committee was released exonerating the Archbishop and Provincial Office staff. On that same day, Bishop Chip Edgar offered a response to the joint statement, clarifying that neither he nor any of the other bishops serving on the Trial Court or the Tribunal were party to it, and therefore it did not speak unanimously for the College of Bishops. The Joint Statement was later revised to include this fact.
• A new Prosecutor has been appointed after the initial replacement for Mr. Runyan stepped down due to a conflict of interest. The trial is currently set to resume on August 11th.
• Further details can be found on the ACNA website. Related material is also posted on Anglican Ink.
The Standing Committee of our Diocese has received numerous letters of concern, as well as requests for explanation and clarification of these events. We are grateful for all those who have reached out to us because it shows genuine care for others and a deep concern for the integrity of our Province. We thank you for sharing your questions, concerns, and feedback.
We recognize several distinct issues that have been raised by these events, including issues of justice, due process, and multiple allegations of misconduct. We note that some of these issues are of particular concern to the churches of our Diocese because of the individuals involved. As we consider these issues, we must also recognize that Bp. Edgar is currently limited in his ability to engage with these matters because he is a member of the Provincial Tribunal which serves as a court of final review for the proceedings against Bp. Ruch.
The issues raised by these events have caused serious alarm and forces each of us to prayerfully consider a proper response. Silence may signal complicity; haste may lead to harm. In this unprecedented moment, we risk either mistake with every decision we make. In our patient, prayerful discernment, we desire to bring clarity to misinformation and to direct what further action may be required by Bp. Edgar or us, if any.
As a council of advice to Bp. Edgar, it is our recommendation that we cautiously seek to navigate a path between these two devastating errors, and with earnest prayer we ask the Lord to guide us, correct us, limit any harm, and magnify any good that may result from our decisions. Lord, have mercy.
To that end, then, we submit to you the following:
In consultation with the Standing Committee, Bp. Edgar has agreed to temporarily suspend episcopal visits by Bp. David Bryan. We think this temporary action is necessary given the significant contradictions between the statement of the court under Bp. Bryan’s signature and the statements of Mr. Runyan and his Assistant Prosecutor. We hope for the day when he can resume visits to our parishes, but we must patiently wait for the trial to conclude and for the facts of the proceedings to be released.
With regards to the accusations made against Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff, we recognize that we are not the investigative or disciplinary arm of the ACNA. We are, though, the concerned representative body of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and as such, we request an independent, third party investigation into the Provincial Office’s actions during the course of the trial, to begin no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the trial process. We invite other Dioceses of the ACNA to join us in this petition.
We refrain from making any comment on the trial while the proceedings are underway. We continue to pray God’s will be done, and trust his sovereignty in these and all matters.
To the victims of abuse in ACNA churches, especially those in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest who have endured a long and arduous ecclesial court process, we are pained by our Province’s failure in the swift administration of justice and the broken trust that has resulted. We grieve what you have endured, and pray that the love of Jesus made real to you will overcome the bitter failures of his church.
We remain fully committed to the future of the ACNA, yet we cannot ignore the obvious inadequacies in some of our processes or the questions of integrity regarding some of the people responsible for fairly administering them. We feel the outstretched arm of the Lord against our Province, and at the same time we see the mercy his pierced hands offer us in the repeated refrain of the prophet Isaiah: “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 10:4)
In all of this, we call on the people of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to lead in acts of mercy and charity, to persist in service to the least and the lost, to be humble in confession of our faults and unsparing in forgiveness for those who seek repentance, in all things striving to build up the body of Christ, the church. Let this be our witness, and may it lead to restoration.
In Christ’s service,
The Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina
The Rev. Jeremy Shelton
The Rev. Mary Ellen Doran
The Rev. Jamie Sosnowski
The Rev. Corey Prescott
The Rev. Bill Clarkson
Mrs. Lindsay Dew
Mrs. Shirley Wiggins
Mr. Robert Kunes
Mr. Ben Dixon
Mr. Terry Jenkins
Mr. Bobby Kilgo
Read it all there if you need the link.
