ACNA West was founded in 2015 by the Bishops of 5 Dioceses of the Anglican Church in North America who believed that common ministry could benefit the Body of Christ. They were Churches for the Sake of Others, the Diocese of Cascadia, the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest, the Diocese of Western Anglicans and the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin. 

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These bishops determined that developing a common Canonical Examination offered to candidates for ordination in all of their Dioceses would bring unity to the Church and ensure highly trained clergy serving in their Dioceses. The first presbyteral  ordination essay exams were administered in 2016.

 

In 2022 ACNA West expanded to include the Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes. Also in 2022 the Bishops expanded their efforts to include diaconal ordination exams. In 2023, the Canonical Exams were re-designed to include Objective Exams for both presbyteral and diaconal candidates.

 

In 2024, ACNA West added three new members  Dioceses: Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest and the Episcopal Diocese of Ft. Worth.  in 2024, the Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes withdrew from ACNA West to pursue other collaborative efforts within the ACNA.

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ACNA West also opened its second initiative when it opened a joint Misconduct Reporting Office to receive all reports of misconduct in a professional manner, in both English and Spanish. 

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ACNA West opened its third initiative, Church Planting, in late 2024 with the development of both an Assessment Program and a Residency Program for Church Planters