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| Anglican Church in North America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | ACNA |
| Classification | Protestant (withAnglo-Catholic,charismatic andevangelical orientations) |
| Orientation | Anglican |
| Scripture | Holy Bible |
| Theology | Anglican doctrine |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Archbishop | Steve Wood (inhibited since November 16, 2025) |
| Dean of the province | Julian Dobbs |
| Executive director | Deborah Tepley |
| Associations | GAFCON,Global South |
| Region | Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba |
| Origin | June 22, 2009 St. Vincent's Cathedral,Bedford, Texas, United States |
| Separated from | Anglican Church of Canada andEpiscopal Church (United States) |
| Merger of | Common Cause Partnership |
| Congregations | 1,027 (2024)[1] |
| Members | 130,111 (2024)[1] |
| Official website | anglicanchurch |
TheAnglican Church in North America (ACNA) is aChristian denomination in theAnglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico,[2] two mission churches in Guatemala,[3] and a missionary diocese in Cuba.[4] Headquartered inAmbridge, Pennsylvania, the church reported more than 1,000 congregations and more than 130,000 members in 2024. The ACNA is not a member church of theAnglican Communion but has an association with a number of dioceses and leaders of the communion.
The ACNA was founded in 2009 by theological conservatives of theEpiscopal Church in the United States and theAnglican Church of Canada, who were dissatisfied with doctrinal and social teachings in their former churches, especially regarding the position of women and the ordination of an openly gay bishop,[5][6] which they considered too liberal and contradictory to traditional Anglican belief (similarly to theReformed Episcopal Church, which had separated from the Episcopal Church in 1873).[7] Immediately prior to 2009, these conservative Anglicans received support from a number of Anglican churches (provinces) outside of North America, especially in theGlobal South. Several Episcopal dioceses and many individual parishes in both Canada and the United States in the early 2000s voted totransfer their allegiance to Anglican provinces in South America and Africa. In 2009 many North American Anglican groups which had moved to the South American and African jurisdictions, however, united to form the Anglican Church in North America leading to currently established (as of 2025) movement.
The firstarchbishop of the ACNA wasRobert Duncan, who was succeeded byFoley Beach in 2014. In June 2024, the College of Bishops electedSteve Wood as the third archbishop of the ACNA.[8] Authority was transferred to him during the closing Eucharist at the ACNA Assembly 2024 conference inLatrobe, Pennsylvania.[9] In October 2025, Wood became the first archbishop in the history of the denomination to face an ecclesastical presentment over allegations ofsexual harassment,bullying of church staff, andplagiarism.[10] Wood was inhibited on November 16, 2025 byJulian Dobbs, the newly appointeddean and acting archbishop of the ACNA, who subsequently faced allegations of financial misconduct including at a UK-based charity undergoing an activepolice investigation.[11][12]
The Anglican Church in North America is aConfessing Anglican denomination, being a member of theGlobal Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON).[13][14] Unlike the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, the ACNA is not a member province of theAnglican Communion.[15][16][17][18][19] From its inception, the Anglican Church in North America has sought full communion with those provinces of the Anglican Communion "that hold and maintain the Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacraments and Discipline of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church";[20] and maintainsfull communion with some of theAnglican Global South primates.[21][22][23]
The ACNA has attempted to incorporate the full spectrum of conservative Anglicanism within Canada and the United States. As a result, it accommodatesAnglo-Catholic,charismatic, andevangelical theological orientations. It also includes those who oppose and those who support theordination of women. Women can serve asclergy members in some dioceses, while other dioceses maintain an exclusively male clergy. Women are ineligible to serve asbishops. This disagreement over the ordination of women has led to "impaired communion" among some dioceses.[24] The ACNA definesChristian marriage exclusively as a lifelong union between a man and a woman and holds that there are only two expressions of faithful sexuality: lifelong marriage between a man and a woman or abstinence. The church opposesabortion andeuthanasia.
The Anglican Church in North America was founded by Anglicans who had left theAnglican Church of Canada and theEpiscopal Church in the United States over concerns that the teaching of those churches had grown more liberal.[25][26][27] The new body charged that the two existing churches "have increasingly accommodated and incorporated un-Biblical, un-Anglican practices and teaching".[28]
Two major events that contributed to ACNA's formation both involved human sexuality. The first was the 2002 decision of theDiocese of New Westminster in Canada to authorize a rite of blessing forsame-sex unions; the second was theGeneral Convention's ratification of the election ofGene Robinson, an openly gay non-celibate man,[29][30] asBishop of New Hampshire the following year. Conservative opposition to both the Episcopal Church's 1979 edition of theBook of Common Prayer and to the ordination of women priests had led to the founding of an earlier wave of independent Anglican churches, often called theContinuing Anglican movement.
