The archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America -- a denomination founded by theological conservatives who left the Episcopal Church over its approval of an openly gay bishop -- is taking a leave of absence following allegations that he committed sexual misconduct shortly before he took the helm of the organization.

Stephen Wood, 62, a married father of four sons, said in a statement Monday night that a senior-ranking bishop will step in and fulfill his duties as archbishop, while another bishop will provide support. He's also taking a leave of absence from his obligations as bishop of the denomination's Diocese of the Carolinas, which includes more than 40 churches across the South. Additionally, Wood announced a "previously planned" retirement as rector of St. Andrew's Church in the Charleston area of South Carolina, a position he has held since 2000. Tuesday night, he said, his church's vestry unanimously voted to appoint a new "priest-in-charge."

On Oct. 23, The Washington Post published an article disclosing that a formal complaint had been submitted against Wood three days earlier. The document -- known as a "presentment" -- accused Wood of placing his hand on the back of a church employee's head at his office in April 2024 and trying to turn it toward his face for a kiss. The woman, Claire Buxton, who at the time was the children's ministry director at St. Andrew's Church in Mount Pleasant, S.C., turned away and quickly left the office, telling a colleague what had transpired, according to her affidavit that accompanies the presentment.

The presentment, which was supplemented by affidavits by Buxton and several priests who used to work at St. Andrew's under Wood, included other allegations. The group also accused him of plagiarizing sermons and bullying and disparaging church staffers -- incidents that they said occurred in the years before he was elected archbishop in June 2024. In addition to Buxton's accusation that he tried to kiss her, she also chronicled in her affidavit how Wood gave her thousands of dollars in unexpected payments from church coffers in a 13-month period before his alleged advance.

"I am acutely aware of the challenges our Church is facing as a consequence of accusations made against me first to The Washington Post and, subsequently, through the Church's established channels for reporting misconduct," he wrote in a statement Tuesday night. "While I grieve that anyone experiences harm in the Church, as I have noted to my parish, I believe the charges against me lack merit, and I categorically and emphatically deny the particular accusation of attempted physical contact made against me by a former St. Andrew's employee."

The presentment was submitted to Wood and to the denomination's College of Bishops on Oct. 20. Later that morning, The Post, which received an advance copy, emailed Wood with dozens of questions about the document's allegations. The next day, he said he didn't believe the allegations had "any merit" and declined to comment further.

The presentment accuses him of three charges outlined in the denomination's canons: sexual immorality, violation of ordination vows, and bringing "scandal," including abusing his ecclesiastical power. If a church Board of Inquiry determines that the presentment warrants an ecclesiastical trial, a guilty verdict could result in sentences ranging from a "Godly admonition" to deposition or defrocking. Wood is the first archbishop in the church's 16-year history to face a presentment.

The Anglican Church in North America was founded in 2009. With more than 128,000 members across 1,000 congregations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the church considers same-sex relationships sinful, bars women from becoming bishops or archbishops, and opposes abortion. Among its most prominent congregations is the Falls Church Anglican in Northern Virginia, whose members include a federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump, the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence and the former head of a major Republican super PAC.

Wood said in his statement that his leave of absence will last "until the proceedings to address these allegations are resolved." A denomination spokeswoman said Wood's leave of absence is paid, but that she could not disclose his salary.

The Anglican Church in North America was established 16 years ago by conservatives who once belonged to the Episcopal Church. In 2003, when the Episcopal Church approved an openly gay man, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, to become a bishop, many of its members and leaders began leaving that denomination. Wood led his church out of the Episcopal Church and into the Anglican Church in North America in 2010. By 2012, he became a diocesan bishop. In late June 2024 -- just two months after his church employee claimed he tried to kiss her -- he was elected by his fellow bishops to serve as the denomination's third archbishop.