Stand Firm Podcast #279: Off With Our Heads? The ACNA, Its Structure, and the Way Forward
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Nov 21, 2025 The hosts tackle the recent leadership crises within the ACNA, focusing on Archbishop Wood's inhibition and Bishop Sutton's resignation. They explore emotional responses to these events, alongside the need for canonical integrity. A lively debate emerges around potential synodical reforms and the risks of a lay-driven governance system. Cultural shifts towards distrust in authority are examined, as well as social media's impact on church leadership. The episode calls for rebuilding trust while balancing transparency and humility without losing decisive leadership.
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Don't Rush To Change Polity
- The ACNA crisis triggered calls for radical structural change, but hosts caution against hastily abandoning episcopal polity.
- Matt Kennedy argues better laws and leaders, not more democracy, are the solution.
Choose Steady Leadership Quickly
- Appoint steady, canonical-minded leaders during crises to restore order and credibility.
- Matt Kennedy names Bishop Julian Dobbs as the kind of leader who can steward transparent, lawful recovery.
Suspicion Of Authority Undermines Leadership
- A cultural suspicion of authority now treats higher office as inherently untrustworthy, undermining leaders' confidence to act.
- Nick Landon connects this shift to leaders' tendency to cave under public pressure instead of decisively leading.