ACNAtoo

Bp. Derek Jones Inhibited, JAFC leaves ACNA — ACNAtoo   Archbishop Steve Wood announced that he has inhibited Bp. Derek Jones of the Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy. JAFC leadership responded to the inhibition on September...

Abp. Steve Wood announced on 9/21/25 that he has inhibited Bp. Derek Jones of the JAFC. JAFC leadership responded to the inhibition on 9/22/25 by terminating their affiliation with the ACNA and challenging the Province’s account of the events.

www.acnatoo.org/acnatoo-news...

Lorica: The Courage to Cry Out — ACNAtoo Clergy sexual abuse knows no denominational boundaries. No matter where one looks, they will quickly encounter cases of abuse that have upended churches and left victims shattered. Filmmaker Benjamin ...

Clergy sexual abuse knows no denominational boundaries. Filmmaker Benjamin Carlucci examined his horror & anger and took action. His short film, Lorica, is a clarion call for the Church to acknowledge, lament, & urgently respond.

Chaotic Ruch Trial on Hold - The Living Church Troubled by an accusation of procedural misconduct, the ACNA bishop’s closed trial has had three chief prosecutors in as many weeks.

The ACNA’s ecclesiastical trial of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch III is on hold until August 11, but a series of public resignations and allegations of procedural misconduct have demanded the attention of its members and governing bodies alike in the interim.

livingchurch.org/news/news-an...

I’m glad Rachel blew the whistle in her open letter. This is an ACNA “Watergate” moment.
Release the transcript and commit to a public trial. No more doing things behind closed doors.
⚓️

Assistant Counsel Releases Details of Court Misconduct — ACNAtoo On July 25, 2025, Assistant Counsel to the Provincial Prosecutor, Rachel Thebeau, Esq., emailed an open letter to “Friends in the ACNA” which described her account of what happened in the trial of Bp....

“Here’s the bottom line: very important information is being withheld from you by the Court, the Archbishop, and the Archbishop’s staff.”

Rachel Thebeau, Esq., Asst. Counsel to the ACNA Provincial Prosecutor, describes what she witnessed in the trial of Bp. Ruch:

Curious what the ACNA's stance is on Executive Committee members publicly saying a former Provincial Prosecutor should be beaten behind a woodshed.

New prosecutor in ACNA trial of Bishop Ruch is named, and accused of conflict (RNS) — The seven-member court also issued a public response contradicting the claims made by former prosecutor C. Alan Runyan earlier this week.

“…advocates for abuse survivors in the denomination say the new prosecutor, the Rev. Job Serebrov, has a conflict of interest that “raises serious concerns” about his suitability for the role.”

religionnews.com/2025/07/24/n...

As Prosecutor, it is Serebrov’s task to establish that Greenhouse lies under Ruch's authority, contrary to the defense. This duty is compromised if the Provincial Prosecutor has close, undisclosed ties to both Greenhouse and UMD leadership, which include some of the most staunch Ruch loyalists.
7/7

St. Paul's House of Formation is a vehicle through which individuals, both lay and ordained, are trained in the Greenhouse model of leadership, which (as evidenced in both the Bishops' and Lay Presentments) is implicated in the charges addressed in Bp. Ruch’s ecclesiastical trial.
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Furthermore, the Rev. Gauthier's staff bio discloses that one of his primary responsibilities is "helping to prepare candidates for ordination." Neglect in vetting/training leaders prior to placing them in leadership positions is one of the charges brought in the Bishops' Presentment.
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Loose Canons — ACNAtoo An ACNA Priest reviews the dangerous conflict of interest in the Upper Midwest’s Governing Documents that contribute to this case.