In June 2004, the leaders of six conservative Anglican organizations—theAnglican Communion Network, theReformed Episcopal Church, theAnglican Mission in America,Forward in Faith North America, theAnglican Province of America, and theAmerican Anglican Council—sent a public letter to theArchbishop of Canterbury, pledging "to make common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for a united, missionary and orthodox Anglicanism in North America".[31] They called their alliance theCommon Cause Partnership and drafted a theological statement in 2006.[32]
In September 2007, fifty-one bishops met inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to discern direction and to bind themselves constitutionally, saying they intended to found an "Anglican union". Some of the bishops present were foreign bishops, including a retired archbishop.[33] Features of note from the result of the initial meeting include a broad sharing of clergy between the varied groups, an intention to be a "missionary" orchurch-planting entity,[34] and an intention, after a brief time, to seek international organizational recognition.[35]
Key members of the partnership participated[citation needed] in the June 2008 meeting of conservative Anglicans in Jerusalem, theGlobal Anglican Future Conference, which in turn prompted the formation of theGlobal Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.[36] A final statement issued by the conference stated that: "we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates' Council" of the Anglican Communion.[37]
TheAnglican Province of America participated in the partnership until July 2008.[citation needed]
In December 2008, the partnership met inWest Chicago, Illinois, as a constitutional convention to form a "separate ecclesiastical structure in North America" for Anglicans distinct from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.[38][39] There the partnership's executive committee approved a provisional constitution and canons for the new church which were to be submitted for formal adoption at the new church's first provincial assembly.[38][40][41]
The members of the Common Cause Partnership at the founding of the ACNA were:
On June 22, 2009, delegates of the ACNA's founding bodies met atSt. Vincent's Cathedral inBedford, Texas, for an inaugural provincial assembly to ratify its constitution andcanons.[43] At this meeting, a number of major steps were taken to officially establish the new denomination, including the election of Robert Duncan, bishop of theAnglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, as archbishop.[44][45][46]
Rick Warren, a leading American evangelical, and MetropolitanJonah Paffhausen, leader of theOrthodox Church in America, addressed the audience. There were nine provinces in the Anglican Communion that sent official representatives to the assembly, namely theChurch of the Province of West Africa, theChurch of Nigeria, theChurch of Uganda, theAnglican Church of Kenya, represented by ArchbishopBenjamin Nzimbi, theAnglican Province of the Southern Cone, including ArchbishopGregory Venables, theEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, theChurch of the Province of Myanmar, theChurch of the Province of South East Asia and theChurch of the Province of Rwanda.[44]
Other ecumenical observers included Bishop Walter Grundorf of theAnglican Province of America, Samuel Nafzger of theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and BishopKevin Vann of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.[44]
Leaders from three Anglican provinces,John Chew of theChurch of the Province of South East Asia, ArchbishopPeter Jensen of theAnglican Diocese of Sydney and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans andMouneer Anis, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, formally announced support for the ACNA.[47] From England, BishopWallace Benn and Archdeacon Michael Lawson sent greetings from theChurch of England Evangelical Council.[47]
TheAnglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) was a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America and, at the same time, maintained its status as a mission of the Church of the Province of Rwanda. This "dual citizenship" was defined by protocol among the Province of Rwanda, the Anglican Mission, and the ACNA.[48]
However, in a May 18, 2010, communiqué, the Anglican Mission announced its decision to transition from full ACNA membership to "ministry partner" status, a designation provided for in the governing structure of the ACNA, and remain a part of the Rwandan province. Reasons cited for the change were that the "dual citizenship" model had caused "significant confusion within the Anglican Mission and the ACNA regarding membership in two provinces, and more importantly, is inconsistent with the Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Anglican Church in Rwanda".[49]
On December 20, 2011, Archbishop Duncan announced that, due to the resignation of the majority of Anglican Mission bishops from the Province of Rwanda on December 5, the Anglican Mission had lost its "ministry partner" status with the ACNA and that most of AMiA's bishops had lost their status in the ACNA's College of Bishops.[50] ArchbishopOnesphore Rwaje of theAnglican Church of Rwanda and Archbishop Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America issued a Joint Communiqué on April 28, 2012, to address the future of the AMiA. Meanwhile, the House of the Bishops of Rwanda decided to establish the Missionary District in North America (PEARUSA) to pursue the same work in the United States. The AMiA members were given three alternatives: join the PEARUSA, join another Anglican jurisdiction through letters dimissory, or remain in the AMiA. A deadline of August 31, 2012, was established for the clergy and the congregations of the AMiA to decide their future.[51] On April 29, 2012, ArchbishopHenri Isingoma expressed his official approval for the temporary admission of the AMiA at theAnglican Church of Congo until its future was clarified.[52] BishopChuck Murphy, of the AMiA, expressed his will that the fracture between the AMiA and the ACNA could be solved in an answer letter to Archbishop Duncan, on September 8, 2012.
On August 14, 2014, it was announced the reopening of conversations between ACNA and AMiA "to discuss broken relationships, and to find ways that produce a faithful witness to Christ that has been undermined in the past". The meeting in which these conversations were started was attended by representatives of both ACNA and AMiA, including Archbishop Foley Beach and Bishop Philip Jones, who replaced Chuck Murphy in December 2013.[53]
PEARUSA was a missionary district with equivalent status to a diocese. Upon the unanimous vote of ACNA's Provincial Council on June 21, 2016, PEARUSA was fully transferred to ACNA with two of the three former PEARUSA networks (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, West) becoming full ACNA dioceses known respectively as theAnglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope and theAnglican Diocese of the Rocky Mountains.[54][55] The former PEARUSA Southeast network did not become a full, separate ACNA diocese. According to a decision that had been reached at their clergy meeting and released on February 8, 2016,[56] the 20 parishes of PEARUSA Southeast were folded into the already existing ACNA dioceses.[57]
TheReformed Episcopal Diocese of the West became a convocation at theMissionary Diocese of All Saints, in April 2016, due to their small size. TheDiocese of Western Canada and Alaska, who had two parishes inBritish Columbia, and also included the Missionary District of Cuba, was extinct and incorporated in theDiocese of Mid-America, for similar reasons.[citation needed]
The ACNA and theDiocese of South Carolina, which had withdrawn from the Episcopal Church in October 2012 and was under the provisional primatial oversight of the Global South, held a two-day meeting on April 28–29, 2015, at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center in South Carolina for conversations and examining the "possible compatibility of the ecclesiologies" of both churches.[58] The Diocese of South Carolina Affiliation Task Force recommended the affiliation to the ACNA at their 225th Diocesan Convention, held inBluffton, on March 12, 2016. The affiliation required approval by two future conventions of the diocese.[59] The Diocese of South Carolina voted unanimously to affiliate with ACNA at their 226th Convention, held inSummerville, on March 11, 2017. ACNA's Provincial Council voted also unanimously to formally receive the Diocese of South Carolina at ACNA's Third Provincial Assembly, meeting inWheaton, Illinois, on June 27, 2017.[60][61][62]
