"In the 'me-too' environment we find ourselves in, we want to be clear that none of the grievances alleged are sexual in nature. The grievances presented include numerous and broad complaints from staff about workplace mistreatment, and questionable treatment of congregants," said a church spokesman.

None of the issues had to do with money, said the spokesman. The grievances were presented the week before Baucum's resignation. The events described in these statements happened over a very short period of time and over the Thanksgiving holiday period.

Bishop John Guernsey acknowledged receipt of a letter via email, with a copy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, from Tory Baucum on November 29, 2019 entitled "Renunciation of Ordained Ministry in DOMA and ACNA". Baucum will transition to Catholic Lay Ministry.

Baucum has had a long, highly checkered ecclesiastical career.

Formerly an Episcopal priest, he became the rector of Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia, an ACNA parish in 2007. He was jointly under Bishop John Guernsey (ACNA) and Bishop Julian Dobbs of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word. (ADLW), formerly CANA.

In 2006, he ran as a candidate for bishop of the Diocese of Albany at their annual convention that ultimately elected Bishop William Love.

Baucum was at one time licensed in the Diocese of Lexington. In 2005, Bishop Stacy Sauls, then Bishop of Lexington, revoked his license; Bishop Love and the Diocese of Albany took him in. Later he transferred to the Diocese of London, England.

In a 2005 statement regarding these developments, Bishop Stacy Sauls, one-time Chief Operating Officer of The Episcopal Church, stated that the transfer to London was done without his consultation or consent. Bishop Sauls added that he would not re-license Baucum "unless he transfers back to an American jurisdiction that will cooperate with me in keeping Tory accountable to our church."

Sauls later went on to become the TEC's COO where he got fired. He unsuccessfully sued the national church.

From there, Baucum wound up in the Diocese of Virginia following in the footsteps of the Rev. Martin Minns at what was then Truro Episcopal Church, a high-profile evangelical parish in the northern part of the liberal Virginia diocese now under Bishop Shannon Johnston.

Enter the church property wars of the 21st Century

Following the loss of The Falls Church parish in a legal battle with the Diocese of Virginia and its bishop, Baucum entered into an agreement, in order to avoid litigation, and stayed on, with the agreement that the parish property would still remain in diocesan hands.

This was in part due to the intervention of the Archbishop of Canterbury who invited both Baucum and the bishop to Coventry Cathedral and preached up both men as signs of "reconciliation and unity".

Baucum became the darling of the new North American Anglican order, the Archbishop of Canterbury and The Episcopal Church. For his faithfulness to both TEC and the ACNA, he got a promotion and was appointed to the position of preacher at Canterbury Cathedral.

Now he is leaving for Rome.

END