(RNS) — Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism, according to an explosive report released by The Washington Post on Thursday (Oct. 23). The list of charges, signed by at least 10 individuals attesting to the allegations, is the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination.
Claire Buxton, a former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where Wood serves as rector, told the Post that Wood attempted to kiss her in his office in April 2024, just before he was elected to replace Archbishop Foley Beach as head of the denomination. Buxton claims that before the incident, Wood gave her more than $3,000 from church funds and that church employees had commented on Wood’s “excessive praise and fondness” for her. Priests have also accused Wood of plagiarizing sermons and bullying staff members before becoming archbishop.
The presentment, as a formal complaint is known in the church, was submitted on Monday to Wood and other bishops.
“I do not believe these allegations have any merit,” said Wood, who also continues to serve as bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas, in a statement to Religion News Service. “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 charges in the presentment include alleged violation of ordination vows, conduct giving cause for “scandal or offense,” and sexual immorality.
“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.”
The Post reported that a rector in Wood’s diocese wrote a letter to Wood in 2019, questioning his moral authority to serve as bishop. He accused Wood of preaching sermons he didn’t write, publicly cursing at colleagues and using a $60,000 truck provided by the diocese for church visits — then left Wood’s diocese soon after.
Buxton told the Post that Wood began acting inappropriately with her in fall 2021, repeatedly showering her with money, calling her “Claire Bear” and offering to send her to a luxury resort. Buxton said she was fearful that Wood would attempt to start a physical relationship with her.
When she confronted him in April 2024, Wood reportedly told her: “You know how special you are to me. You’re my favorite person in the world.” When she got up to leave, the Post reported, he put his hand against the back of her head and tried to kiss her.
By September 2025, less than a year into Wood’s tenure as archbishop, a group of Wood’s former colleagues had drafted a presentment and received signatures from at least 10 clergy and laypeople from the denomination, as required by church bylaws.
The Post reported that after the presentment was submitted, denominational officials asked those who signed the presentment to re-sign it and attest to the truth of the allegations “under penalties of perjury.” One of the presentment’s authors told the Post the group backing the presentment declined to comply, saying it was not required by church bylaws.