After the formation of the ACNA, theChurch of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) entered into letters of agreement to formalize relationship between the two provinces. The most recent agreement signed by the ACNA and the Church of Nigeria related to three of the four dioceses that resulted from theConvocation of Anglicans in North America activity in the United States. The agreement signed on March 12, 2019, allowed for theMissionary Diocese of the Trinity, theMissionary Diocese of CANA East, and theMissionary Diocese of CANA West to decide their own provincial affiliation. This agreement became necessary as the result of a dispute generated by the election by the Church of Nigeria of four suffragan bishops for the Missionary Diocese of the Trinity, composed mostly of Nigerian expatriates in the United States, without consultation with the ACNA College of Bishops. Until this time, the Church of Nigeria had allowed all four CANA dioceses to be full participating members of the ACNA.[63] On May 21, 2019, the Missionary Diocese of CANA East announced its decision to withdraw from the Church of Nigeria to become solely a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, with the new name of theAnglican Diocese of the Living Word.[64] The Diocese of CANA West announced their decision to remain a diocese of the Church of Nigeria on May 23, 2019, followed by the Missionary Diocese of the Trinity on the same day. The dioceses remaining with the Church of Nigeria are, by the agreement, considered ministry partners (a formal canonical status) of the ACNA.[65][66] The fourth diocese, the Diocese of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (CANA), which had become the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (ACNA) in 2014 by a previous letter of agreement between the Church of Nigeria and the ACNA, was unaffected by this latter agreement since the previous agreement regarding Anglican Chaplains had been solidified through changes in the Canons of the ACNA. The Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy continues to function as a full diocesan entity of the ACNA, and in concordat with the Church of Nigeria (CANA).[citation needed]
In 2017, following a five-year task force study on theordination of women, the ACNA's College of Bishops issued a statement in which it unanimously agreed to continue acknowledging the rights of individual dioceses to ordain women to the priesthood.[67][68] Afterward, BishopJack Iker ofFort Worth—one of the founding members of ACNA—announced on 4 November 2017 that his diocese was inimpaired communion with the ACNA dioceses that ordained women.[69][70] He said: "Most ACNA bishops and dioceses are opposed to women priests, but as it presently stands, the ACNA Constitution says each diocese can decide if it will ordain women priests or not. We now need to work with other dioceses to amend the Constitution to remove this provision". He continued:
We are in a state of impaired communion because of this issue. The Task Force concluded that "both sides cannot be right." At the conclave, I informed the College of Bishops that I will no longer give consent to the election of any bishop who intends to ordain female priests, nor will I attend the consecration of any such bishop-elect in the future. I have notified the Archbishop of my resignation from all the committees to which I had been assigned to signify that it is no longer possible to have "business as usual" in the College of Bishops due to the refusal of those who are in favor of women priests to at least adopt a moratorium on this divisive practice, for the sake of unity. Bishops who continue to ordain women priests in spite of the received tradition are signs of disunity and division.[71]
In early 2021, a significant conflict emerged over how to address issues ofhomosexual identity within the ACNA, sparking international controversy in theAnglican Communion. In January, the ACNA's College of Bishops issued a 3,700 word pastoral statement advising against the usage of the term "gay Christian".[72][73] This prompted several clergy, including former interim bishop of theGreat Lakes andTrinity Anglican Seminary professorGrant LeMarquand, to sign a letter addressed "Dear Gay Anglicans", which committed to making ACNA churches places where "where gay Anglicans can share all of their story, find community, and seek support".[72][74] The ACNA's archbishop,Foley Beach, responded by characterizing the letter as an "in your face" provocation, writing, "Some individuals have expressed that we are nowTEC 2.0. Some think this is going to break the ACNA apart."[72][75] The letter also attracted criticism from some of the ACNA's international ministry partners, such as Nigerian primateHenry Ndukuba, who described the letter as "clarion call to recruit gays into ACNA member parishes" and a sign that "the deadly 'virus' of homosexuality has infiltrated ACNA", writing, "a Gay is a Gay, they cannot be rightly described otherwise".[76][77][78] This in turn drew sharp criticism from the leader of theAnglican Communion,Archbishop of CanterburyJustin Welby, who condemned Ndukuba's comments ashomophobic: "I completely disagree with and condemn this language. It is unacceptable. It dehumanises those human beings of whom the statement speaks."[76] AfterMartyn Minns, an ACNA bishop who had been named a bishop in theChurch of Nigeria in 2006, requested that the "Dear Gay Anglicans" letter be withdrawn, it was quickly taken down from the website on which it had originally been posted.[77]
In January 2024, controversy over women's ordination resurfaced whenCalvin Robinson, aright-wing UK priest, was removed from "Mere Anglicanism" — a theological conference sponsored by theAnglican Diocese of South Carolina, an ACNA diocese that ordains women — after Robinson delivered remarks denouncing the ordination of women as a "Trojan horse" forcritical theory. In his remarks, Robinson opined that: "A woman cannot be a priest any more than a man can be a mother. They are both tremendous blessings from God, both vital for advancing his kingdom, but neither interchangeable." Afterward, South Carolina BishopChip Edgar issued a pastoral letter describing Robinson's remarks as "inexcusably provocative, and completely lacking in charity and pastoral consideration of the people in attendance — especially the many women clergy both of our diocese and others who attended". Other ACNA clergy — including several graduates ofNashotah House, a theologically conservative andAnglo-Catholic seminary — publicly expressed concern that the organizers' removal of Robinson exhibited, in their view, a silencing of the truth.[79][67]
Several months later, nearly 300 clergy representing 27 of the 29 dioceses in the ACNA signed an open letter, titled "The Augustine Appeal", opposing the ordination of women to the priesthod and urging the College of Bishops to find "a creative solution to restore orthodoxy" by instituting a male-only priesthood.[67][80] In June,Ryan Reed, the current Bishop ofFort Worth, reiterated that his diocese remained in a state of impaired communion with other ACNA dioceses that ordained women to the priesthood, calling on the ACNA "to agree to amoratorium on the practice of the ordination of women in order to facilitate full communion."[81] Additionally, an elected group representing the Diocese of Fort Worth authored a resolution calling for a moratorium: "(W)e call upon the college of bishops, under the leadership of the next archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, to agree to a moratorium on the practice of the ordination of women in order to facilitate full communion throughout the province as we come to a common mind on this issue."[67][82] However, ACNA officials argued that such a resolution would require a constitutional amendment to the ACNA's bylaws, necessitating a two-thirds vote of the ACNA's Provincial Assembly, which wouldn't be achievable, according to their data.[67]
Steve Wood, whose dioceseordains women to thepriesthood, was elected as the ACNA's thirdarchbishop in June 2024 and formally invested in October.[83][84] During his tenure, the small, conservative denomination was shaken by a string of crises involving alleged misconduct by clergy, bishops, and ultimately Wood himself.[85]
In January 2025,The Washington Post reported that theFBI was investigating a youth minister formerly employed atThe Falls Church Episcopal, after BishopChris Warner of theDiocese of the Mid-Atlantic announced that an independent investigation concluded the minister had sexually abused students during the 1990s and early 2000s. Repeated institutional failures allowed the minister to move between parishes, including to another ACNA church. Warner took the unusual step of issuing “Godly Admonitions” to current and former rectors ofThe Falls Church Anglican, one of the largest congregations in the ACNA, for failing to adequately respond to the allegations when first informed.[86][87]
In May, BishopRay Sutton granted a one-year ministry license toCalvin Robinson, a right-wing priest previously removed from an ACNA conference at which he denounced women’s ordination. Wood publicly opposed the licensure, questioning Robinson’s fitness to represent the ACNA.[88][79] Sutton withdrew the license the following day.[89]
