2018
The AMiA splits again, with some clergy leaving to form the Anglican Union For The Propagation Of The Gospel: A Confraternity Of Oratories.
15-17 March 2018
In an address to the Missionary Diocese of All Saints (MDAS) the Rt. Rev. William J. Ilgenfritz says that:
“each time” opponents of women clergy called for the voluntary moratorium, they were “rebuffed by those who support the notion of ‘dual-integrity’.”Bishop Ilgenfritz complained traditionalists were victimized by the majority within the ACNA House of Bishops. “One supporter of Women’s Ordination told those of us who maintain the historic position, if we didn’t support the status quo of “duel-integrity” we should ‘Shuffle off to Rome.’ Message received,” he said.
‘All indications are that ‘dual-integrity’ is here to stay,’ he said adding “This issue of women’s ordination is part of a larger epidemic of anti-Catholic sentiment within the ACNA.”
The feeling of being outsiders also extends to theological views, he noted, citing the presence of professed Calvinists within the ranks of the ACNA. These concerns have led to dissention with the MDAS. “We have lost a few clergy, one parish, and I have received multiple emails and phone calls from clergy; some asking me to stay the course in the ACNA and some urging me to seek out an alternative to the ACNA.” (source)
He further says, “I cannot defend ACNA anymore.”
August 2018
Barnabas Fund CEO Hendrik Storm emails Bishop Julian Dobbs and his wife about expenses they had submitted over the past two years, totaling around $28,200. “If left unexplained, it breaches the faith inherent in the working relationship and certainly appears to be fundamentally and directly inconsistent with the obligations you had to Barnabas Fund, perhaps could even be construed as tantamount to fraud…” (link) Bishop Dobbs replies three weeks later, vigorously denying any wrongdoing. “Never has there been any deception in any of our expenses. We have been completely forthright with these submissions and are committed in being individuals of honesty and integrity in our personal and public lives.”
September 2018
ACNA holds a Conclave on the subject of Holy Orders. According to REC Bishop David Hicks:
Bishops were in their cassocks the whole time…it was a time set aside for prayer, reflection. Some of our meals were eaten in silence, which was a new experience for many of us. So, it really was a time dedicated to to devotion and prayer, and hearing one another, and speaking very frankly to one another during this time.
I can say that, whenever truth is spoken, it’s always brings with it some difficulty when, maybe, it’s something we don’t want to hear or something that ruffles our feathers. And as the bishops, when we met, we spoke very frankly to one another. We ruffled one another’s feathers, as you might expect. But we thought it important to work toward issuing some kind of statement at the end of our meeting together for the sake of the church. Everyone knew we were meeting, and conspiracy theorists love to attribute all kinds of activities and motives to to meetings, especially if they’re a conclave. So, we thought it would be good to issue a statement.
27 November 2018
Twelve Canadian Anglican priests write to Bishop Charlie Masters citing concerns about Todd Atkinson.
They argued that the process in recommending Bp Atkinson and Via Apostolica was rushed through the ANIC Synod and cited four specific considerations: “a lack of process coherence, a lack of pastoral coherence, a lack of coherence in our witness and, most importantly a lack of theological coherence.” The signators requested that the process be put on hold until significant concerns could be raised and allow time for Atkinson to respond. They additionally requested that their letter be put forward to the ACNA College of Bishops to communicate their concerns.
“Some of us are troubled by the apparent claim to extra-biblical revelation from the pulpit by Bishop Todd. Others have raised concerns that the ‘unique discipleship method’ of Via Apostolica may incline toward ‘Heavy Shepherding’ with its unaccountable reliance on one leader. The essence of Anglican identity forms the basis for our confessional unity. It would be theologically troubling for us to move forward with a proposed Missionary District without these issues being somewhat resolved.”
