On the Threshold of the Great Anglican Communion Reset

The American Anglican Council‘s Canon Phil Ashey writes from Kigali –

“The first official draft of the GAFCON statement was read today to GAFCON Kigali delegates. The hard work to create an in-depth, thorough, and sweeping evaluation of the issues facing the Anglican Church, the proposed solutions, and the future for biblically faithful Anglicanism were positively received. We are grateful for their hard work and transparency. Tonight, these primates and church leaders will gather again to gather feedback from delegates who met after the reading of the statement in regional gatherings to discuss the draft and make suggested changes. We eagerly await the reading of the final statement on Friday morning!

This morning, Archbishop James Wong (Indian Ocean) taught from Colossians 1:28-2:23 on being “Rooted and Grounded in Christ.” Ultimately, this is what I believe the GAFCON Conference Statement is calling us to be. As Archbishop Wong noted, St. Paul actually uses a mixed metaphor, both a garden and a building, “rooted and built up” (Col. 2:7). We are to bear fruit and grow up to be a place together where God himself may dwell. That is the future of the great Anglican Communion reset.

What Paul described in Colossians is similar to the struggle we now face in the Anglican Communion. The church in Colossae was divided between those who had a simple faith in the supremacy of Jesus Christ and those who believed in “fine sounding arguments,” “hollow and deceptive philosophies,” and the “human traditions and elemental spiritual forces” of the world (Col. 2:4,8). What a perfect description of the context in which the Anglican Communion finds itself today, divided between those who believe in the supremacy of Jesus Christ and the clarity, authority, and superiority of his Word—and those who have produced “find sounding arguments” that have seduced people away from the love of Christ and his teaching, including his teaching on marriage. What St. Paul said is what GAFCON says today: “Do not be deceived.” In the context of our divided Communion, Archbishop Wong concluded, “Look up to Jesus and see that no one takes you captive to anything that takes you away from Jesus!”

In Colossians 2:2, St. Paul describes his mission to the Colossians and others who have not yet met him in these words: “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.” Just as he encouraged the Colossians to put love and unity together said Archbishop Wong, so GAFCON and the Global South are calling all orthodox Anglicans to stand firm by coming together “in love and unity to overcome the spiritual forces that draw us away from Jesus Christ.” The unity of the 85% of global Anglicans represented by GAFCON and the Global South must, therefore, be rooted in love of Jesus and love for one another.

That’s what I heard in the GAFCON Statement today. It is a call to evangelism, discipleship, and mission. But it is also a call, in the words of Archbishop Wong, “to good order, to be like an army in lines unbroken, in discipline, following the great tradition and rule the Colossians had already received, ‘So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col.2:6-7).

May this be the word and the spirit of the great Anglican Communion reset!”

– Received via e-mail.

Two highlights from Day 2 of GAFCON IV

There is much to see – but here are two highlights –

Bishop Glenn Davies’ background on what led up to GAFCON I, 2008 and what came after.

It’s a very sobering accounting of recent history. Do watch and share:

He mentions the Kuala Lumpur Statement, 1997.

See also: The Anglican Debacle: Roots and Patterns – by Dr. Mark Thompson, March 2008.

And Bishop Keith Sinclair’s address:

“What we have seen over the past years is the unfolding of a tragedy.”

Bishop Sinclair refers to Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10,

and Peter Jensen’s editorial in the current issue of The Global Anglican.

GAFCON 23 – Day 2. Revived, Reformed, Re-Ordered

“Tuesday draws to a close and GAFCON has seen a momentous day.

The morning opened with Morning Prayer which included a Bible study given by Bishop Jay Behan of New Zealand. This week the conference is working it’s way through Colossians. Behan pointed us towards the supremacy of Christ in all things.

The morning plenary began with Bishop Glenn Davies giving an overview of the past few decades, helping those who were not clear on the facts understand the history that has brought us to this significant moment. He was followed by Stephen Noll speaking on the nature of the Jerusalem Declaration and Statement. But the most significant address was given by Bishop Keith Sinclair. …”

– David Ould reports on Tuesday’s events at GAFCON (which finished Wednesday morning Australian time).