In July, anecclesiastical trial commenced against BishopStewart Ruch for allegedly mishandling sexual abuse disclosures and promoting abusive ministers. The case followed the conviction of a diocesan catechist forchild sexual assault andgrooming, allegations that Ruch delayed investigation for nearly two years, and an internal power struggle when ArchbishopFoley Beach accused the ACNA's Provincial Tribunal (led by BishopJulian Dobbs) of improperly attempting to halt the investigation via secret appeal by Ruch and a disputed stay order.[90][91][92] The chaotic trial was repeatedly disrupted after the provincial prosecutor resigned, alleging judicial misconduct and claiming that ACNA leadership had improperly sharedinadmissible evidence with the court. The college of bishops and executive committee of the ACNA responded by releasing statements defending the archbishop and his staff while denying misconduct. Successive resignations followed and proceedings were delayed multiple times.[93][94] Meanwhile, the Standing Committee ofDiocese of the Mid-Atlantic responded to allegations of misconduct at Incarnation Anglican Church inWilliamsburg, Virginia, emphasizing that it had "never sought to place a female rector in any congregation against its will" and that the ACNA's Provincial office had assured there would be no disciplinary action or provincial investigation into the allegations.[95][96]
In September, theJurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC), anonprofit overseeingchaplain endorsements in the ACNA, moved to formallydisaffiliate from the ACNA. In the lead up to the crisis, ACNA leaders cited multiple complaints alleging abuse of ecclesiastical power by the JAFC's bishop,Derek Jones. Jones and his supporters withdrew from the ACNA, denied the allegations, accused Wood of pushing a progressive agenda, and situated the dispute as part of a conflict over women’s ordination.[97][98][99] His supporters described Wood's process as "extra-canonical", accusing the ACNA's leadership of ignoring complaints about "dioceses drifting intoheterodoxy", ordaining clergy who "openly reject biblical teaching" onabortion andhomosexuality, and forcing the JAFC to receive them.[100][101] After Wood inhibited Jones, the JAFC severed ties and sued the ACNA in federal court, allegingunfair business practices includingmisrepresentation,false advertising,misappropriation,tortious interference,trademark infringement, anddefamation.[102][103]
On October 23,The Washington Post reported that Wood was the subject of a formal ecclesiasticalpresentment allegingsexual harassment,abuse of power, andplagiarism. A former children’s ministry director accused Wood of forcibly touching her and attempting to kiss her in his office in April 2024 and paying her thousands of dollars in church funds before the alleged incident. Wood claimed the allegations were without merit and went on paid leave with BishopRay Sutton assuming his duties as archbishop.[104][105][106] Before going on leave, Wood appointed BishopJulian Dobbs to assist Sutton as Dean of Provincial Affairs.[107][108] Multiple ACNA bishops issued statements defending the ACNA which were later perceived by others as misleading or defamatory. BishopChris Warner of theDiocese of the Mid-Atlantic issued a statement characterizing the complainants' decision to share the allegations with thePost as "disheartening".[109] BishopChip Edgar of theAnglican Diocese of South Carolina pushed back on such assertions, calling for “a unified, public apology for these disparaging statements.”[110] In November, thePost reported that Warner and Edgar were among four bishops initially approached about the allegations in May. When contacted, Warner had declined to endorse or review the presentment despite being informed that it included asexual harassment charge involving a “potential unwanted advance.” At the time, Warner advised one complainant to submit the allegation through a reporting channel overseen by Wood’s staff because “there are women in that process,” and urged the complainants to wait a year before filing with the ACNA. On November 16, Warner emailed an apology to women in his diocese, acknowledging that "women's experiences are too often overlooked or minimized, particularly in systems led by men" and stating that he recently called for Wood’sinhibition.[111]
By November, the presentment was amended to include a second woman's allegation of sexual harassment, along with an affidavit from the ACNA's former communications director, who alleged that Wood had become preoccupied with potential misconduct accusations shortly after his election and had discussed with BishopRay Sutton the possibility of a bishop-friendly board of inquiry should a presentment arise. Sutton initially denied the allegation but later issued a retraction. On November 15, Sutton appointed a board of inquiry but resigned the following day, naming BishopJulian Dobbs as Dean of the Province and acting archbishop. Dobbs inhibited Wood on November 16, 2025.[112][113] On December 14, the board of inquiry announced it had found probable cause to proceed to trial, indicting Wood on charges including violation of ordination vows, conduct causing scandal, and sexual immorality.[114]
In December, the ACNA court acquitted Ruch on all charges of mishandling sexual abuse.[115] In a 71-page ruling, the court commended Ruch for his "shepherd's heart" and portrayed him as a victim of “narrative capture” by blaming the entire controversy on social media. The court attacked the former prosecutor, calling his resignation and allegations of judicial misconduct "intolerable", and introduced a new evidentiary standard requiring up to ten eyewitnesses with "firsthand knowledge" for future allegations of misconduct in the small, conservative denomination.[116][117][118] Meanwhile, federal courts issued multiplerestraining orders against the ACNA in its litigation with the JAFC, which amended its legal filing against the ACNA to include new charges ofconspiracy,theft of proprietary information, andtheft of personnel records (a federal crime) in December, causing the lawsuit to exceed $10 million.[119][120] The same month, the JAFC launched a new denomination, the Anglican Reformed Catholic Church, "to provide a stable ecclesiastical home for those who love Anglican tradition but seek clear accountability."[121][122]
On December 30,The Washington Post reported that the new acting archbishop of the ACNA,Julian Dobbs, faced allegations of financial misconduct totaling $76,000, involving $48,000 in missing JAFC funds and $28,000 in expense abuses during his tenure at theBarnabas Fund, a UK-based charity under active police investigation. Dobbs denied wrongdoing, asserting the allegations had been investigated and dismissed.[11][12]
In January 2026, the ACNA voted to convene a Provincial Assembly to fast-track Title IV disciplinary reform, announced the appointment of a provincial prosecutor for ecclesiastical trials against JAFC BishopDerek Jones and ACNA ArchbishopSteve Wood, and indicated that the Court was considering trying both cases concurrently. The ACNA also announced that it had retained attorney and abuse advocateRachael Denhollander to provide feedback about trauma-informed best practices.[123][failed verification][124][failed verification] Meanwhile, the JAFC issued a press release enumerating its reasons for voting to disaffiliate from the ACNA. In the statement, an official from the JAFC's executive committee wrote that "attempted irregular proceedings against Bishop Jones were not the cause, but the catalyst - the final confirmation that the JAFC's growing concerns were justified", citing perceived failures of doctrinal enforcement following the "Dear Gay Anglicans" letter in 2021 and alleged imposition of women's ordination at Incarnation Anglican Church in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2025.[99] The same month, the ACNA's Director of Safeguarding and Canonical Affairs toldReligion News Service that she would be stepping down from her role on February 6.[123]
In its Fundamental Declarations, the Anglican Church in North America declares itself part of theOne, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, confessingJesus Christ to be the only way toGod the Father.[125] Consistent with this, it identifies the following seven elements as characteristic of the "Anglican Way" and essential for membership:
In addition to the 1662 edition of theBook of Common Prayer, the ACNA has authorized the use of later versions, including the 1928 and1979 versions produced by the Episcopal Church and the1962 version produced by the Anglican Church of Canada.[127] In 2013, the College of Bishops approved on a trial basisTexts for Common Prayer, a collection of liturgies made specifically for the Anglican Church in North America.Texts for Common Prayer includesmorning prayer,evening prayer, the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, and an ordinal.[128] In 2014, the ACNA also released acatechism for trial use,To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism, the Approved Edition of which was published in 2020.[129][130] The newBook of Common Prayer of ACNA was released in 2019.[131][132] The Calendar of Saints of ACNA was issued in 2017.[133]
