Summary of Report
A Letter from Bishop Todd Hunter to the Church of the Incarnation
Dear Incarnation Members,
In June, I announced my request for the Rev. Jon Ziegler's resignation and his one-year suspension from priestly ministry due to concerning leadership behaviors. I also committed to conducting an independent diocesan review of both the reported concerns and my decisions.
After this review, a full report has been provided to me, diocesan leaders, the reporting parties and your Vestry. The report confirms that Jon engaged in patterns of behavior inconsistent with the duties and expectations of a rector or priest, notwithstanding other positive aspects of his tenure. As a result, I affirm my original decision.
For the protection and privacy of all involved, the full report will not be made widely available. However, you can find a summary of the report below.
I am deeply saddened for all who have experienced harm in this situation and by the pain this has caused your community. I want to express my gratitude to those who reported concerning behavior and spoke with the diocese through this process. I am also grateful for the excellent leaders on the Vestry who have demonstrated love, maturity and wisdom throughout this entire process. As we look to the future, the ACNA Constitution and Canons says that priests are called to serve as both shepherds and stewards. Thus, the Diocese expects Christ-like leadership that models servant-heartedness, protects the vulnerable, and creates environments where all can flourish in faith. C4SO remains committed to strengthening prevention efforts through robust training programs and clear reporting pathways.
The gospel we proclaim is one of redemption and restoration, and I pray that Incarnation experiences that in a very real way.
Prayerfully,
Bishop Todd Hunter
The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO)
A Letter from Senior Warden Rachel George on behalf of the Vestry
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On behalf of the Vestry, I want to thank Bishop Todd and all the leaders in our diocese who participated in conducting a thorough and independent evaluation of the events that have occurred in our parish and at Trinity Anglican. We respect Bishop Todd’s leadership, we are grateful for his ongoing concern for our parish, and we trust and submit to his discernment on this matter.
Each member of the Vestry has received a copy of the full diocesan report, which is robust and includes information compiled from more than 19 individuals. In our view the summary of the report is an accurate representation of the overall report and we join our Bishops, other diocesan leaders and the reporting parties in unanimously supporting its conclusions about the seriousness of Jon’s behavior.
We deeply grieve what has happened at Incarnation and in our community. While the completion of the report is an important milestone, it does not mark the resolution of the healing process. Instead, as Bishop Todd mentioned, the diocese and the Vestry have important work ahead to ensure that we are learning all we can from this situation to bolster systems of accountability and prevention going forward. We are committed to doing hard work in the weeks and months ahead to build towards healing and safeguarding for the long run.
As we and the diocese discern next steps for engaging with all who have been impacted, as well as the broader parish, we welcome any feedback or ideas you have.
Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to reach out to Father Erik Willits, Father Collin Ross, Junior Warden Ed Bedard, me or any other member of the Vestry with your questions or concerns.
Yours in Christ, for the Vestry,
Rachel George
Senior Warden
Church of the Incarnation