They recommended that “Synod motions of structural significance be properly vetted” and not rushed and that ANiC Council “develop policies and procedures to deal with such significant motions in the future” especially when there were “ecclesial and theological implications” in such structural changes as affinity and missionary districts. (link)
11 January 2019
The Church of Nigeria consecrates four new bishops for service in the USA. This is for the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT), “a diocese in the Anglican Church in North America and a sub-jurisdiction of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). It is the first missionary diocese of CANA launched by the Church of Nigeria in the United States and Canada, working as an evangelical, church planting movement now have Four new Suffragan Bishops namely:
- The Ven. Dr. Adedokun Adewunmi – Region 3;
- The Ven. Martyn Anagbogu – Region 2;
- The Ven. Olukayode Adebogun – Region 1;
- The Revd Canon Dr. Augustin Unuigbe – Region 4
The four are elected and appointed Bishop Suffragans for four newly created regions while The Rt Rev. Amos Fagbamiye maintain servant leadership in the geographical area of emphasis with the Cathedral in Indianapolis.” (link)
February 2019
Barnabas Aid USA (a charity) sends the ACNA “a 102-page investigative file — a memo, emails and other records…According to the memo, the charity asserted that (Bishop Julian) Dobbs and his wife engaged in “deliberate acts of misusing Barnabas Aid liquid assets to benefit either themselves or another ministry.” The memo also alleged that they misused funds for travel and other expenses, some linked to Dobbs’s duties for the church and his personal life. (link)
24 February 2019
Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin priest Jesus Antonio Castañeda-Serna was accused of sexual misconduct and arrested. Bishop Eric Menees says that “Over 40 parishioners told church officials that they, or someone they knew, had been abused by Castañeda.” (link)
12 March 2019
A joint committee of representatives from ACNA and the Church of Nigeria met in Houston regarding clear lines of authority for CANA dioceses.
2 May 2019
ACNA announces an agreement with the Church of Nigeria that provides that CANA become solely a mission of the Church of Nigeria but allows three dioceses (Cana East, Cana West, Trinity) to make their own decision regarding provincial relationships.
17 May 2019
Christ Our Light Anglican Church (COLA)—was a church plant located in Big Rock, Illinois, established by members of Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton under the oversight of the Greenhouse Movement within the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest.
A woman’s 9-year-old daughter tells her that Mark Rivera has been sexually abusing her. Rivera was a trusted lay leader there, a “catechist.” He was involved in worship leadership, pastoral care, treasurer duties, and vestry service at COLA.
21 May 2019
CANA East became the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word after withdrawing its membership from the Church of Nigeria to become solely a diocese of ACNA.
17-19 June 2019
The ACNA Assembly features Ravi Zacharias as a speaker despite his being discovered to be inflating his credentials and being involved in a strange exchange of texts with a woman. This was prior to his complete exposure later, but the gist of the case can be seen here and here.
September 2019
The Rev. Hamilton Smith, rector of St. Thomas’ Church in Mount Pleasant, SC, writes to Bishop Steve Wood: “I do not feel you have moral authority required to hold the office of Bishop.”
Wood preached sermons he did not write and tried to pass them off as his own work, Smith alleged. During staff meetings, Wood publicly shamed and cursed at colleagues, the letter said. Smith also questioned a $60,000 truck provided by the diocese for Wood’s church visits, noting that Wood mentioned the vehicle to him only in the context of Wood’s hunting trips. (Washington Post)
Wood responds: “As you note at the end of your letter I do have a different perspective on the items you enumerate,” Wood wrote. “Please continue to pray for me/us.”
September 2019
The Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC) requests an investigation into Bishop Julian Dobbs for “missing funds not reported on the financial statements of CANA, totaling more than $48,000” according to Bishop Derek Jones.
“The chaplaincy had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the convocation from 2014 to 2019, but the convocation could not account for the money, Jones told The Post.” (link)
9 October 2019
Bishop Derek Jones (JAFC) writes to Raymond Dague (Chancellor for ADLW) alleging that $15,000 in JAFC donations to CANA between 2017 and 2019 were either missing from financial statements or redirected to a CANA East account. Bishop Jones says, “As the gifts were restricted, we respectfully ask that $3750.00, which represents money intended for CANA given since August 2017 and deposited into the CANA East account, be returned to the JAFC. Further, we ask that $11,250, which represents money received by CANA since August 2017 but not reported on the CANA financial statements in 2017 or 2018, be accounted for in revised statements from CANA and updated with the IRS, and the $11,250 be forwarded to Bp Felix Orji and CANA.”