Of note, the Fr. Stephen referenced in Serebrov's testimonial is the Rev. Stephen Gauthier who is not only canon theologian of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, but also the architect of the UMD Constitution and Canons that were in place when the Rivera crisis occurred:
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Undisclosed in either the Abp's email or in Serebrov's resume is the fact that he received a certificate of Anglican Studies from St. Paul's House of Formation, which is run by the Greenhouse Movement.
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New Provincial Prosecutor Announced — ACNAtoo On July 22, 2025, Archbishop Steve Wood announced via email that Archdeacon Job Serebrov had been appointed as the new Provincial Prosecutor following the resignation of Mr. C. Alan Runyan on July 20,...

On 7/20/25, Abp. Wood announced that Archdeacon Job Serebrov has been appointed as the new Provincial Prosecutor. However, concerns have been raised regarding Serebrov’s undisclosed ties to the Greenhouse Movement and leadership in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest.
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Prosecutor resigns, calls ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch trial ‘irreparably tainted’ (RNS) — The case has not been dismissed, and the trial is scheduled to resume on Aug. 11.

His resignation includes a request that the entire trial record and full transcript — all properly redacted — be made available to all ACNA members.

religionnews.com/2025/07/21/p...

Provincial Prosecutor Resigns, Ruch Trial Delayed — ACNAtoo On Sunday July 20, 2025, provincial prosecutor C. Alan Runyan submitted his resignation to Archbishop Steve Wood, in which he called for public transparency regarding the trial and stated that the tri...

On July 20, 2025, provincial prosecutor C. Alan Runyan submitted his resignation to Archbishop Wood, in which he called for public transparency regarding the trial and stated that the trial process had been “irreparably tainted.” The Province states that Ruch’s trial will resume on August 11, 2025.

Priest Who Trains ACNA Leaders Disciplined — ACNAtoo The Very Rev. Dr. Dan Alger has shaped the ACNA’s church planting strategy for over a decade as the Provincial Canon for Church Planting and the director of Always Forward. He has trained, coached, an...

The Very Rev. Dr. Dan Alger has shaped the ACNA’s church planting strategy for over a decade as the Provincial Canon for Church Planting and the director of Always Forward.

In May 2025, he was removed as rector of Redeemer, yet there has not been a transparent process.

When I was nine I was repping fanny packs and hauling buckets of maple sap. Childhood should be filled with discovery, not despair that church leaders supported your abuser and didn't believe you.

The Ecclesiastical Trial of Bp. Stewart Ruch — ACNAtoo As the ecclesiastical trial for Bp. Stewart Ruch approaches, we have fielded many questions regarding the trial itself, the reasons behind it, and the potential outcomes. This page is a hub for all ou...

She was 9 when Ruch failed to call the police, helped ensure her abuser had legal defense, & gave permission to ask the family to drop charges.

As the trial begins today, do not lose sight of the victims. She was a child.

What were you doing when you were 9 years old? #SheWas9

ACNA to Try Bishop on Mishandling Abuse Charges - The Living Church According to three bishops who brought charges against him, the bishop did not initiate an investigation into allegations for nearly two years after hearing of a 9-year-old’s abuse.

Unlike hearing panels in the Episcopal Church, whose proceedings are public, Ruch’s trial will take place virtually and is closed to the public and to the media.

livingchurch.org/news/news-ep...

Church trial of ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch starts Monday (RNS) — Four years since admitting to making 'regrettable errors' in his handling of abuse allegations, the controversial bishop faces a long-awaited church trial.

On Monday (July 14) — six years after a 9-year-old child came forward with sexual abuse allegations against a lay minister in an Illinois church — a long-awaited church trial will begin for Bishop Stewart Ruch, leader of the ACNA’s Upper Midwest Diocese.

religionnews.com/2025/07/11/c...

Four Years Later — ACNAtoo Four years ago, ACNAtoo's website went live. Since then, we have published 146 articles to inform, update, and educate the public about abuse, especially as it relates to the Anglican Church in North ...

Happy 4th Anniversary, ACNAtoo!

146 articles
188K visitors
254K unique views

... and so many incredible survivors and advocates who have joined our cause. You know who you are. Thank you.

