Bishop Stephen Hale’s EFAC Global message after the GFSA Conference
“Message from Bishop Stephen Hale, Chairman of EFAC Executive Committee
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
This EFAC Global report has been written while I’ve been in Cairo participating in the Orthodox Leaders Meeting (AOL) organised by the GSFA and GAFCON Global. It is a new meeting that arose out of the Ash Wednesday Declaration of the GSFA in 2023 and the Kigali Commitment also in 2023. Its purpose is to connect the Primates with the many mission partners and groupings who are involved in conversations about resetting the Anglican Communion. A Statement from this meeting will be issued in due course.
The background to all of this for EFAC Global is a remarkable journey from the Lambeth Conference in 2022 to today. …”
– Read it all, via Anglican Mainstream.
GSFA, ACNA, and the Future of Conservative Anglicanism
“The 176 delegates, observers, and invited guests who gathered for the First Assembly of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) on June 11 in the Egyptian desert surely brought a variety of hopes with them.
Some had been working on what is now called the GSFA’s Covenantal Structure for nearly a decade, and were excited to see the body finally convene and elect its leaders. For them, these are crucial steps in building the kind of institution the Anglican Communion hasn’t been in a long time, a body that acts like a global church, standing firm against false teaching and binding its members in mutual submission and common order. …“
– This report, by Mark Michael at The Living Church, is one perspective on what happened at the GSFA Assembly. (We’ll post links to other reports if they come to hand.)
Click here for the full size version of the Assembly group photo, courtesy of GSFA via The American Anglican Council.
Report from Global Assembly of Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, Egypt
From the American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey:
“Dear friends in Christ,
I am writing from the St. Mark’s Coptic Monastery in Khataba, Egypt, where almost 200 delegates from 11 Anglican Provinces, 3 ‘Provinces-in-formation’ duly constituted by Gafcon and recognized as such by the GSFA, and numerous mission agencies from over 40 countries are gathering for the first Global Assembly of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA). This Global Assembly marks an historic ‘reset’ of the Anglican Communion with regards to:
1. What Anglicans believe (a common confession of faith based on Biblical faith, Apostolic tradition and the Anglican formularies);
2. A true and genuine Communion of Anglican Churches based upon covenantal structures that provide clear and fair criteria for membership– with mutual accountability and discipline within the boundaries of Reformational Anglicanism; and
3. A passionate commitment to Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:16-20) – undeterred by false teaching – through mission partnerships that will enable Anglicans to proclaim Christ faithfully to all nations…”
– e-mail, via Anglican Mainstream.
How should we respond to the world as we now find it?
The Anglican Diocese of the Living Word’s Missions Conference and Synod was held in Pennsylvania over the last few days.
Dr. Carl Trueman was the invited speaker.
In his first talk, he focussed on the underlying things that shape the way we think today. Starting at 5:35.
In his second talk, Dr. Trueman speaks of the three things the church has to do in our present context. That address starts at 34:12.
(Prior to his address, Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison is interviewed from 18:18.)
The previous night, the Rev. Yoel Ben David gave his testimony of conversion from Judaism.
At the start of the Conference, Bishop Julian Dobbs gave this address. This, alone, is well worth hearing.
The videos are available with thanks to Anglican TV.
Joyful unity, diversity and gospel growth — Press Release from the Anglican Network in Europe
Here’s a Press Release from the Anglican Network in Europe:
The Anglican Missionary Congregations (AMC) becomes the third diocese to join the Anglican Network in Europe
The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) is delighted to announce that on 23rd May 2024, its Synod voted to welcome the Anglican Missionary Congregations (AMC) to join the emerging province.
Bishop Andy Lines, Presiding Bishop of ANiE, said, “It is a great thrill to me that Synod joyfully and overwhelmingly approved the accession of the Anglican Missionary Congregations as a third diocese after an open and constructive debate.”
This has taken place after many months of prayerful liaison and detailed discussion between the leadership of ANiE and AMC and is a witness to the unity that the gospel brings across the variety of human cultures.