October 2019
Archbishop Beach “wrote to Barnabas trustees defending Dobbs and citing the conclusion of the denomination’s inquiry:
“As to the Right Rev. Julian Dobbs, we do not find any [credible] evidence of willful wrongdoing by him, and therefore find no basis for any disciplinary action against him under the canons of this Church…each reimbursement was reimbursed with fund[s] which were written and signed by someone in your organization,” (link)
Chris Sugden “…wrote Beach reiterating that the Dobbses had not obtained authorization from the head office for “all their expenses and other payments.” Although the charity accepted Beach’s decision to consider the case closed, Sugden also said that the charity would like its disagreement with the church’s conclusion “noted for the record” if the IRS or another authority investigated.” (link)
22 November 2019
An independent investigation of Father Eric Dudley from Saint Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of ACNA finds that he “…engaged in sexual misconduct against certain adult staff members and one other non-staff adult, abused his authority as an employer and priest and emotionally harmed those in his charge.”
Dudley is deposed and barred from ministry in ACNA.
26 November 2019
Raymond Dague responds to Bishop Jones, explaining that CANA HQ and CANA East were a single legal entity sharing one tax ID. He clarifies that “redirected” checks were an accounting formality and that CANA East actually subsidized CANA HQ’s deficits. Dague says, “As you can see from what we have here indicated, there was no diversion of the JAFC contributions to our diocese. Instead it is just a lack of understanding on your behalf of the nature of the accounting done by our diocese and CANA during the time when they were a single legal entity.
It is understandable that you would wonder about the deposit of your contributions into separate bank accounts, one titled to CANA East and the other titled to CANA HQ. But would it not have been better for you to have approached Bishop Dobbs or me directly when you had these concerns, rather than inquiring with one of our clergy on al least two separate occasions for the financial records of our diocese, followed by you making an allegation of financial mismanagement to Archbishop Foley Beach?
The principle of Matthew 18: 15-18 would seem to indicate that your first step should have been to us, rather than take this to others. This is especially so given that the financial concerns which you raise in your letter are fully explained by your (quite understandable) lack of knowledge of our accounting and banking procedures.”
April 2020
“Due to the inaction of ACNA, JAFC contacted the IRS concerning Bishop Dobbs.” (Derek Jones/JAFC court filing)
May 2020
According to Bishop Jones and Foley Beach, ACNA appointed Bishop David Anderson, Assistant Chancellor Jeff Garrety, and Certified Forensic Investigator Leah Turner to investigate Bishop Dobbs at this time.
13 May 2020
An independent forensic audit by Cusano Associates C.P.A. finds that all JAFC funds were accounted for in CANA’s QuickBooks and that no money was diverted to personal accounts.
2 June 2020
ACNA Bishop Ron Jackson admitted to the use of pornography over many years and pleaded guilty to the charges of sexual immorality (Canon IV.2(6)) and conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense (Canon IV.2(4)).
The College of Bishops voted to impose the sentence of deposition from the sacred ministry on Bishop Jackson. His holy orders have been removed, and he is no longer permitted to engage in ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in North America.
23 September 2020
A follow-up audit in the Bishop Dobbs matter confirms that no one had altered the QuickBooks “Audit File” to hide changes to the checks.
6 October 2020
The organization of CANA is dissolved by action of the Bishop Dobbs and CANA’s chancellor.
28 October 2020
After consultation with Archbishop Foley Beach, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pittsburgh requests that Bishop James Hobby resign as Bishop of Pittsburgh. The reasons given are:
Failed to act with urgency, transparency, and timeliness when an accusation of sexual misconduct by a member of the clergy was brought to his attention. To be clear, this misconduct involved another adult who is a clergy member.
Failed repeatedly to act in a manner that demonstrated proper concern for the victims of an abusive priest. To be clear, this abuse related to adults and did not involve physical contact.
