GAFCON Anglicans Seek to Lead, Who will Follow?

“A group of leading Anglican traditionalists this month announced a reordering of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Top bishops (primates) of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a renewal movement composed of both historic Anglican provinces and newly inaugurated Anglican churches, are seeking to bind the Anglican family not around a common tie to the See of Canterbury but around shared theological commitments. Among them the centrality of holy scripture. …”

– While we might not warm to the ‘traditionalists’ label, Jeffrey Walton at Juicy Ecumenism finds ‘encouragement in this month’s necessary step’.

The Future of Anglicanism Has Arrived: What GAFCON’s Statement Means for Evangelicals

“On October 16, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, the leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) released a statement beginning with the striking words: ‘The future has arrived.‘

For many outside Anglicanism, this may sound like insider church politics. But the statement represents something much larger: a historic reordering of the Anglican Communion that has profound significance for global evangelicalism. …”

– On Saturday, Australian time, The Gospel Coalition published this piece by Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison.

He shares a way forward for those who find themselves in provinces or diocese who do not align with the Global Anglican Communion.

Photo: Bishop Paul Donison, courtesy Gafcon.

The patience of Gafcon

Historical perspective is always important.

The background to the Gafcon Communique of October 16 2025 is more than 17 years of patience on the part of the Gafcon Primates and biblically faithful Anglicans around the world.

And that first Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem in 2008 came after many years of calling Anglican leaders in England, Scotland, Wales, Canada and the United States back to the Scriptures.

In late 2007, Archbishop Peter Jensen outlined, for Sydney readers, the reason for a Global Anglican Future Conference.

A few months later, in March 2008, St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney hosted a meeting explaining why Sydney Bishops would not be attending Lambeth that year.

In June 2008, the GAFCON Final Statement and The Jerusalem Declaration were released at the end of that first GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem.

Ten years ago, in March 2015, Archbishop Peter Jensen gave the Richard B. Gaffin Lecture at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His topic was “Beginning in Jerusalem: The Theological Significance of the 2008 Global Anglican Future Conference”. His address is essential viewing to understand the eternal issues involved. He explains the reasons for GAFCON, giving a glimpse into the pain involved, and the hope for the future.

Other relevant documents can be accessed from our Reference Documents and Press Releases page and in the “Anglican Communion” section of our Resources page.

All this historical background should lead us to do three things –

  1. Thank God for our leaders who value faithfulness to Christ and his Word over the lure of this world.
  2. Pray for godly wisdom for the road ahead, so that many will be saved and built up in Christ for the honour and praise of his Name.
  3. Be committed to the Scriptures and the work of the gospel.

Gafcon Reboots the Communion

In the latest Anglican Unscripted video, Kevin Kallsen and Canon George Conger at Anglican TV discuss what is happening with Gafcon and the Anglican Communion.

Click this link to go to the relevant part of their conversation.

The Anglican future is here

“In a much anticipated announcement, the leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference who represent the majority of Anglicans worldwide have begun the re-ordering of the Anglican Communion.

‘The future has arrived,’ said GAFCON in an eight-point plan symbolically released on the day of Commemoration of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Anglican leaders who stood for biblical truth. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell reports on the Gafcon announcement, as well as reactions from Sydney.

See also (and quoted in the above article), this Media release from Bishop Peter Hayward, Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney:

The Global Anglican Future statement on the Anglican Communion

In an initial statement responding to the announcement by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Bishop Peter Hayward, Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney, said:

“We are thankful to God for the biblical faithfulness and clarity of the GAFCON primates. Their decisiveness at such a critical time gives comfort to orthodox Anglicans worldwide and supports mission with authentic, loving and truthful witness.”

Bishop Peter Hayward
Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney (on leave)
18 October 2025.

Photo: The first GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem, 2008.

A Long Awaited Future

Dr. Mark Thompson shares his gratitude for the faithfulness of the Gafcon Primates.

Take the time to read in full –

The recent announcement from the Gafcon Primates, The Future has Arrived (16 October 2025), begins a new era in the long history of the Anglican churches.

In 2008 Anglican bishops from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem to support each other in the mission of reaching the world for Christ and growing churches where Christ is honoured as the teaching of Scripture is cherished and obeyed.  The Gafcon movement was born out of a desire to stand together under the authority of Scripture, to repent of our own failure to do so, and to call to repentance those Anglicans, and particularly those in leadership, who have departed from the explicit teaching of Scripture in their belief, teaching, or practice. Gafcon’s preoccupations have always been biblical faithfulness and missional urgency.

