The archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), is now facing sexual harassment allegations from a second woman, escalating a crisis of leadership and integrity in the young denomination. In the latest of a series of investigative reports on the ACNA, the Washington Post reported a revised ecclesiastical complaint (“presentment”) against the Most Rev. Steve Wood was submitted on November 6, 2025. It included an affidavit from a second woman named “Jane Doe 1” charging Archbishop Wood with misconduct, offering examples of experiences of inappropriate behavior including pressure to be alone with Wood, and being urged to drink alcohol privately with him despite her objections. The Post reported Jane Doe 1 withheld further detail to maintain her anonymity.
The first public accusation came from Claire Buxton, then children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church (South Carolina), who alleged Wood attempted to kiss her in April 2024 and gave her over $3,000 from church funds. The original presentment, submitted by a group of priests and parishioners, also outlined accusations of bullying, plagiarism, and violations of ordination vows and church standards.
Wood, 62, married and a father of four, became ACNA’s third archbishop in summer 2024. On October 20, an ecclesiastical complaint was filed, with allegations spanning sexual misconduct, “scandal,” and breaches of vows. Wood has denied all claims, stating his commitment to ACNA’s investigative process, which mandates confidentiality for all parties[3][5]. However, the chancellor for the ACNA sought to throw out the first complaint alleging that it was not in the proper form due to an absence of a sworn affidavit from the complainants.
The ACNA announced November 3 the archbishop would take a voluntary paid leave from his duties as archbishop and bishop, and would retire as rector of St. Andrew’s, a move he characterized as previously planned. The dean of the Province, the Most Rev. Ray Sutton, presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church stepped into Archbishop Wood’s shoes during this voluntary leave, and the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs of the Diocese of the Living Word would become the acting dean.
Internal church communications show deep concern among clergy, with some leaders and bishops asserting the integrity of church processes, and others expressing frustration over a lack of immediate disciplinary restrictions on Archbishop Wood—he remains free to contact accusers and witnesses, which critics see as undermining safe conduct standards, the Post reported.
The most damning addition to the amended complaint is an affidavit from the former communications director of the ACNA, the Rev. Andrew Gross, who testified to having witnessed the archbishop’s repeated efforts to manipulate and deceive colleagues and leadership to pervert the course of justice in the church’s multiple episcopal misconduct scandars.
ACNA was founded in 2009 by theologically conservative Episcopalians and Anglicans who split from the Episcopal Church over disputes over doctrine and discipline, most famously the confirmation of the election of a non-celibate gay bishop in 2003. The denomination has taken a high profile role in the reordering of the Anglican Communion with its past Archbishops, Robert Duncan and Foley Beach, instrumental in the formation of the GAFCON and Global South Fellowship of Anglicans coalitions, set up to reform and restore the wider church.
The crisis around Wood follows other prominent misconduct cases within ACNA: Bishop Stewart Ruch III is under ecclesiastical trial for permitting individuals with troubling backgrounds into church leadership, a presentment against the Bishop for the Jurisdiction for the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy Derek Jones is under review, while Todd Atkinson head of the Via Apostolica Missionary District, Canada was removed from ordained ministry on May 9, 2024, following an ecclesiastical trial that found him guilty of multiple charges, including inappropriate relationships with women and abuse of ecclesiastical power dating back to 2012.
The investigation into Archbishop Wood is guiding ACNA through unprecedented territory, as he may become the first sitting archbishop to face a church trial. The intensity and visibility of these allegations have shaken confidence in ACNA leadership, generating mass emails and statements from bishops seeking to reassure parishioners that misconduct complaints are treated with gravity and urgency. However, skepticism remains among many clergy and laity about the adequacy of internal accountability mechanisms.
If the ecclesiastical trial results in a guilty verdict for the archgbishop, he could be defrocked—a step that would mark a seismic moment for both the denomination and the broader conservative Anglican movement across the globe.