(RNS) — Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church in North America, is taking a voluntary leave of absence in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism. Those allegations will be investigated by a 10-person Board of Inquiry, made up of ACNA clergy and laypeople, that will assess whether there are reasonable grounds to initiate a church trial. 

In a statement Monday evening (Nov. 3) to the denomination, Wood denied the allegations against him.

“While I grieve that anyone experiences harm in the Church, as I have noted to my parish, I believe the charges against me lack merit, and I categorically and emphatically deny the particular accusation of attempted physical contact made against me by a former St. Andrew’s employee,” Wood said in a public letter Monday to the denomination.

Wood also announced his retirement as rector of St. Andrew’s Parish in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (which he described as previously planned), and said he would be taking a leave of absence from his duties as bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas.

On Oct. 23, The Washington Post published a report detailing allegations from a former children’s ministry director who served with Wood at St. Andrew’s. Claire Buxton, the former director, told the Post that Wood gave her more than $3,000 from church funds and, in April 2024, attempted to kiss her in his office. Priests have also accused Wood of plagiarizing sermons and bullying staff members. All of the allegations against Wood are for activities that would have preceded his election as archbishop last year.

“I was in shock,” Buxton told the Post. “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 will not participate in official duties during his leave of absence, though he will be paid until the church process for investigating those allegations concludes, according to statements from ACNA leaders. Bishop Ray Sutton, who serves as the denomination’s dean and is known for his staunch opposition to women’s ordination to the priesthood, will take over those responsibilities with the assistance of Bishop Julian Dobbs.

Sutton will appoint the Board of Inquiry that will assess the charges against Wood — including alleged violation of ordination vows, conduct giving cause for “scandal or offense,” and sexual immorality — and will determine whether Wood will face a church trial. According to the church website, the Board of Inquiry investigation typically takes between a few weeks to up to three months, though there is no prescribed timeline for this process in church bylaws. 

The Anglican Church in North America was founded in 2009 after some 700 churches split from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Canada over various disagreements, including the acceptance of women priests, LGBTQ+ affirmation and the rewritten Book of Common Prayer. At least four other ACNA bishops have publicly faced church charges relating to various kinds of misconduct since ACNA’s founding. After years of pushback, the denomination is in the midst of overhauling its clergy misconduct and abuse protocols, though any changes adopted next year would not go into effect until January 2027.

“The Church is committed to a thorough, fair, and transparent canonical process following established procedures within our ecclesiastical canons,” an ACNA spokesperson said in a statement sent to the denomination.