Repeatedly failed to properly follow the Canonical process for this accusation.
Inexplicably delayed in advising the Standing Committee of other formal complaints about the same clergy member.
Did not share material information regarding the investigation with the Standing Committee and the Canonical Investigator in a timely manner.
29 October 2020
Bishop Hobby agrees to resign and submits his resignation.
12 November 2020
Archbishop Beach issues “Godly Judgments and Admonitions” to Bishops Julian Dobbs, Derek Jones, Mark Nordstrom, and Mike Williams. Among other things, he orders:
Bishop Julian Dobbs shall participate in counseling for spiritual abuse inflicted by Archbishop Okoh. (Archbishop Beach will pay for this counseling if funds not available from the diocese).
Bishop Julian Dobbs will take a minimum 3-month sabbatical or Leave of Absence in early 2021 for rest, restoration, and renewal.
Bishop Dobbs is ordered to enter mediation with several bishops, including Bishop Jones.
December 2020
CANA was dissolved and the Church of Nigeria North American Mission (CONNAM) was established with the three remaining CANA Dioceses.
January 2021
The ACNA College of Bishops issues Sexuality and Identity: A Pastoral Statement from the College of Bishops. It says that “To insist on the adjective “gay,” with all of its cultural attachments, is problematic to the point that we cannot affirm its usage in relation to the word “Christian.””
Bishop Todd Hunter (C4SO) promptly issues C4SO Pastoral Guidance on the ACNA Statement on Sexuality and Identity, saying in part, “Policies are blunt instruments…The College of Bishops does not speak with the authority of a magisterium…It is understandable that some feel frustration when we then try to control the language through which celibate, gay brothers and sisters self-identify.”
Phil Ashey writes, “The teaching authority expressed through periodic Statements of the ACNA College of Bishops is an important part of articulating what Anglicans believe in North America and, therefore, of what Anglicans can assert as doctrine and practice in defense of our religious freedom. Whether a dissent or more, the C4SO Guidance on the ACNA Bishops Pastoral Statement represents the kind of equivocation that could undermine the teaching authority of the College of Bishops thereby making it more difficult for all Anglicans to appeal to such authority (whether in public witness or in defense of religious freedom).” (link)
22 February 2021
Pieter Valk publishes a letter titled Dear Gay Anglicans that says in part: “We recognize that recent conversations, public statements, and debates surrounding human sexuality and language have caused many of you deep pain, weariness, and grief.”
24 February 2021
Archbishop Beach sends an ADOTS Clergy Update, saying:
I am writing today to address a letter which was put out yesterday via social media. A group led by aspirant, Pieter Valk, has put out a letter entitled, Dear Gay Anglicans, in response to the College of Bishops’ pastoral letter on identity. If you have not seen the letter, you can find it HERE.
While it says they are not undermining our Pastoral Statement, they actually are. Replacing “gay Christian” with “gay Anglican” is pretty much in your face. My immediate reaction to the letter was that it was pretty benign and wasn’t going to change anything about what we teach.
However, it has already had international ramifications. I have had to deal with two provinces already (actually now three as of a few minutes ago) — and this is just the first day. In many of our partner provinces, the practice of homosexuality is against the law, and to make matters more difficult, they usually don’t understand the nuances of the word “gay” or “homosexual attraction” — they just hear the practice of same-sex immorality.
In the province, the expected hard rhetoric is coming from both sides in reaction to this. I find our lack of charity in the province a serious blind spot we need to address. Many of our bishops, and rightly so, feel this is an attempt to undermine our roles as guardians of the Faith and teachers of the doctrine of the Church. Some individuals have expressed that we are now TEC 2.0. Some think this is going to break the ACNA apart — one quote I received tonight: “If I had to guess what might fracture the ACNA I would’ve said women’s ordination. I never would have thought it would be homosexuality. We gave up everything to take a clear stand on this. It is disheartening to have it being taken away.” I could go on, but you get the point.
This is serious enough, however, that I am writing this at 1:15 am.