Since that very first meeting there has been no repentance at the highest levels in the Church of England. Successive archbishops have continued to pursue a revisionist agenda, turning aside from the teaching of the Bible, not merely on matters of human sexuality and marriage, but also with regard to gender, the sanctity of human life from the womb to the grave, the universality of sin, the centrality of Jesus’ atoning death and physical resurrection, the nature and authority of Scripture itself, and the exercise of Christian ministry. Sometimes this has been done by remaining silent in the face of programs of doctrinal revision promoted by others. At other times this has involved their own outright denial of what the Bible teaches. At still other times they have redefined the Bible’s teaching in ways entirely inconsistent with its explicit wording, in an attempt to legitimate their own decision to permit things the Bible prohibits or to forbid things the Bible calls on us to do in response to God’s grace.

The program of theological revision and missional decline that had begun long before the first GAFCON has continued unabated and has indeed accelerated in recent years. The recent appointment of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury, has merely confirmed that trajectory. In many ways the irrelevance of the Church of England hierarchy to the rest of the Anglican Communion is even more apparent. Gafcon has made repeated calls for repentance and a change of direction. There have been innumerable meetings seeking to bring about the most needed changes. Though its statements have been strong, the movement has shown admirable restraint in inviting those opposed to them to return to the Scriptures and rejoin with them in genuinely Christian fellowship. However, there has been no repentance and no return. The Gafcon leaders have now judged that time is up. Enough is enough.

I am so grateful for the faithfulness and courage of the Gafcon Primates. This latest statement is bold and clear, and it will be an encouragement to those who have been watching and waiting to see when the words will be translated into action. The primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Anglican Communion is at an end. The so-called instruments of unity, which have in reality proven to be instruments of doctrinal deviation and division, are no longer recognised. The Communion is now reset (not replaced but reset) as the Global Anglican Communion and we are looking forward to a new era of evangelism, mission, growing mature and Christ-like churches, and a clear, unambiguous message to the world. Let the Canterbury Communion continue to wither on the vine and let the Global Anglican Communion push forward from this new beginning, continue, and on the last day finish, as a faithful expression of Christian discipleship and mission.

Mark D Thompson is the Principal of Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He serves in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and is the Chair of its Diocesan Doctrine Commission, which recently produced a report on Authentic Anglicanism.

First published at The Australian Church Record.

Enough’s Enough! — A Bible-Centred Reordering of Global Anglicanism — with Laurent Mbanda

This afternoon, for The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele spoke with Chair of the Gafcon Primates Council, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda –

“We are now the Global Anglican Communion,” declares Archbishop Laurent Mbanda — the Chair of Gafcon, Primate of Rwanda, and leader of Global Anglicans.

Bible-believing Anglicans around the world are praising God today.

The Anglican Communion is being reordered — reset — with the Bible once again at its foundation.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the revisionists, and the so-called Canterbury Communion are out — they’ve repeatedly abandoned Cranmerian Anglicanism, and ultimately, Jesus himself.

This reordering seeks to restore the Communion’s original structure — a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Formularies of the Reformation. There will be no communion with those who have abandoned the authority of Scripture.

A new Council of Primates will be formed, electing a chairman to preside as primus inter pares — first among equals.

Archbishop Mbanda is here in Sydney this week with a group of Primates and the founding fathers of Gafcon. Their informal consultations culminated in a clear and momentous statement — so significant that an online Global Primates Meeting was held at 11 p.m. Sydney time last night to ratify the decisions made.

Many of those leaders are now on planes heading home. But Archbishop Mbanda joins us in our Pastor’s Heart studio.”

– Watch here.

The Future Has Arrived — Gafcon Communique

A most significant announcement from Gafcon …

“As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion.”

Full Communique follows:

“To our dear Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ.

Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, on the Commemoration of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley.

The first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) gathered in 2008 in Jerusalem to prayerfully respond to the abandonment of the Scriptures by some of the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, and to seek their repentance.

In the absence of such repentance, we have been prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion.

Today, that future has arrived.

Our Gafcon Primates gathered this hour to fulfil our mandate to reform the Anglican Communion, as expressed in the Jerusalem Statement of 2008.

We resolved to reorder the Anglican Communion as follows:

1. We declare that the Anglican Communion will be reordered, with only one foundation of communion, namely the Holy Bible, “translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading” (Jerusalem Declaration, Article II), which reflects Article VI of the 39 Articles of Religion.

2. We reject the so-called Instruments of Communion, namely the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates Meeting, which have failed to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Anglican Communion.

3. We cannot continue to have communion with those who advocate the revisionist agenda, which has abandoned the inerrant word of God as the final authority and overturned Resolution I.10, of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

4. Therefore, Gafcon has re-ordered the Anglican Communion by restoring its original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Formularies of the Reformation, as reflected at the first Lambeth Conference in 1867, and we are now the Global Anglican Communion.

5. Provinces of the Global Anglican Communion shall not participate in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, including the ACC, and shall not make any monetary contribution to the ACC, nor receive any monetary contribution from the ACC or its networks.

6. Provinces, which have yet to do so, are encouraged to amend their constitution to remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England.

7. To be a member of the Global Anglican Communion, a province or a diocese must assent to the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, the contemporary standard for Anglican identity.