And also please uphold in prayer Archbishop of Rwanda, Dr Laurent Mbanda, and his family, after news came of the unexpected death of his son, Edwin, in the USA.

Former Uniting Church congregation affiliates with Diocese of the Southern Cross

“At least a couple of ex-Uniting Churches have been pondering whether to join the new Diocese of the Southern Cross, an Anglican lifeboat set up to look after conservative churches in progressive dioceses (church regions).

Now the first ex-Uniting Church has crossed the denominational boundary and become conservative Anglican. Others will follow.…”

– At The Other Cheek, John Sandeman reports that Faith Church in Mooloolaba, led by Rev. Dr. Hedley Fihaki (former head of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations) has ‘joined’ the Diocese of the Southern Cross.

Rather than stating that the church joined the Diocese, the Faith Church website says it is now ‘an affiliate member’ of Diocese of the Southern Cross:

“At Faith Church, we are proud to share a strong connection with the Diocese of the Southern Cross as an affiliate member, an organisation of like-minded churches that shares our commitment to the gospel, biblical teachings, and Christ-centered living. Through this partnership, we foster unity and collaboration among our congregations and ministries, strengthening our collective impact on our local and global communities.

Our relationship with the Diocese of the Southern Cross provides our congregation with valuable resources, guidance, and support as we work together to advance the Kingdom of God. We benefit from the exchange of ideas, shared experiences, and joint initiatives that enrich our faith and enhance our ministries.

Together with the Diocese of the Southern Cross, we are dedicated to upholding our core values and beliefs, fostering spiritual growth, and serving our communities with compassion and love. By partnering with like-minded churches and leaders, we can accomplish more and inspire lasting change, united in our mission to spread the Gospel and demonstrate the love of Christ to the world.”

Related:

Uniting Church: Post 15th Assembly Pastoral Letter from the Assembly of Confessing Congregations – July 2018.

Photo: Rev. Dr. Hedley & Mia Fihaki.

Gafcon23 – Second Day Morning Tea Stream

The Heart of GAFCON livestream at morning tea on the second day of GAFCON IV

Interviewees include Glenn Davies and Vaughan Roberts and William Taylor. (Links are to their segments.)

Time to move on past Canterbury and seek the renewal, revival and reform of the Anglican way — Archbishop Beach tells GAFCON IV

“GAFCON IV will not spend five days bemoaning the failures of the Church of England, but is focused on recalling the wider Anglican world to renewal, revival and reform, the chairman of GAFCON the Most Rev. Foley Beach indicated in his presidential address tonight. …”

– At Anglican.ink, George Conger shares his take on Archbishop Foley Beach’s address on the first night of GAFCON IV in Kigali.

The Challenge of, and the Challenge to, GAFCON

“As the fourth GAFCON conference begins today in Kigali, we are glad to publish the latest editorial from The Global Anglican, written by Peter Jensen, himself a former General Secretary of GAFCON.

This edition of The Global Anglican is due to be published at much the same time as the fourth Gafcon Conference is meeting in Kigali Rwanda.

In speaking of the challenge of Gafcon, I ought to indicate, of course, that I myself was present when the idea of Gafcon was born in December 2007 and helped organise the first Jerusalem Conference in June the next year. Following that I became the General Secretary of Gafcon, a position I held until 2018. Thus, I am no uncommitted bystander, although I am no longer present at the key policy-making decisions.

However, I can speak with some knowledge about the history and significance of the movement, and I want to discuss something of the challenge that Gafcon represents in the Anglican Communion and a particular challenge that Gafcon faces. …”

– Read Peter’s full editorial at Church Society’s website.

Photo: Archbishop Kwashi with Archbishop Peter Jensen in Jerusalem in 2018.

Watch the Heart of GAFCON Broadcasts

Livestream on YouTube (when live) is above.

The full list of available interviews can be found at The Pastor’s Heart.

And here are the recordings of the full broadcasts.

Live video is also available on the GAFCON 23 Vimeo channel below:
This channel covers the plenary sessions, as well as other interviews from time to time.