So this is what I as your bishop would like to say to you as the clergy of the Anglican Diocese of the South.
1. Pray and lift this up to the Lord. This is His Church and we are His servants.
2. Some of our clergy signed onto this letter, and I do not want you to ostracize them or condemn them. They have signed this in good faith, and you and I need to listen to them. You do not have to agree, but as Christians, we need to learn again how to discuss issues with those we disagree with — and then be able to continue to love and care for them. However, if you are one of the clergy who signed on to this, I expect you to send me an email explaining why you signed a letter and beginning a private, non-punitive, conversation with me about your concerns.
3. The bishops are not going to back down on our conclusions which we worked on, received input from all over the province, edited, reviewed, edited, reviewed, and edited. We literally spent over a year wrestling with this in response to questions and concerns we have been receiving from all over the province. It is an excellent document expressing theologically a biblical, historical, and pastoral response to a complicated and enculturated issue. We were not telling people how to refer to themselves, but rather explaining theologically who we are in Christ regardless of our sexual identity.
4. A number of clergy signed onto this not really realizing the “in your face” attitude of some of the authors. They saw it as a way to say to the same-sex attracted persons in the ACNA that we love them. Others signed out of angry disagreement with our discouraging the use of any pronoun before Christian, specifically “Gay Christian.” Some were misinformed thinking the authors had been in discussions with Provincial leadership; they were not.
5. Let’s remember that we have a large number of same-sex attracted individuals who have come to the ACNA specifically because of our stand for Biblical morality. They need our love, encouragement, and support. Personally, I do not believe signing this letter does that.
Lastly, may I suggest for those who are really invested in these issues, to meet and actually study the bishop’s statement, unpack it, and seek to really understand what we are saying to the Church.
26 February 2021
The Anglican Church of Nigeria issues a statement on recent developments in ACNA. Archbishop Ndukuba writes “We therefore call upon the Archbishop and the College of Bishops of ACNA to make definite, unambiguous statement condemning the actions taken by
the Gay activists in their midst, denounce their action, dissociate ACNA
from the group, discipline the erring bishops, priests and laity who signed the offensive Pro-Gay letter and reaffirm ACNA’s commitment to all the fundamentals of orthodox Christian faith and the resolutions of the GAFCON Jerusalem Declarations and Statement. It should take a clear stand on their position on homosexuality and same -sex relations of all types.” (link)
22 March 2021
Bishop Dobbs sends a formal statement to Archbishop Beach saying, “I regret and apologize for my part and on behalf of my staff, for the confusion in [the convocation’s] financial accounting practices … and for any harm brought to the ministry of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy,”
The letter, Dobbs said, was “not an apology or acknowledgement about my alleged mishandling of finances.” Instead, he said, his letter was meant to “acknowledge the inconvenience that resulted from a perfectly legal” change in his convocation’s accounting practices.
“Dobbs’s step toward reconciliation was pivotal. That same day, according to a letter the denomination provided The Post, the chaplaincy’s attorneys told Jones that Dobbs’s apology met their requirements to move on: “We will consider this closed and agree not to initiate an investigation of, or action against Bishop Dobbs with any federal or state authorities.” (link)
Archbishop Beach summarized this in late 2025: “The Anglican Church in North America devoted significant time, professional review, and financial resources to ensure that every allegation was examined with thoroughness and transparency.
The investigation concluded that there was no financial impropriety, misappropriation of funds, or misuse of designated gifts by Bishop Dobbs. While a bookkeeper’s stamping error prompted initial concern, the review of financial records, audit files, and CPA analysis confirmed that all monies in question were deposited and appropriated for the ministry of CANA and not CANA East, and that the specific financial charges raised are not valid to hold up in a secular case or a Provincial one. These findings were consistent across internal diocesan review, an external CPA examination, and the Provincial investigation.”
25 June 2021
Bishop Ray Sutton writes to an Anglican chaplain who had been inhibited by Bishop Derek Jones and tells him: “As for you(r) self-designation and appointment as “whistleblower,” no such category appears in Scripture or our canons.”
