CANON LAWYER THINKS ACNA ARCHBISHOP STEVE WOOD WILL BE EXONERATED

By David W. Virtue, DD

 www.virtueonline.org

 May 4, 2026

Canon lawyer Bishop Phil Ashey believes that ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood will be exonerated, based on a video discussing the upcoming trial of the inhibited ACNA archbishop. Wood faces three formal ecclesiastical charges arising from a presentment filed in October 2025. All three charges were deemed by a Board of Inquiry to have sufficient grounds to proceed to a church trial.

The charges include violation of his ordination vows, which alleges Wood's conduct breached the promises and standards required of bishops under ACNA canons. They include unwarranted sexual advances; alleged misuse of church funds (e.g., giving over $3,000 to a subordinate employee); alleged plagiarism of sermons; and alleged bullying of clergy and staff.

Ashey addressed only the sexual charges.

In the video, Ashey noted that a number of staff members and others in the church felt aggrieved by the manner in which they were terminated. There were two allegations of unwanted sexual advances — one from a known individual, one from an unknown individual — raising the question of how one can fairly respond to allegations from an unknown accuser.

Those allegations were brought to a number of bishops, who declined to sign the accusation. The accusers then went to the Washington Post, where the allegations were published. The bishops subsequently decided to sign the accusation and file a presentment. Wood will present witnesses in his defense, and pre-trial motions have been filed.

When asked whether the trial would be concluded by the end of the year, Ashey said he could not say. Key issues include how the accusation was leaked to the press and whether fairness, due process, and natural justice are even possible given the circumstances.

Ashey suggested that given the Washington Post coverage, there is a good chance Wood will be exonerated — but raised the question of how that would affect the damage already done to his reputation. He also questioned why Wood was formally inhibited when he had already voluntarily stepped down, noting that the public nature of the Washington Post story created pressure to treat the situation no differently than one requiring a formal inhibition.

Ashey describes himself as a canonical volunteer to the archbishop and says he may be at Wood's side in that capacity, while stressing that he has tried not to pass judgment. He believes everyone deserves a fair trial, and has stated that if Wood is convicted of any offense, he will recuse himself.

Background

The case against Archbishop Wood became public on October 23, 2025, when the Washington Post reported that a formal presentment had been filed against him three days earlier. The presentment centers on claims by Claire Buxton, a former children's ministry director at St. Andrew's Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, who alleges that between 2021 and 2024, Wood made inappropriate comments and gestures toward her, culminating in an unwanted advance in April 2024, when he allegedly attempted to kiss her. She also reported receiving about $3,500 in unsolicited payments from church funds over a 13-month period.

A second woman, who identified herself only as Jane Doe, claimed Wood pressured her into situations she was "uncomfortable with" and to drink alcohol with him. Wood also faces allegations from several priests of bullying and plagiarism. He has denied all but the most recent allegations of sexual harassment from the unnamed woman, which he declined to comment on, and submitted to the church process for vetting the claims.

Initially, the ACNA's Provincial Office refused to accept the October 20 complaint, which contained sworn affidavits but was missing language desired by the office to confirm they were sworn "under penalties of perjury." A two-week delay ensued as the complainants argued that no such requirement existed in the canons. The complainants later resubmitted the complaint and expanded its allegations: an additional woman accused Wood of sexual harassment, and the Rev. Andrew Gross, former denominational communications director, accused Wood and Sutton of having previously conspired to appoint a "bishop-friendly" Board of Inquiry in the event of charges ever coming against Wood.

After several bishops made public statements portraying the complainants as having gone to the Washington Post before attempting to use the disciplinary mechanisms of the church, the complainants included in their resubmitted complaint a detailed chronology of their yearlong fruitless effort to secure three bishop sponsors for the complaint. The complainants alleged that they had approached four bishops, who all ultimately declined to sponsor the complaint, before organizing the more difficult ten-person path to filing.

On November 4, 2025, the ACNA reported that Archbishop Wood took a voluntary, paid leave of absence from his roles as Archbishop and Bishop of the Carolinas. Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of the Province, was appointed to oversee the archbishop's duties during the investigation. On November 16, 2025, Archbishop Wood was inhibited from the exercise of ordained ministry in the ACNA. The inhibition was imposed by Bishop Julian Dobbs, the newly appointed Dean of the Province, following a presentment received by the College of Bishops and with the written consent of five active senior diocesan bishops.

The Board of Inquiry found probable cause to present Archbishop Wood for trial, referring the matter to the Court for the Trial of a Bishop — a canonically established body of seven total clergy, laity, and bishops elected for three-year terms by the denomination's Provincial Council.

Trial Date Set

Archbishop Wood's ecclesiastical trial is scheduled to begin on July 20, 2026. Wood has also filed a motion to dismiss the case. The court heard arguments on that motion on May 7.