A Letter from Bishop Julian
A Letter from Bishop Julian
Below is a recent letter from Bishop Julian concerning the accusations against Archbishop Steve Wood. Please keep all our Bishops, the presenters, and those in leadership in your prayers as they work to bring about repentance and a just conclusion to these issues for the ACNA. Please especially keep Bishop Julian and Bishops Marc and David in your prayers as they lead our diocese in the midst of this challenge.
Christ is All,
Steve+
Beloved in Christ at Redeemer,
I want to share with you a brief update concerning Archbishop Steve Wood. The Archbishop has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his duties while the College of Bishops proceeds with the appropriate canonical processes in response to the accusations that have been brought forward. His decision allows space for careful investigation, prayerful discernment, and the pursuit of truth before Almighty God.
This remains an unfolding situation, and the Anglican Church in North America has committed to providing official updates as the process continues. These statements are being posted on the ACNA website, and further information will be added there as developments occur. I encourage you to rely on these official communications as the proper source for accurate and timely updates.
The situation is grievous. It grieves us because any accusation of sin within the household of faith weighs heavily upon all of us, and especially upon those entrusted with leadership. The Apostle James reminds us soberly, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1, ESV).
In this season I have been asked to serve as the Dean of Provincial Affairs, which includes assisting with the oversight of the ongoing processes and supporting the province in its day-to-day responsibilities during the Archbishop’s leave. I welcome your prayers, and I ask you to pray earnestly for all who are involved in the canonical work now before the Church. We desire to act with integrity, thoroughness, humility, and the fear of the Lord.
Although we do not presume any outcome of the present investigation, we do acknowledge before God our sadness at this moment. These events remind us that the Church is never a community of the sinless, but a community of sinners redeemed by Christ and continually dependent on His mercy. The Scriptures plainly speak to this reality: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9, ESV). This is the good news we cling to, even in difficult days.
The Lord Jesus purifies His Church not to shame His people but to restore them. Therefore, I ask you to continue in prayer for the work of truth, healing, and repentance in this season. As we pray in the Great Litany, may the Lord “give us true repentance; forgive us all our sin, negligence, and ignorance; and endue us with the grace of the Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to His holy Word.”
Let us continue to walk in humility, hope, and the light of Christ, trusting in His unfailing faithfulness.
In the mercy of Christ,
Bishop Julian M. Dobbs