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The ACNA hasAnglo-Catholic,evangelical, andcharismatic members and is more theologically conservative than the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.[134] The church allows dioceses to decide if they will or will notordain women as priests, although it does not permit women to become bishops.[46] The College of Bishops released a statement on ordination, sharing that the teaching of the ACNA is that the ordination of women to the priesthood "is a recent innovation to Apostolic Tradition and Catholic Order. We agree that there is insufficient scriptural warrant to accept women's ordination to the priesthood as standard practice throughout the Province...[but] that individual dioceses have constitutional authority to ordain women to the priesthood."[135]
Concerning marriage, it holds that it is between one man and one woman; therefore, it opposes same sex unions. The ACNA opposes abortion and euthanasia, proclaiming "all members and clergy are called to promote and respect the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death".[136] The ACNA is associated withAnglicans for Life for promotion of the pro-life ministry.[137] In 2018, ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach signed a letter with several other church leaders stating gender cannot be separated from one's sex as male or female.[138]
The Canons and Constitution of the ACNA lay out the Church's beliefs regarding the duties of thelaity, or non-clergy members of the church. Included among these duties are an obligation for the laity to "worship God...everyLord's Day in a church unless reasonably prevented,"[139] a duty similar to the Roman CatholicHoly Day of Obligation, as well as duties to "receive worthily the Sacrament of Holy Communion as often as reasonable" and to "observe the feasts and fasts of the Church set forth in the Anglican formularies."
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The Anglican Church in North America is structured as a self-governing, multinationalecclesiastical province. The province's polity is described in its constitution andcanon law. The basic level of organization is thelocal congregation. Each congregation is part of adiocese led by abishop. Dioceses are self-governing bodies that operate according to their own diocesan canon law (as long as this is consistent with the provincial constitution), and they are able to leave the province at any time if they so choose.[140]
The ACNA is aconciliar church in which both clergy andlaity participate in church governance. Every five years, between 250 and 300 diocesan delegates meet as a representative body called the Provincial Assembly.[141] Each diocese is represented by its bishop, two clergy delegates, and two lay delegates. In addition, a diocese receives one additional clergy delegate and one additional lay delegate for every 1,000 constituents, calculated by average attendance at Sunday church services. Dioceses also send youth representatives between the ages of 16 and 26, and these representatives have full voting rights. The Provincial Assembly must approve all constitutional amendments and new canons before they go into effect. Other duties of the assembly include deliberating on church affairs and making recommendations to the provincial governing bodies on such matters.[142]
The ACNA's governing body is the Provincial Council. The council meets every June and is responsible for enacting policy, approving a budget, and recommending changes to the constitution and canons. Each diocese selects a bishop, a clergy member, and two lay persons to represent it on the council. The council itself may also appoint up to six other persons as members, bringing the total number to around 140 members. Council members serve five-year terms. The Provincial Council is led by an executive committee, which sets the council's agenda and serves as the church'sboard of directors. The executive committee's 12 members are divided equally between clergy and laity. In addition to meeting three times a year in person, they communicate regularly by conference call.[141][143]
All bishops in active ministry are members of theCollege of Bishops. The college elects thearchbishop, the presiding officer andprimate of the church, who convenes the Provincial Assembly, the Provincial Council, and the College of Bishops. The college also has authority to approve diocesan elections of bishops, or in some cases actually elect bishops. There are 50 active bishops sitting in the college. The archbishop has a cabinet composed of leading bishops within the church which functions as a council of advice.[144] The Provincial Tribunal is anecclesiastical court empowered to rule on constitutional and canonical disputes.
Local congregations hold their own property and the province disavows any claim on the property of local congregations. Existing property-holding arrangements within the founding member entities are not affected by their relation to the province. The province also disavows any authority to control the member entities' policies regarding the question of the ordination of women as deacons or priests.[citation needed]
The constitution and canons specify that other non-member groups (such as a seminary, monastic order or ministry organization, or a diocese, congregation or other entity) may be considered for association as ministry partners or affiliated ministries. These affiliated groups may have representation in church gatherings as determined by the archbishop and may withdraw from affiliation or have their affiliation ended with or without cause.[145] ACNA affiliated ministries include Anglican Global Mission Partners (a missionary organization), Anglican Relief and Development Fund, and Anglican 1000 (achurch planting initiative).[citation needed]
In 2021, Foley Beach designatedChrist Church Plano, one of the largest churches in the ACNA to serve aspro-cathedral for the province under Beach's personal oversight as archbishop. Christ Church hosted the investiture of Robert Duncan as the first archbishop and the ACNA province-wide assembly in 2019.[146]
In 2019, the Anglican Church in North America reported 972 congregations with a membership of 127,624 and an average Sunday attendance of 84,310 people.[147][148] The primate of the ACNA, ArchbishopFoley Beach, and church staff identified the departure of two dioceses from theConvocation of Anglicans in North America as the primary cause of the decline in membership and attendance.[147] In 2020, the denominational statistics reported 972 congregations, no change from 2019, 126,760 members, and an average Sunday attendance of 83,119 people.[149] In 2022, using statistics from 2021, the ACNA reported 974 congregations, a slight increase, 122,450 members, and an average Sunday attendance of 73,832 from its highest two months; average Sunday attendance overall was 58, 255.[150] The ACNA saw a slight increase from 2022 in membership to 124,999 members and saw an increase in average Sunday attendance to 75,583.[151] In 2023, the province recovered to pre-COVID levels of membership (128,114) and average Sunday attendance (84,794).[152][153]
In 2017, the ACNA reported 1,037 congregations with a membership of 134,593 and an average Sunday attendance of 93,489.[154] The 2017 average Sunday attendance was an increase from statistics reported in 2009, the year the church was founded when the church reported 703 congregations and an average Sunday attendance of 69,167.[155][156] However, in 2018, the average Sunday attendance was 88,048.[157] ACNA had a maximum of 30 dioceses, that was reduced to 28, with the withdrawal of the Missionary Diocese of CANA West and the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity to remain solely asChurch of Nigeria andConvocation of Anglicans in North America dioceses, on May 23, 2019. The Missionary Diocese of CANA West rejoined ACNA with the name ofAnglican Diocese of All Nations, in 2023. ACNA congregations are now organized into the following 28 dioceses and jurisdictions:[158]
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The ACNA's constitution expresses the goal to seek recognition as a province of the Anglican Communion.[20] A total of nine Anglican provinces sent formal delegations to the inaugural assembly.[47] The Anglican Church in North America has not yet requested formal recognition by the Anglican Communion office as a province recognized by the Anglican instruments of communion.[citation needed][contradictory] The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury has said it would possibly take years for the ACNA to gain official recognition from the rest of the Anglican Communion.[38]
In several cases ACNA has become entangled in protracted legal disputes over church property (for example, when the ACNA'sDiocese of Fort Worth split from the Episcopal Church), with some of these lawsuits continuing for years.
