Urgent Call for Stability: What the ACNA College of Bishops Must Address This Week

By Concerned Anglican

www.virtueonline.org

December 3, 2025

The Anglican Church in North America stands at a critical juncture. As the College of Bishops convenes for an emergency meeting, the decisions made this week will shape the province’s future for years to come. I write as someone deeply committed to our Anglican heritage and concerned for the wellbeing of clergy, laity, and the witness of the Gospel we collectively bear.

The Federal Lawsuit: A Clear Path Forward

The federal litigation between the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC) and the ACNA poses a significant threat to our province’s financial stability and public witness. The facts are sobering and appear to fully favor the JAFC. A federal judge has already issued three injunctions against the ACNA regarding trademark violations. This is not speculation, it is judicial determination of wrongdoing that comes with a serious price tag.

Legal experts familiar with trademark law understand what this means. The likelihood of the ACNA prevailing at trial is virtually non-existent, and the financial liability of the ACNA could reach into the 10s of millions of dollars. But the monetary cost, severe as it may be, represents only part of the threat.

Should this matter proceed to trial, the discovery process will inevitably expose internal communications, decision-making processes, and institutional failures that will only compound the already deeply embarrassing news surrounding the College of Bishops. The ACNA can ill-afford additional scandal. Previous controversies have already weakened trust among our clergy and laity, and further damage to our institutional credibility this case will most likely bring could prove catastrophic.

The bishops must pursue a settlement immediately. Settlement offers a clear path to close this painful chapter, limit financial exposure, and prevent the public airing of matters that will harm our collective witness. Proverbs reminds us that “the wise see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 27:12).

Beyond this critical matter, the College should address several related concerns:

Restore Trust in Episcopal Leadership. Recent years have seen unprecedented challenges to episcopal authority within the ACNA. While healthy accountability mechanisms are vital, the pattern of anonymous accusations, social media campaigns, and end-runs around canonical processes threatens the very concept of ordered ministry. The bishops must reassert that canonical processes, not public pressure campaigns, govern how we address grievances in the church.

Clarify Standards for Safeguarding Procedures. Much of the current controversy involves competing claims about safeguarding protocols. The province needs clear, unified standards that respect both victim welfare and accused persons’ rights to fair process. Ambiguity invites exploitation by all parties.

Address the Broader Cultural Crisis. The ease with which anonymous letters and social media controversies can destabilize the province reveals deeper problems. We have allowed a culture to develop where grievance-airing replaces reconciliation, where suspicion replaces trust, and where canonical order gives way to mob dynamics. The bishops must name this cultural problem clearly and call the province to better.

Provide Pastoral Care for All Affected. Throughout these controversies, real people have suffered and congregations have been caught in the crossfire. The College should commit resources to pastoral support and genuine reconciliation where possible.

The Stakes Could Not Be Higher

Make no mistake, the ACNA’s future stability depends on the decisions made this week. A province that loses millions in an avoidable lawsuit, allows faithful leaders to be destroyed by anonymous accusations without defense, refuses to acknowledge its own canonical failures, and fails to address its deeper cultural dysfunction will struggle to maintain credibility or unity.

But a College of Bishops that acts with wisdom, courage, and clarity can begin to restore stability. Settle the lawsuit. Defend leaders who acted rightly. Acknowledge where canonical process was abandoned and commit to following it faithfully in the future. Reform the processes that enabled this crisis. Call the province to better.

The question is not whether we face challenges; we do. The question is whether our bishops will lead us through them with the wisdom, courage, and faithfulness that their office demands, and with the fidelity to canonical order that our polity requires.

The faithful are watching. The watching world is watching. Most importantly, the Lord of the Church is watching. May our bishops prove equal to this moment.

Author’s Note: I write as a concerned Anglican anonymously because I do not yet trust that ACNA leadership can be relied upon to protect me from being targeted. I am an Anglican priest deeply concerned for the health of our province. These observations stem from professional experience with organizational dysfunction and from a commitment to the canonical order that protects us all.

A note from JAFC Bishop Derek Jones: “At the request of the ACNA, the JAFC attorneys have sent an 'offer of compromise subject to Rule 408 of the Federal Rules of Evidence’ on December 2nd, and we await what we pray will be a positive response."