AMC has grown from a single Nigerian diaspora congregation in Manchester to 35 congregations all over the UK and some parts of Europe, served by 52 self-supporting clergy.
AMC’s lead missioner, Venerable Dr Gideon Chukwudalu Ilechukwu said, “We are grateful to the Lord for what he has done in making it possible for us to be accepted as a Diocese in Gafcon’s Anglican Network in Europe. We are also grateful to the Most Reverend Dr Henry Ndukuba, Primate of All Nigeria, with whose blessings we got to this place. We are excited to be part of ANiE and we look forward to our ministry together in this family of believers in Christ. Europe needs the Lord and together as a team we will till this field by his grace.”
ANiE believes the different gifts and cultures of each Diocese and its members will contribute to the faithful proclamation of Christ to the nations of Europe and will work together powerfully for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. We trust that through this partnership “God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.” (Ephesians 3:10, CSB).
Note: Further details on a service to celebrate the inauguration of the diocese and the election and consecration of a diocesan bishop will be announced in due course.
The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) is the provision of the Primates’ Council of Gafcon (representing the vast majority of the Anglican Communion) to provide a faithful ecclesial structure for orthodox Anglicans within Europe.
ANiE now comprises three dioceses: The Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE), The Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), and The Anglican Missionary Congregations (AMC).
Also published at the ANiE website.
Following in Faith: The Good Shepherd Leads Global Anglicans
“Many global Anglicans face a challenging question: whether and when to join the Gafcon movement.
In this second conversation, Philip de Grey-Warter explains when and why he connected with Gafcon. Such decisions, complex and often costly, rightly begin in prayer, and Philip encourages church leaders to find comfort in their simple obedience to God.
When we follow the Good Shepherd, God will provide the support we need: friends, fellow leaders, genuine spiritual oversight, and strength in the gospel.”
– In the latest Global Anglican Podcast, Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison continues his conversation with the Rev. Philip de Grey-Warter.
Update on the Worldwide Anglican Communion from Bp Jay Behan
“The upcoming Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) meeting in Cairo is being held from 11-15 June, and I will attend.
Its purpose is to gather orthodox Anglican leaders from around the world who are committed to a new covenantal structure to unite Anglicans worldwide in mission and ministry. …”
– In a recent e-mail update from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa NZ, Bishop Jay Behan commends Archbishop Laurent Mbanda’s GAFCON Response to the Primates meeting in Rome, and explains why he will attend the GSFA meeting in Cairo.
You Are Not Alone: Standing with the Global Faithful
“Standing up for the authority of Scripture begins in loving obedience to the Lord and all the roles he has given us to play.
For the Revd Philip de Grey-Warter, a Gafcon leader in the UK who stepped out in faith from the Church of England, his joy is evident as he serves first his family and parish, and also gives generously of his time to the growing global fellowship of orthodox Anglicans.
Philip tells how Gafcon has given many worldwide Anglicans a renewed sense of belonging, and he encourages those among us who feel isolated to reach out and serve.”
– Episode 5 of Gafcon’s Global Anglican Podcast has just been released. Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison speaks with the Rev. Philip de Grey-Warter.
Very encouraging, and food for your prayers for the faithful – both those who remain in the Church of England, and those who have stepped out and found support and fellowship through Gafcon.
A Response to the Primates Meeting in Rome
Archbishop Dr. Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council, has released this response, 6 May 2024:
“To my dear Anglican brothers and sisters contending for the faith once delivered to the saints,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, 32 Primates of the Anglican Communion gathered in Rome to meet with one another and to hold a private audience with Pope Francis. In their Communiqué, published on May 2, they highlighted the pope’s admonition to them to “embrace our disagreements without fear” and issued their own call “to mutual respect and accompaniment with one another.” They also expressed their own renewed commitment to “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
As the Communiqué itself acknowledges, however, multiple Anglican Primates did not attend the gathering. To be specific, 12 primates did not attend this meeting in Rome, which means that those who did attend represented 30 of the 42 recognized provinces of the Anglican Communion. Such numbers are misleading, however, since the Primates of the three largest Anglican provinces (Nigeria, Uganda, and South Sudan) were among those absent. Those Primates who did attend represent a minority, perhaps 30%, of active Anglicans worldwide. The Communiqué makes no mention of how unrepresentative a gathering this meeting was, nor does it explain the reason that multiple Primates declined the invitation to participate.