TheFellowship of Confessing Anglicans primates' council has said that the new church is "fully Anglican" and called for its recognition by existing provinces of the Anglican Communion.[159] Archbishop Robert Duncan was present at theGlobal South Fourth Encounter that took place in Singapore, in April 2010, where he presided at the Eucharist and met primates and representatives from 20 Anglican provinces. The Global South Encounter final statement declared: "We are grateful that the recently formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a faithful expression of Anglicanism. We welcomed them as partners in the Gospel and our hope is that all provinces will be in full communion with the clergy and people of the ACNA and the Communion Partners."[160]
In March 2009, the Anglican Church of Nigeria declared itself to be in full communion with the Anglican Church in North America,[161] followed by theHouse of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Uganda in June 2009 and theEpiscopal Church of Sudan in December 2011.[162][163] Inasmuch as these churches report approximately 30,500,000 members,[164][165] and the Anglican Communion reports over 80,000,000 members,[166] the ACNA is in communion with churches comprising somewhat over one-third of the membership of the Anglican Communion.[dubious –discuss][original research?]
On the final day of its 2009 synod, theAnglican Diocese of Sydney passed a resolution welcoming the creation of the ACNA and expressing a desire to be in full communion.[167] The resolution also called for the diocese's standing committee to seek a general synod motion affirming theAnglican Church of Australia to be in full communion with the ACNA. The Anglican Diocese of Sydney declared itself to be in "full communion" with ACNA during its synod on October 13, 2015.[168]
In 2010, theGeneral Synod of the Church of England affirmed "the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family" and called upon the archbishops of Canterbury and York to report back to the synod after further study in 2011.[169][170] Published in December 2011, the archbishops' follow up report recommended "an open-ended engagement with ACNA on the part of the Church of England and the Communion" but also stated that a definitive outcome would be unclear for sometime.[171][172]
Archbishop Robert Duncan met following his invitation the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in May 2013, to discuss the recognition of the ACNA ordinations in the near future.[173] Welby announced on January 16, 2014, thatTory Baucum, Rector of Truro Church inFairfax, Virginia, a parish of the ACNA, had been elected unanimously to serve as one of theSix Preachers ofCanterbury Cathedral.[174] Baucum was installed on March 14, 2014, attended by both Justin Welby and Robert Duncan.[175] In October 2014, Welby stated that Tory Baucum had been ordained before ACNA's inception and because of that his Anglican orders were valid, so he was eligible to be elected to that office. He further stated that ACNA was a separate church and not part of the Anglican Communion.[176]
In October 2014, theDiocese of North West Australia passed a motion recognizing the ACNA as a "member church of the Anglican Communion".[177] On October 9, 2014, following the ceremony of investiture ofFoley Beach as archbishop and primate of ACNA, an official statement, which recognized Beach as "a fellow Primate of the Anglican Communion", was signed by the seven Anglican archbishops present:Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East,Eliud Wabukala of Kenya,Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria,Stanley Ntagali of Uganda,Onesphore Rwaje of Rwanda,Stephen Than Myint Oo of Myanmar, andHéctor "Tito" Zavala of the Southern Cone of America.[178][179] However, the authority to decide whether ACNA should be admitted to the worldwide Anglican Communion lies with theAnglican Consultative Council, and not with individual member churches or provinces. Member churches and provinces are, however, able to develop bilateral relations, which do not bind the rest of the Anglican Communion.
At a meeting of the Anglican Primates of the Global South (a coalition representing the majority of the world's Anglicans) on October 14–16, 2015, in Cairo, Egypt, ACNA was declared to be an official partner province of the Global South by representatives of twelve churches, with Archbishop Beach being seated as a member of the Global South Primates Council with voice and vote.[180]
Despite the ACNA not being recognized as a province of the Anglican Communion, Welby invited Beach to attend a gathering ofprimates in the communion as an observer in January 2016.[17][18][181][182] While not permitted to vote, Beach was allowed to attend the first four days of the five-day session.[18][183] The prospect of the ACNA joining the communion was discussed and it was recognized that if the ACNA were to apply for admission to membership in the communion, the consideration of their application would be within the purview of theAnglican Consultative Council.[18][181]
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York,Justin Welby andJohn Sentamu, recognized ACNA's religious orders under theOverseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure 1967 (No. 3), as it was announced on 10 February 2017.[184][185]
After a meeting between ArchbishopFoley Beach of ACNA and the Moderator/Primate of theChurch of Bangladesh,Paul Sarker, on May 13–15, 2017, at Holy Cross Anglican Cathedral inLoganville, Georgia, they signed a statement affirming and celebrating the communion between both provinces thereby causing ACNA to enter into full communion with theChurch of Bangladesh.[186][187][188]
In February 2016, ArchbishopFoley Beach signed an instrument declaring ACNA to be in full communion with theFree Church of England, a reformed and Protestant Anglican church. Archbishop Beach's declaration was ratified by the Provincial Council of the ACNA in June 2016. TheReformed Episcopal Church, a founding member of the denomination, was already in that status with the FCE since 1927.Foley Beach andRay Sutton, Presiding Bishop of REC, participated at the celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the communion between FCE and REC, which took place atWallasey, England, on June 10, 2017.[189]
Fulfilling what ArchbishopFoley Beach had already announced on June 8, 2017, on the same day that theScottish Episcopal Church voted to approve same-sex marriage,[190]Andy Lines was consecrated Missionary Bishop to Europe at ACNA's Third Provincial Assembly meeting inWheaton, Illinois, on June 30, 2017, on behalf ofGAFCON.[191] The consecration was attended by 1,400 Anglican representatives from all over the world, including 11 primates, 3 archbishops, and 13 bishops.[192] The Primates who attended wereNicholas Okoh, from theChurch of Nigeria,Stanley Ntagali, from theChurch of Uganda,Daniel Deng Bul, from theProvince of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan,Jacob Chimeledya, from theAnglican Church of Tanzania,Jackson Ole Sapit, from theAnglican Church of Kenya,Onesphore Rwaje, from theProvince of the Anglican Church of Rwanda,Zacharie Masimango Katanda, from theProvince of the Anglican Church of the Congo,Daniel Sarfo, from theChurch of the Province of West Africa,Gregory Venables, from theAnglican Church of South America,Ng Moon Hing, from theChurch of the Province of South East Asia, andMouneer Anis, retired Presiding Bishop of theEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. This was the largest gathering of worldwide Anglicans that ever participated at a Provincial Assembly of the ACNA.[193][self-published source][unreliable source]