Corrections to the Diocesan FAQ Page — ACNAtoo Members of the Upper Midwest Diocese are currently directed to a diocesan FAQ page that contains false and misleading information. In order to correct the narrative and highlight organizational image ...

As the ecclesiastical trial for Bp. Stewart Ruch approaches, interested parties deserve clear and truthful answers about the process. UMD members are currently directed to a diocesan FAQ page that contains false and misleading information. Find our corrections here:

www.acnatoo.org/umd-faq-corr...

Thank God for the Unsatisfied — ACNAtoo Picture this: you haven’t eaten in days. You go to the soup kitchen, and they sit you down and put a plate in front of you with a single bean. You point out the stocked refrigerator and cabinets and o...

"I hear the voices of the bishops saying, 'They’ll never be satisfied!' and I hear the response echoing back through the ages:

'They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.' "

4 years on, Kelley Goewey offers this reflection:

Ecclesiastical Trial Process FAQs — ACNAtoo As the ecclesiastical trial for Bp. Stewart Ruch approaches, we have fielded many questions regarding the trial itself, the reasons behind it, and the potential outcomes. To help you stay informed, we...

As the ecclesiastical trial for Bp. Stewart Ruch approaches, we have fielded many questions regarding the trial itself, the reasons behind it, and the potential outcomes. To help you stay informed, we are sharing a quick breakdown of some of the most common points of confusion:

This presentment against Ruch is written plainly. Even though I was already familiar with the gist of the allegations, reading them as laid out by other bishops is alarming.

Thanks to @acnatoo.bsky.social for making it accessible.

Ruch made no effort to reach out to at-risk youth who had been in close contact with Rivera despite the repeated concerns also raised by Val McIntyre, Ruch's deacon and the Director of Pastoral Care, who was worried about those girls. "She said she raised concerns that there were teenagers at Big Rock who may have been abused, and specifically mentioned [redacted] and [redacted but felt her concerns were dismissed in 2019."[11]

After Mark Rivera was accused of sexual abuse, Ruch was aware that Rivera had previously been around minors at Church of the Resurrection and yet Ruch did not take appropriate steps to address possible harm to others. Ruch evidenced concern about Rivera's behavior in that he and his wife spoke with their own daughter to see if she had been abused by Mark Rivera, but Ruch did not show similar concern by informing other parents of the abuse. Thus, he failed to show appropriate pastoral concern for other minors and parents in the Resurrection/Christ Our Light orbit, neglecting his duty to the flock. At this time, Ruch was not only bishop, but still the Dean of Resurrection, the diocesan Cathedral.

a. Chris Lapeyre i. When interviewed by Husch Blackwell, Bishop Ruch admitted that in 2015, when he was both Dean of Church of the Resurrection and Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, he learned that one of his lay leaders, Chris Lapeyre, had been fired from his teaching job at a high school for 'boundary crossing' with a female high school student. [8] Despite this knowledge, Lapeyre was able to serve on the launch team for the Christ Our Light Anglican Church plant and then as its Senior Warden without appropriate notification, oversight, and accountability. Lapeyre also preached at Christ Our Light. Lapeyre admitted to Husch Blackwell that his firing from the high school had "no impact" on what he was able to do at either Church of the Resurrection or Christ Our Light Anglican. [2] Ruch neglected his duty to protect the flock by allowing a person known to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with a minor to have a leadership position with little accountability or monitoring.

7. Ruch himself failed to have a proper understanding of abuse and grooming behaviors of abusers: a. In August of 2021, Ruch admitted to Grand River Solutions that he and his wife, Katherine, had not had training on grooming behaviors and "just did not understand grooming we did not realize what it was about, how those interactions worked."[7] Viewing of pornography with others present is a form of grooming and is abusive itself, yet Ruch was dismissive of Rivera's viewing of pornography with minors by describing it to Husch Blackwell, the law firm conducting an investigation on behalf of the Province, as "immature." 8]