Derek L. S. Jones | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy | |
| Church | Anglican Church in North America (disputed) |
| Diocese | Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy |
| In office | 2007–present (disputed) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2001 |
| Consecration | January 2007 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1961 (age 63–64) |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Alma mater | Samford University |
Derek L. S. Jones (born 1961) is an American Anglican bishop. During his ministry, he has been canonically resident in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Church of Nigeria. [1] He is the founding bishop of the ACNA's Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC). He is also the Executive Director for the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. [2] Jones formerly served within the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.
In September 2025, ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood, after reviewing what the ACNA called "multiple allegations of ecclesiastical abuse of power (deemed to be credible) against Bishop Jones," issued an admonition inhibiting Jones from ordained ministry. In response, the JAFC's executive committee announced that it had withdrawn the jurisdiction from the ACNA. Wood and the ACNA disputed the ability of the jurisdiction to do so, arguing that it was instituted as a "canonical ministry" of the ACNA and thus does not have the right of a diocese to withdraw. Wood appointed former Archbishop Robert Duncan and JAFC Suffragan Bishop Jay Cayangyang to oversee the jurisdiction temporarily. [3]
Bishop Jones is a former U.S. Air Force combat fighter pilot, and retired as a Lt. Col. He was ordained in 2001, and went on to help the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches (CEEC) develop its administrative infrastructure and plant churches in Liberia. He quickly rose through the ranks to be consecrated a bishop in 2007, and was received by the ACNA in 2010. He and Connie, his wife, have two children, and live in their home state of Alabama.