On December 13, 2017, theAnglican Global South, a grouping of Southern Hemisphere provinces of theAnglican Communion, reaffirmedfull communion with the Anglican Church in North America.[194]
The ACNA was represented atGAFCON III, held inJerusalem, from June 17–22, 2018, by a large delegation from theUnited States andCanada.[195] At the final of the conference, it was announced that ArchbishopFoley Beach will take office as Chairman of the GAFCON's Primates Council in early 2019.[196] After the end of GAFCON III, ACNA held the meeting of their Provincial Council inJerusalem, for the first time outsideNorth America.[197]
The ACNA endorsed a concordat with theEpiscopal Missionary Church, aContinuing Anglican denomination, in January 2020, which was signed by ArchbishopFoley Beach and EMC Presiding BishopWilliam Millsaps on 14 September 2020.[198][199]
In 2021, the ACNA College of Bishops released a pastoral statement rejecting the use of the phrase "gay Christian", instead recommending the phrase "same-sex attraction", and that restated the church's belief that sex is reserved for marriage between one man and one woman while acknowledging that celibate "same-sex attracted" people can be members of the denomination.[200] This statement divided the ACNA as well as GAFCON, the body of Anglican churches with which the ACNA is affiliated. Within the ACNA, Bishop Todd Hunter of the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO) released his own pastoral statement in which he used both phrases "gay Christian" and "same-sex attracted", criticizing and departing from the College of Bishops' guidance, and in which he affirmed the membership of those who identify as "gay Christian" pursuing celibacy or "mixed orientation" marriages.[201] Conversely, ArchbishopHenry Ndukuba, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, criticized and rejected the ACNA College of Bishops' pastoral guidance as being too open to homosexuality; Archbishop Ndukuba referred to homosexuality as a "deadly virus" and called on the ACNA to join the Church of Nigeria's "total rejection of homosexuality".[202][203][204] These actions received response from the Archbishop of Canterbury,Justin Welby, who released a statement that said people are able to be members of the Anglican Communion "regardless of sexual orientation" and without mention of celibacy.[200][205][206]
ArchbishopsFoley Beach, of the ACNA, andHenry Ndukuba, of the Church of Nigeria, signed a Joint Statement, on 30 March 2021, reaffirming both churches' common stance on human sexuality, as defined by theLambeth 1998 resolution 1.10, and by the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, of theGlobal Anglican Future Conference.[207]
In 2023, Archbishop Foley Beach was asked to comment on Archbishop of UgandaStephen Kaziimba's support for Ugandan legislation that allows life imprisonment for Ugandans who engage in gay sex and the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality".[208][209] Foley replied, "...we condemn it when we don't really understand it. I don't understand their culture enough to be able to really comment on it."[210]
At the ACNA's inaugural assembly in June 2009,Metropolitan Jonah of theOrthodox Church in America, who was raised Episcopalian, while recognizing theological differences, said that he was "seeking an ecumenical restoration" between Orthodox and Anglicans in the United States.[211] An agreement was announced betweenSaint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary andNashotah House, an Anglo-Catholic seminary, to guideecumenical relationships and "new dialogue" between the two churches.[211] Archbishop Foley Beach met MetropolitanHilarion Alfeyev, Chairman of the Department of External Relations of theRussian Orthodox Church, at an ecumenical meeting that took place at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary inYonkers,New York, on November 8, 2014. The main purpose of the meeting was the prosecution of the Anglican and Orthodox dialogue in the United States and other parts of the world.[citation needed] MetropolitanTikhon of the Orthodox Church in America was also present and invited Archbishop Foley Beach to the Orthodox All-American Council, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, in July 2015.[212]
At the invitation of PatriarchKirill, Archbishop Beach led a nine-member ACNA delegation to Moscow, Russia, to participate in formal ecumenical meetings with the Russian Orthodox Church. The delegation met Metropolitan Hilarion and was officially received by Patriarch Kirill on August 23, 2015. Both churches expressed their desire to develop and deepen the ecumenical relationships between Orthodox and faithful Anglicans through the world. Archbishop Beach delivered a letter of greeting from Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Archbishop of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON.[213] The ACNA is about to start ecumenical relationships with PatriarchBartholomew I of Constantinople, due to the mediation of Greek Orthodox BishopKyrillos Katerelos.[214]
ArchbishopFoley Beach and BishopKevin Bond Allen met PatriarchTheophilos III, of theGreek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, at theChurch of the Holy Sepulcher, inJerusalem, on May 31, 2017.[215]
The ACNA representatives had a meeting withPope Tawadros II of theCoptic Orthodox Church ofEgypt, during his visit to the United States, on October 23, 2015, during which he was presented with a letter of BishopTodd Hunter, welcoming him and celebrating the recent ecumenical dialogue held between Anglican and Coptic Orthodox churches.[216] Pope Tawadros II met Archbishop Foley Beach and BishopCharlie Masters, of ACNA, during his meeting with several Global South representatives, inCairo, in November 2015.[217]
The ACNA established dialogue with several Lutheran groups. In March 2010, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod announced that it and the ACNA would hold discussions to "explore dialogue".[218] The ACNA has approved a request from theNorth American Lutheran Church to share clergy where there are vacancies. In addition, there is a Lutheran group which has requested to be admitted into the ACNA as a diocese.[219]
A "Marriage Summit", was held in Dallas, Texas, May 3–5, 2013, with representatives of ACNA and three Lutheran denominations, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, theLutheran Church-Canada and theNorth American Lutheran Church. It resulted in an official joint document, "An Affirmation of Marriage", approved by the heads of all the four church bodies and described as "a strong example of biblical ecumenicism at work", defining the divine nature of "marriage to be the life-long union of one man and one woman".[220]
The ACNA has held ten ecumenical dialogue meetings with thePolish National Catholic Church, since the first, held inScranton,Pennsylvania, on June 19–20, 2012.[221] The most recent took place at St. Vincent's Cathedral, inBedford, Texas, on February 15–16, 2017.[222]
The ACNA has been involved with evangelical movements such as theLausanne Conference on World Evangelism and has observer status with theNational Association of Evangelicals. It has also established dialogue with theCharismatic Episcopal Church, thePresbyterian Church in America, and theUnited Methodist Church.[223] The ACNA is also partnering withMessianic Jewish groups.[219] The ACNA has also held ecumenical contacts with theBelievers Eastern Church, an Evangelical denomination whose headquarters are situated inKerala, India.[224]