The truth is that most of those who refused to attend are leaders of Gafcon and the Global South, and our absence was not accidental, but intentional. Though we do pray for the unity and health of the Anglican Communion, we chose not to attend because, as last year’s Kigali Statement made clear, the current divisions within the Anglican Communion are neither minimal nor new. These divisions have arisen from more than 25 years of “repeated departures from the authority of God’s Word” that, despite the persistent warnings given by the majority of Anglican Primates, have continued unabated.
We know how dear the unity of the church is to the heart of our Lord. For it is he who prays to his Father that we might be one, even as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). At the same time, we also recognize that such unity is not simply a matter of institutional belonging or cultivating attitudes of “mutual respect.” The unity of the Father and the Son consists in a harmony of will and mind, of mission and message (John 8:16-18, 10:37-38, 12:49-50, 17:25-26). Jesus came speaking the word of his Father and he wanted us to be sanctified in the truth of that word (John 17:17). It is only as we agree on the truth and authority of Scripture, therefore, that we can be one as Jesus prayed.
It is unfortunate when the orthodox remnant within the Anglican Communion are portrayed as the source of disunity. To the contrary, as Bishop J.C. Ryle once said,
If people separate themselves from teaching which is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue rather than a sin…He is the schismatic who causes the schism…Unity which is obtained by the sacrifice of truth is worth nothing. It is not unity that pleases God.
The proposals made by the Anglican Primates at the Rome meeting, which consist of minor revisions to the description of the Anglican Communion and modifications to its existing structures, will do nothing to mend the torn fabric of our Communion. Nothing apart from a return to the Lord through deep repentance and renunciation of false teaching by erring provinces will suffice. To quote the Kigali Statement once more, “without repentance this tear cannot be mended.”
In Christ, I am your servant,
The Most Rev. Dr. Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council
Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda
Bishop of Gasabo.”
Also at the Gafcon website.
Related:
The Kigali Commitment – GAFCON IV, 21 April 2023. (PDF file)
Save the date for Anglican Aid’s 2024 Conference
From Anglican Aid in Sydney:
“We are thrilled to announce that Anglican Aid’s 2024 one-day conference will take place on Saturday 31 August at Moore College.
After the success of last year’s ‘Social Justice Reframed’ event, we will once again gather with 200 thoughtful Christians to consider the intersection of Christian aid, development, and the gospel.
This year’s international guest speaker is Bishop Mwita Akiri, Anglican Aid’s partner in the Diocese of Tarime, Tanzania and Chairman of GAFCON Tanzania. …”
A high stakes game of ecclesiastical poker in the Anglican Communion — with Justin Badi Arama and Paul Donison
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“It is almost D day in the Anglican Communion.
Today we give the background for two highly significant meetings. One to take place next week in Rome. The second in June in Cairo.
The Rome gathering has been called by the rejected Canterbury leadership. The Cairo gathering has been called by the leadership of the Global South.
As background, The Church of England, the historic mother church of the Anglican Communion, under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury formally abandoned the historic Christian faith when the English General Synod voted to follow Archbishop Welby and his house of bishops in voting for same sex blessings.
In reaction, the majority theologically orthodox have drawn a line in the sand and parted company with The church of England.
The Global South Churches said in their important Ash Wednesday 23 statement that the Church of England has disqualified herself from leading the Anglican communion.
Gafcon said the Archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership has been irreparably damaged.
We speak with the chair of the Global South Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of South Sudan and the new General Secretary of Gafcon Bishop Paul Donison.”
