Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hooverville, AL, Author Helmsb, (Public Domain)
We continue with our examination of the sex scandals in America’s churches and elsewhere.
Anglican Church (Church of England)
A. Anglican Church in North America
The Anglican Church in North America, which broke with the Episcopal Church in 2009 over gay clergy and the authority of Scripture, is confronted by scandals involving both Archbishop Stephen Wood (the denomination’s chief official) and Bishop Stewart Ruch III, who leads a Midwestern diocese [1A].
Claier Buxton, a former children’s ministry director, has accused Wood (a 62 y.o. married father of four) of sexually harassing her in 2024, shortly before his election [1B]. Buxton, also, alleges Wood gave her thousands of dollars from church funds [1C].
After parishioners and clergy accused Ruch of enabling men with histories of violence or sexual misconduct to serve in church roles, he was unanimously acquitted in 2025 by an ecclesiastical court [1D][2].
B. Canada
In 2015, the Anglican Church of Canada finally issued an apology for its failure to report to police a written confession in 1994 by priest and serial predator Gordon Goichi Nakayama who abused over 300 children, primarily boys ages 3-20, over the course of 62 years in ministry [3A].
C. England and Wales
There have been many cases of child sexual abuse in the Church of England and Anglican Church in Wales [3B].
In the 1970s, Jeremy Dowling, a lay minister and member of the general synod, was accused of sexual abuse and sadistic behavior at schools [3C]. Peter Halliday, a choirmaster and schoolmaster who had informed the church he had abused children in the 1990s, was allowed to continue working with children [3D]. Halliday was at last convicted in 2007. In 2008, Colin Pritchard, a vicar, was convicted of sexually abusing two boys [3E].
The Church of England issued a rare public apology in response to a damning report about its failure to protect and care for abuse victims [3F][4].
D. Australia
A 2013 Australian study found that Anglican child sexual abuse cases were 1/10 the number of those in the Roman Catholic child sex abuse scandal [3G].
This is far from consoling, particularly since a 2016 investigation centering on the Church of England Boys’ Society prompted Peter Hollingsworth, the former Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, to acknowledge that his handling of such cases between 1989 and 2001 involved serious errors of judgment [3H].
E. New Zealand
The Anglican Church in New Zealand has historically had instances of sexual abuse of children. This abuse took place both in churches and church-run schools [3I]. In 2021, as part of a nationwide inquiry, it was determined that many documents regarding such abuse in the 1990s had gone missing [3J].
Southern Baptist Church
In 2022, an investigation by Guidepost Solutions revealed a widespread pattern of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Church from 2001 to 2021 [5][6]. Approximately 380 clergy, lay leaders, and volunteers faced allegations of sexual misconduct, leaving over 700 victims in their wake [7A].
The misconduct was abetted by the Southern Baptist Convention’s transfer of sex offenders to other communities, and its reluctance to address the culture of abuse [7B][8]. At least, ten Southern Baptist churches unknowingly welcomed pastors, ministers, and volunteers who had already been charged with sexual misconduct [7C].
Some survivors of sexual assault were asked to get abortions for the children conceived during encounters with clergy [7D].
Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church acknowledges that clergy and staff committed acts of sexual misconduct [9]. Adults were sexually harassed by their pastor. Children were abused. Staff members viewed pornographic material on their church computers.
An apology was issued in 2024 for the way the denomination prevented predators from being held accountable [10].
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[1A through 1D] Religion Unplugged, “Archbishop Wood Accused of Misconduct” by Mark Kellner, 10/25/25, https://religionunplugged.com/news/2025/10/25/anglican-church-archbishop-wood-accused-of-misconduct-abuse-of-power.
[2] American Anglican Council, “Summary of the Final Order in the Trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch”, 12/16/25, https://americananglican.org/summary-of-the-final-order-in-the-trial-of-bishop-stewart-ruch/.
[3A through 3J] Wikipedia, “Anglican communion sexual abuse cases”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Communion_sexual_abuse_cases.
[4] Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse, “The Anglican Church Investigation Report” by Prof. Alexis Jay OBE, Prof. Sir Malcolm Evans KCMG OBE, Ivor Frank, and Drusilla Sharpling OBE, October 2020, https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/anglican-church.html.
[5] Helping Survivors, “Southern Baptist Church Sexual Abuse” by Kathryn Kosmides, 5/8/26, https://helpingsurvivors.org/clergy-sex-abuse/southern-baptist/.
[6] Scribd, “Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse Overview”, https://www.scribd.com/document/576005098/Baptist-church-s-sex-offenders.
[7A through 7D] Wikipedia, “Sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_cases_in_Southern_Baptist_churches.
[8] The Gospel Coalition (TGC), “The FAQs: Report Reveals Sexual Abuse Cover-Up by Southern Baptist Entity” Joe Carter, 5/23/22, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faqs-sexual-abuse-southern-baptist/.
[9] United Methodist Church, “Sexual misconduct at church: what every member should know”, 6/9/15, https://www.umc.org/en/content/sexual-misconduct-at-church-what-every-member-should-know.
[10] UM News, “Church apologizes for sexual misconduct” by Jessica Brodie, 5/3/24, https://www.umnews.org/en/news/church-apologizes-for-sexual-misconduct.
This series will conclude next week.
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A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse and More 