The ACNA has established friendly ecumenical relationships with theRoman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was represented by BishopKevin Vann at their inaugural Provincial Assembly, in Bedford, Texas, on June 22, 2009. In October 2009, ACNA's leadership reacted to the Roman Catholic Church's proposed creation ofpersonal ordinariates for disaffected traditionalist Anglicans by stating that although they believe that this provision will not be utilized by the great majority of its laity and clergy, they will happily bless those who are drawn to participate in this proposal.[225] The ACNA expressed its support for the Catholic Church's opposition to the 2012 USHealth and Human Services'contraceptive mandate, with Archbishop Robert Duncan being one of the signatories of the statement of the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, representing 26 Christian denominations, on April 13, 2012.[226] Archbishop Duncan and BishopRay Sutton were also invited to the weekly private audience byPope Benedict XVI, which took place in Rome, on November 28, 2012, whom they meet and greet afterwards on behalf of the ACNA and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.[227] The ACNA Provincial Assembly, which reunited more than 900 participants, and their College of Bishops conclave, which electedFoley Beach as the second Archbishop of the province, took place at the Roman Catholic BenedictineSt. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, inLatrobe, Pennsylvania, on June 19–21, 2014, due to the kind permission of ArchabbotDouglas Robert Nowicki, a personal friend of Archbishop Duncan.[228][self-published source][unreliable source] ArchbishopWilton Daniel Gregory of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta offered Foley Beach an African-made crozier, which he used at his investiture ceremony, that took place at the Church of the Apostles, in Atlanta, Georgia, at October 9, 2014. Former Archbishop Gregory Venables of theAnglican Church of the Southern Cone of America read at the ceremony a message by his personal friendPope Francis, who sent Archbishop Foley Beach his "personal greetings and congratulations as he leads his church in the very important job of revival" and asked Archbishop Venables to embrace him on his behalf.[229][230][self-published source][unreliable source]
The ACNA has started official talks with theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops. BishopRay Sutton, Provincial Dean for Ecumenical Affairs led the team that met with a USCCB delegation, led by BishopMitchell T. Rozanski, Chair of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, inChicago,Illinois, on October 12, 2016.[231] In 2024, Sutton announced that the Vatican had begun an ecumenical dialogue with the ACNA and GAFCON which excluded the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England, the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Church of Canada.[232] He stated that the process would be managed by the Vatican'sDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) and not by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and that the Prefect of the DDF, with the Pope's approval, had accepted an ACNA proposal for dialogue with the USCCB, which was based on the framework set forth in the 1968 Malta Report, a document on ecumenical dialogue set forth by the Anglican-Roman Catholic Joint Preparatory Commission.[233]
In January 2020, the ACNA endorsed a concordat with the Philippine Independent Catholic Church (formally known as the "International Conference of Philippine Independent Catholic Churches of Jesus Christ" since 2019), a breakaway faction from thePhilippine Independent Church, in a meeting held inMelbourne, Florida, which was meant to be presented for approval by the Provincial Council in June that year.[198] Later in the same year, the endorsement was approved and both churches signed a concordat of understanding.[234]
At the 2024 ACNA Provincial Assembly in Latrobe, PA, Bishop Ray Sutton announced several updates on ecumenical relations between the ACNA and other churches.[235] Sutton announced that the ACNA and theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL), Latvia's state church, had recognized full communion with one another. In July of 2022, Bishop Ryan Reed of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (also fashioned Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth) and then-ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach were invited by ELCL ArchbishopJanis Vanags to participate in the consecration of an ELCL bishop through the laying on of hands. In addition, they were granted pulpit and altar privileges at the Cathedral Church of St. Mary in Riga, Latvia.
Bishop Sutton also announced that the Elder Board of Communio Messianica (CM), a movement of Muslim Background Believers,[236] had determined to become Anglican and join GAFCON, through discussions with theReformed Episcopal Church (REC), a diocese of the ACNA. In March of 2024, Communio Messianica's Yassir Eric was consecrated a bishop by Rwandan Anglican Archbishop and GAFCON ChairmanLaurent Mbanda at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kigali, Rwanda.[237]
In August 2010, the executive committee approved the creation of a task force on "Islam andinterfaith engagement". Regarding the task force,Julian Dobbs, a member of the ACNA College of Bishops and Missionary Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, stated, "we need to undertake a prayerful, sensitive and honest approach to the issues involved".[238]
Dobbs, the ACNA's dean and acting primate, has long warned about the purported dangers of Islamic religion.[11] In 2009, he warned that a Muslim day of prayer at theUnited States Capitol was "part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the church bells with the Athan [the Muslim call to prayer]" and that "the time has come for the American public to call Islam to account."[239] In a 2022 letter on his website, Dobbs referred to theSeptember 11 attacks as the “Islamic terror attacks" and wrote that the violence on September 11 was carried out in the name of "a religion that is still intolerant" of other faiths.[11]
In its 2011 annual report, the ACNA said it was forming partnerships withMessianic Jewish groups to proselytize.[219]
Archbishop Foley Beach and Bishop Charlie Masters, of ACNA, met the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar,Ahmed el-Tayeb, when he welcomed a delegation of severalGlobal South representatives during their visit toEgypt in November 2015. Ahmed el-Tayeb expressed the "importance of the partnership and collegiality between religious leaders for the common good of humanity" and his solidarity with the Anglican realignment. He also stated that Christians and Muslims should be united in their opposition to the pressure for the acceptance of same-sex marriage and homosexual practice, especially in the western world.[240][self-published source][unreliable source]
He visitedPakistan in November 2019, at invitation of the Kul Masalak Ulama Board Leadership, where he attended an interfaith gathering with Muslim scholars, inLahore, on 19 November 2019.[241]
In the wake of the terrorist attack to theTree of Life Synagogue, inPittsburgh, on October 27, 2018, Archbishop Beach expressed his full solidarity with the Jewish communities of the United States and endorsed the "ShowUpForShabbat" initiative by which ACNA parish members were to attend local synagogues for theShabbat.[242]
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