8 July 2021
Bishop Ruch requests a Leave of Absence. Archbishop Beach grants it, citing a “…desire to create space to that a complete investigation of the diocesan process may take place, and that assistance and care may be provided to the victims of the abuse.” (Smith letter to Beach, 14 Jan 22)
July 2021
ACNAtoo, a grassroots advocacy group advocating for survivors of abuse within ACNA, begins organizing.
July 2021 – February 2023
According to Bishop Ruch’s lawyer, around this time a group of provincial representatives referring to themselves as the “Morning Team” begin investigations into UMD/Ruch. The Morning Team oversees the Husch Blackwell and Telios Law investigations.
24 August 2021
ACNA Executive Committee meets in Bremerton, Washington and appoints the members of the Provincial Response Team.
“The Provincial Response Team is tasked with overseeing an investigation into the Diocese of the Upper Midwest’s handling of allegations of misconduct and coordinating the care of survivors. In addition, the Provincial Response Team will collaborate with the canonical review team which will provide feedback to the diocese on ways they might improve their structures and processes.”
29 August 2021
The Province announces that the ACNA Executive Committee has approved the UMD Bishop Council’s request for an expanded scope of inquiry into the situation.
This will eventually result in an additional, concurrent “abuse of power” investigation into the UMD, beyond the scope of the investigation specifically into the alleged mishandling of the Mark Rivera case.
“…it was presented to Council members that it was critical for them to expand the scope as suggested because a Religion News Service article was pending release that would reveal a host of complainants all alleging “spiritual abuse” against Bp. Stewart and his subordinate leaders.”
3 September 2021
Bishop Todd Atkinson takes a leave of absence. “Though geographically located in Canada, the clergy of Via Apostolica are canonically resident in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. Because of this leave of absence, Atkinson will not be serving as an acting assistant bishop in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest.” https://anglicanchurch.net/bishop-atkinson-takes-leave-of-absence/
September 2021
Bishop Ruch calls Archbishop Beach hoping “…to have a dialogue with you about my leave of absence.”
3 October 2021
Bishop Quigg Lawrence accepts position of Interim Bishop for Via Apostolica.
4 October 2021
William Beasley retires as Missioner General of the Greenhouse Movement.
12 October 2021
“Archbishop Foley…has requested a leave of absence from priestly ministry (teaching, preaching, celebrating the sacraments, etc.) of Canon William Beasley, the recently retired Missioner General of Greenhouse. Canon Beasley’s leave will remain through the expanded investigation overseen by the Province.
18 October 2021
Bishop Alan Hawkins speaks with Bishop Atwood and the International Diocesan Chancellor Jeff Garetty about an investigation into Bishop Atwood.
6 November 2021
ACNA: “Allegations of misconduct, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power, have been made against Bishop Todd Atkinson. A Provincial Investigative Team has been formed to look into these matters, and is beginning its work.”
11 November 2021
Stewart and Katherine Ruch, with Alec Smith, have a phone conversation with Hawkins. Hawkins promises to have a conversation with Beach about Ruch’s leave.
29 November 2021
Notice of claim letter served on Archbishop Beach. Letter says in part, “We are aware of Bishop Ruch’s statement made on May 4, 2021, which communicated that the abuse never occurred on church property or during church-sponsored events. This self-serving proclamation was both deceptive and lacked a factual basis.”
2 December 2021
Stewart and Katherine Ruch write to Archbishop Beach outlining provincial offenses against them and the UMD, including “…two victim advocates from the PRT called and confronted one of my cathedral staff members for her pastoral care decisions.” He says, “…if even half of my perceptions regarding the way this process has been handled with me and my diocese were accurate, they would amount to the mistreatment of a bishop. I also shared that I am ready to forgive, to understand, and to empathize.”
13 December 2021
Ruch calls Archbishop Beach “…to ask you about your perspective on the possibility of me coming off of leave.”
2021
According to the ACNA, “the Provincial Intake Officer received complaints dating back to 2021” regarding Bishop Derek Jones. (link)
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