Derek L. S. Jones | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy | |
| Diocese | Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (organization) |
| In office | 2014–present |
| Other posts | Bishop of the ACNA Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy, 2014–2025 |
| 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 Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, the Church of Nigeria and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), where he was the first bishop of the Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy. [1] He is the founding bishop of the ACNA's Special 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.
After reviewing what the ACNA called "multiple allegations of ecclesiastical abuse of power (deemed to be credible) against Bishop Jones," ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood on September 21 issued an admonition inhibiting Jones from ordained ministry. [3] However, Jones claimed to Religion News Service that he had withdrawn from the ACNA on September 20, and on September 22, the JAFC's executive committee issued a letter announcing that it had withdrawn the jurisdiction from the ACNA. [4] In a recording of a video call with chaplains that the JAFC posted on YouTube, Jones denied that the allegations against him were legitimate (dismissing some as an expression of a "woke USA"), rejected Wood's ability to inhibit him and argued that the ACNA had delayed a purported revision to the canon establishing the SJAFC that would explicitly recognize a right to disaffiliate. [5] The executive committee of the nonprofit organization he led, the similarly named Jurisdiction for the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy, said it had left the ACNA and that chaplains it endorsed would remain affiliated to Jones' organization. [6]
Following a complaint filed by the JAFC against the ACNA in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina alleging multiple unfair business practices by the ACNA, a JAFC spokesperson provided an FAQ document to members of the media claiming that Jones was the victim of "a targeted attack" by Wood and citing Jones' alleged criticism of "errors, missteps, and mismanagement within the Archbishop's office." [7]
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.