Asked by Dominic Steele if the Rome gathering is “an attempt to play ecclesiastical poker”, Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison replies –
“…I can’t really speak with much clarity or knowledge on what Archbishop Welby is hoping for, but we should assume based on all the games that have been played, I think poker is a good analogy over the last decade and longer from Canterbury that this is yet another attempt to obfuscate, to confuse, to get a win for the traditional revisionist structures.
And my prayer is simply that all of the Bible-loving global primates can see through that.
Hopefully many will see that ahead of time and not go.”
Time to remove Canterbury as the guardian of the entrance door to the Anglican Communion?
From Church Society:
Canterbury and the Future of the Anglican Communion
Two crucial Anglican gatherings take place in the next few weeks. First in Rome (29 April to 2 May), a gathering of the Anglican Primates, called together by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Soon afterwards, in Cairo (11 to 15 June), a gathering of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, for their inaugural assembly. High on the agenda at both meetings will be the future structures of the Anglican Communion. But twelve Primates from the Global South Fellowship have already publicly rejected the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as leader of the Communion. It remains to be seen whether any of these twelve will be present in Rome. Several younger Anglican provinces, like Chile (founded in 2018) and Alexandria (founded in 2020), have begun the process of deleting Canterbury from their constitutions. Other Global South provinces will soon follow suit.
Yet in our Anglican polity, to be “in communion with the See of Canterbury” is often viewed as an essential part of Anglican identity. For example, in the controversy over the failed “Anglican Covenant” proposals, the Church Times declared: “Communion with the see of Canterbury has always been the defining feature of what it means to be an Anglican”. Likewise, Paul Avis asserts in his popular textbook, The Identity of Anglicanism: Essentials of Anglican Ecclesiology (2008): “The litmus-test of membership of the Anglican Communion is to be in communion with the See of Canterbury.” Avis goes so far as to call it “the ultimate criterion”.
Almost a century ago, the 1930 Lambeth Conference include the phrase, “in communion with the See of Canterbury”, as part of its famous description of the Anglican Communion (Resolution 49). This idea has cascaded down the generations and still holds sway in the 2020s. But its origins and contested meaning are interrogated in a new article in the Spring 2024 edition of The Global Anglican, written by Andrew Atherstone, an Oxford historian and member of the Anglican Consultative Council (one of the four so-called “instruments of Communion”). He argues that our Anglican textbooks should be re-written, and that the time has come for Canterbury to be removed as the guardian of the entrance door to the Anglican Communion. …
Church Society has made Andrew Atherstone’s article available for free download as a PDF file. Well worth reading and pondering.
(Emphasis added.)
“The Lord who gives the vision gives the provision.”
A new Global Anglican Podcast from GAFCON:
“In this second interview, Archbishop Miguel Uchoa speaks about the boldness required to put the gospel mission first when church planting. His vision for Brazil is to see no less than everybody reached by the ministry of Christ, and doing so requires church leaders to reject a spirit of maintenance as they seek after the lost.
Anglicans can become a cultural conquerors when our compassion for the world consumes more of our time than merely combating heresy. Archbishop Uchoa urges us to ‘send the best’ leaders among us to plant new churches, trusting that God will multiply his people.”
– Listen here.
Raising Leaders and Leading with Scripture — Archbishop Miguel Uchôa
The latest Global Anglican Podcast, Episode 3, has been released by Gafcon:
“No leader works alone. Archbishop Miguel Uchôa, Gafcon Vice Chairman and Primate of Brazil, joins Bishop Paul Donison for a candid conversation about the need to raise up godly leaders in the pews of our local churches. Scripture plays a central part.
Archbishop Uchôa shares the ways he has brought the Bible back into secular communities, and also describes how Gafcon brought support and structure to the faithful in Brazil in their time of need.”
– Listen here.
Why Gafcon? A Global Fellowship in the Word
The second Global Anglican Podcast has been released by Gafcon.
General Secretary, Bishop Paul Donison continues his conversation with Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda.
This time they speak about the redemptive power of Biblically orthodox mission in Archbishop Mbanda’s home country of Rwanda.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…