Episcopal Diocese defrocks St. Wilfred rector who confessed to theft of church funds

A priest who in October confessed to stealing funds from St. Wilfred of York church for his own use has been defrocked by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

The defrocking means the Rev. Canon Michael D. Archer is no longer a priest, Rev. Canon Gary R. Hall, priest-in-charge of the Huntington Beach church, said in a Nov. 16 letter to parishioners.

Archer could not be immediately reached for comment.

Archer was permanently removed from the priesthood for reportedly violating an agreement with the diocese that he made when he was initially suspended for the alleged financial impropriety.

Specifically, the diocese discovered Archer had contacted parishioners after he had been told not to and misrepresented “crucial information” about his reasons for leaving his previous ministry with the Church of the Nazarene, Hall said in the letter.

“Learning that your former rector is no longer a priest of the church will come as a shock to many,” he wrote parishioners. “Please know that Michael’s deposition does not invalidate the ministries — weddings, burials, baptisms, pastoral visits — that he performed in his time among you.”

Church of the Nazarene officials could not be reached for comment regarding Archer’s ministry.

However, Archer’s LinkedIn page indicates he was a senior pastor at congregations in Bakersfield and Auburn from 1999 to 2004.

The Right Rev. John Harvey Taylor, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, issued a statement Monday inviting “prayers for the people of St. Wilfrid’s and for Michael and his family.”

Diocese officials declined to disclose whether they intend to seek criminal charges against Archer. Previously, the diocese said the allegations involved his handling of St. Wilfrid’s expense and discretionary accounts.

In an Oct. 18 letter to his former congregation, Archer said, “I have betrayed the trust you placed on me when I was called to serve you as rector. I am embarrassed and ashamed of my failure to honor these trusts.”

The letter was sent on the 10th anniversary of his ordination vows.

“I have become unacceptably comfortable with a compartmentalized life and a compartmentalized ministry,” Archer wrote, promising to pay back the missing money with interest.

Archer joined St. Wilfrid’s in 2005 after more than 20 years at other churches in California, Oklahoma and Arizona. He was appointed priest-in-charge at St. Wilfrid’s in 2008 and elected the fourth rector of the church a year later.

Archer describes himself on LinkedIn as an “experienced nonprofit executive” seeking to join an organization “committed to awareness of its organizational strengths.”

St.Wilfrid’s plans to hold a community meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 20, at the church, 18631 Chapel Lane, to discuss  Archer’s removal from the ministry.