May 8, 2026
To the People of the Anglican Church in North America,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we approach the season of Ascension, we are reminded of the glorious truth that our Lord Jesus has ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He reigns in glory. In His ascension, we find our great hope: that He who conquered death is now our Great High Priest, interceding for us and empowering His Church to fulfill the Great Commission. Even as we navigate the complexities of our earthly life and the governance of our Province, we do so under the sovereign authority of Christ, the King of Kings.
It is my desire and intention to provide the province with periodic updates. As we prepare over the coming weeks for a College of Bishops meeting June 15–17, 2026, in advance of our annual Provincial Council in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 17–19, 2026, there are a number of items that I am eager to share with you.
First, it was a joy to see many of our Provincial Council delegates earlier today for our first of four provincial delegate orientations. We are grateful for our delegates’ dedicated service to our church. We will offer similar preparation in the coming weeks for delegates serving at the specially called VIRTUAL Provincial Assembly on June 25 at 2 pm ET.
During our time in Tulsa, the bishops will gather to exercise their episcopal responsibilities and address key matters currently before the Church. Additionally, the Provincial Council will consider important revisions to our Title IV disciplinary canons after nearly a year of public review. We ask for your prayers for our bishops and delegates as they seek the mind of Christ in their deliberations and oversight.
We will also share several encouraging updates on the life of our Province, including new data from our enhanced Congregational Report, and we will share a number of ministry highlights from our first-ever Annual Impact Report. These documents reflect the vitality and growth of our churches and the tangible ways the Gospel is transforming lives across North America. These reports are very good news for which we give thanks to God.
Disciplinary Updates
In our ongoing commitment to communicate as clearly as possible about disciplinary matters, I want to acknowledge a few recent developments. First, the Court hosted the first of two scheduled pre-trial hearings in the matter regarding Archbishop Steve Wood yesterday on May 7, 2026. The Court will post any decisions or updates it may have on the Court for the Trial of a Bishop webpage, and we will post subsequent updates to the Archbishop Wood updates page. The next hearing is scheduled for May 20. The Court has set a trial date for July 20, 2026.
Additionally, yesterday, the Board of Inquiry (BOI) convened to complete a review of presentments against Bishops MacClellan, Williams, and Nordstrom, formerly serving in the Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy under Bishop Derek Jones, has referred all three cases for ecclesiastical trial. Additional details are available on the SJAFC Updates Page.
New Staff Appointments
Finally, I am delighted to announce several new members of our Provincial staff who will help lead us into this next season of ministry:
- Fr. Tony Melton (Diocese of the Southeast – REC) joined us on April 24 as our Lead for Church Planting. He brings a wealth of experience and an entrepreneurial heart for the mission of the Gospel.
- Marion Ahlers (Diocese of Pittsburgh) began her role as our new Senior Communications Manager on May 4, to help us better share the story of what God is doing in our midst.
- Dcn. Kelley Munger, PhD (Anglican Diocese of the South), started her role as our new Director of Safeguarding initially in a part-time capacity beginning in mid-April. She will join us full-time on May 18. Her expertise will be vital as we continue to ensure our churches are safe places for the vulnerable and offer meaningful counsel and direction to help us fulfill our moral duty to provide pastoral care to all people.
Please join me in welcoming these new leaders and in praying for our Province as we prepare for our time together at Provincial Council in Tulsa. In this season of unique challenges, we trust that God is faithful to provide. We hold fast to the truth in 2 Corinthians 9:10 that, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness”. May we continue to walk in a manner worthy of these promises.
Faithfully Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs
Dean of the Province
Anglican Church in North America