8. We shall form a Council of Primates of all member provinces to elect a Chairman, as primus inter pares (‘first amongst equals’), to preside over the Council as it continues “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

As I declared in my statement two weeks ago,“the reset of our beloved Communion is now uniquely in the hands of Gafcon, and we are ready to take the lead.”

Today, Gafcon is leading the Global Anglican Communion.

As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion.

At our upcoming G26 Bishops Conference in Abuja, Nigeria from 3 to 6 March 2026, we will confer and celebrate the Global Anglican Communion.

Please pray that we will lead our Communion in prayerful submission to the Holy Spirit as we hear the voice of Jesus in his wondrous Scriptures, to the glory of God.

Yours in Christ,

The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman, Gafcon Primates’ Council
Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda
Thursday 16th October, 2025.”

– via Gafcon.

“No repentance, but the Lawyers told us we can’t do it – yet”

“The Church of England has halted its plans to introduce ‘wedding’ services for same-sex couples after the bishops finally accepted long-resisted legal advice that it is not possible to do so without the approval of two-thirds of General Synod.

Plans to allow clergy to enter a same-sex civil marriage have also been scrapped owing to the legal complications, ongoing divisions on the issue and the confusion that bringing in the reform by itself would sow. …

The upshot is that the Church of England will continue, for the time being at least, officially to hold to traditional biblical teaching on marriage – while liberals will continue quietly to flout it and make use of the ‘blessings’ fudge they got in under Welby.”

– This Daily Sceptic article has news and commentary.

(Our headline is a very rough summary. Image: The Church of England’s General Synod in February 2023)

Growth in AMiE

Prayer update from Gafcon:

“Today we give thanks to God for the ongoing growth of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), a Gafcon-established diocese committed to guarding and growing the gospel in England.

New church plants have begun in Hackbridge (South London), Denton (Manchester) and Bracknell (near Reading). Pray for the leaders and members stepping out in faith to proclaim Christ.

We praise God that some AMiE churches are now holding two services on Sundays, a sign of gospel growth and gathering. Pray for the Lord to raise up more leaders and resources for this new season.

We also rejoice that Bishop Tim Davies will be installed as diocesan bishop at a service of celebration and consecration on 22 November at Christ Church Central, Sheffield, 2 pm.”

– Source.

GSFA tribute to Archbishop Drexel Gomez

From the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches:

“With deep sorrow, we receive the news of the passing of the Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Archbishop and Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies, and one of the founding fathers of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches. Archbishop Gomez was a faithful shepherd, a wise counsellor, and a steadfast defender of the historic faith of the Church.

Throughout his ministry, he guided the Anglican Communion through defining moments with clarity, courage, and grace. His leadership in the development of the Anglican Covenant and his active participation in the meetings of the Global South were marks of his deep commitment to the unity and orthodoxy of the Anglican family.

We thank God for his life of service and his enduring witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His wisdom, gentleness, and strength will continue to inspire generations of Anglican leaders. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory.”

– Source.

See also:

Archbishop Drexel Gomez, first Caribbean Anglican bishop in Barbados, dies at 88 – Barbados Today.

Photo courtesy The Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas & The Turks & Caicos Islands.

The Anglican Communion – has the ship sailed?

“It was telling that Madeleine Davies, Senior Writer at the Church Times, gave short shrift to the idea that the unity of the Anglican Communion was high on the priority list for those selecting the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Her response on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, was simple – ‘That ship has already sailed.’

It seems almost everyone involved would agree.

The Anglican Consultative Council certainly thought so – their decision to chose representatives of tiny, liberal provinces to be the voice of the ‘Anglican Communion’ on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) gave no indication that they were looking for unity. …”

– From Anglican Futures.

Image: The Mary Celeste – a ship with no crew or passengers.

“Archbishop” — Church Society podcast

From Church Society:

“In this extra-long episode of the Church Society podcast, Lee and Ros talk about the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the newly announced appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th person to hold that office.”

– Listen here.

“Keep the pattern”

“Friends in Christ, last Friday, the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury was announced, Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female in the role. Previously she had been chief nursing officer in the UK’s National Health Service (the youngest person ever appointed to that role). Her experience and training appears to be much more in management (both secular and ecclesiastical) than in parish ministry work.  …”

– In his Minister’s Letter to the Cathedral congregations, published on Thursday, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares some reflections on what is most important in a bishop.

Why are Christians hung up about Sarah Mullally? An explanation for those outside the church

“Sarah Mullally is to be the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, which has upset a number of Christians, especially in the Anglican community here and abroad, and particularly in Africa. Though if you aren’t a Christian, you may be confused as to why many are unhappy with the appointment. Most of the negative commentary is either written for a church audience, and hence does not explain precisely why this statement or that stance is such a problem …”

– At The Critic, Peter Leach, Minister of Grace Church, Coventry (part of the International Presbyterian Church) helpfully explains some of the reasons behind the unhappiness over the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

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