Anglican archbishop accused of sexual misconduct as bishop faces trial for abuse of power

Archbishop Stephen Wood, the senior-most official of the Anglican Church in North America, has been accused of sexual misconduct, while another top official has been accused of allowing men with troubling backgrounds to serve as church leaders.

A former children’s ministry director accused the 62-year-old Wood of putting his hand against the back of her head and trying to kiss her in his office in April 2024, two months before he was elected to his current role, according to a new church presentment obtained by the Washington Post.

Stewart Ruch III, a 58-year-old bishop who heads a diocese in the Midwest, is facing an ecclesiastical trial on charges that he allowed men with histories of violence or sexual misconduct to worship or hold staff or leadership roles in his diocese.

“This is a painful and very personal process for all involved,” wrote Mike Hughes, the church’s senior warden, in an email to congregants alerting them to the Post's reporting.

A complaint was filed Monday by four presbyters and seven lay members of the Anglican Church. Wood denied the allegations and declined to answer specific questions about the woman's accusation.

“I do not believe these allegations have any merit,” Wood said in a statement. “I place my faith and trust in the process outlined in our canons to bring clarity and truth in these matters and respectfully decline to comment further at this time.”

The woman gave an interview to the Post and said Wood, a married father of four sons, gave her thousands of dollars in unexpected payments from church coffers before making the alleged advance.

“I was in shock,” said Claire Buxton, a 42-year-old divorced mother of three sons. “It’s just bizarre to me how far we — the Anglican Church in North America and its leadership — have gotten away from basic morals and principles.”

Wood remains the rector of St. Andrew’s Church near Charleston, South Carolina, and a bishop overseeing a diocese that includes more than 40 churches across the South, but if the presentment sets in motion an ecclesiastical trial, he could be defrocked and forced to step down.

“Unfortunately, the problems at the highest levels of the ACNA are deeper, wider and more entrenched than many of its own parishioners realize,” said Andrew Gross, an Anglican priest who previously served as the Anglican Church’s communications director. “The ACNA has never before had to deal with serious allegations of misconduct by the archbishop. This is a crisis without precedent, and how these concerns are handled will determine the future trajectory of the denomination and its credibility.”

Testimony in Ruch's trial on abuse of power allegations ended earlier this month, and a verdict from the court’s seven-member panel of judges is expected later this year.