For an idea of what’s happening at Kigali each day, see the Conference Schedule. (Times are Central African Time, UTC+2.)

 

GAFCON Primates meeting today


A prayer point from GAFCON:

“The Gafcon Primates are meeting on Sunday (April 16) and Monday ahead of the GAFCON IV conference. The Trustees and Guarantors of Gafcon are also involved.

Pray that as they take counsel together the Holy Spirit may provide guidance and inspiration in all the discussions and decisions.”

Preview of the ‘Heart of Gafcon’ live broadcast — Starting Monday 17th April

GAFCON IV begins in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday. Here’s a brief preview.

We’ll have a link on our website to the broadcast for each day. Stay tuned!

60 Days of Prayer for the Church

Church Society in the UK has been promoting “Sixty Days of Prayer for the Church“.

“Church Society is calling us to 60 days of prayer for the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion. The Church of England is teetering on the precipice of grave doctrinal error and pastoral disaster. The potential implications will be felt across the Anglican Communion, with many provinces having already made it clear that they cannot continue in fellowship with the Church of England. The situation is extremely serious, and what we most need is to call on the Lord.

For several years, at Church Society, we have made weekday posts throughout Lent on a number of theological, biblical and pastoral themes.

This year, however, it seemed appropriate to use this time to call the church to prayer. The collects of the Anglican church are intended to gather up the thoughts of the people into short, clear prayers, and so we will be using these as the basis for our prayers.

Each day we will be posting a selected collect along with some thoughts about its significance for the contemporary church, and we hope that these will prompt your own prayers.

The sixty days begin on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, and finish at the end of the GAFCON meeting in Kigali, on April 21st.

Please join us for this important season of prayer.”

It’s not too late to join in prayer. You can see each of the daily posts at the Church Society website.

Today’s post: Withstand the world, the flesh and the devil, by Sandy Grant, is a reflection on the collect for the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity –

“Almighty God,
grant your people grace
to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”

and Stephen Tong wrote this post on the collect for the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.

CofE & King Charles at odds over ‘other’ faiths at Coronation

“In an article printed [in] Daily Mail, King Charles has reportedly been in a dispute with Church leaders over the extent to which non-Christian faiths should participate in his upcoming Coronation ceremony. …”

– Kevin Kallsen reports at Anglican.Ink.

From barefoot refugee to leader in Global Anglicanism – with Archbishop Laurent Mbanda

In the lead up to the big GAFCON gathering in Kigali next week (17 – 21 April 2023), Dominic Steele has this fascinating interview with the Primate of Rwanda, Archbishop Dr Laurent Mbanda.

– Watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart.

New Principal for Oak Hill College

The Rev. Dr James Robson has been announced as the next Principal of Oak Hill College in London after the news, last month, that Johnny Juckes had decided to step down from the position.

Announcement from Oak Hill College – photo from Keswick Ministries.

A new deanery chapter for the City of London

As foreshadowed by William Taylor and others, the abandonment of the authority of Scripture by the Church of England’s House of Bishops is having repercussions for relationships between Bible-believing churches and their heterodox bishops.

The latest from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate:

“After the House of Bishops’ recent departure from the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality, new leadership structures are needed.

A new Church of England City deanery chapter has been formed and is taking 5 steps to promote ongoing healthy Church of England ministry.

Here’s an update from St Nick’s and St Botolph’s.”

Watch the four minute video here.

According to Christian Today, “The deanery chapter held its first meeting in the City of London on Monday, attended by 10 clergy.”

Members of the new deanery have decided to take five steps – here’s a rough transcript from the video:

First, to meet together regularly and to invite all clergy in the city of London who are all clergy … who are compelled to resist all episcopal leadership from the House of Bishops on the grounds that their proposed Prayers of Love and Faith undermine the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage such that we can no longer walk in Partnership together.

Second, the meeting elected an acting Area Dean.

Third, some training curates in our deanery have felt forced to pause their post-ordination training. We therefore decided as a chapter that we will aim to provide necessary and equivalent ongoing training for these individuals.

Fourth, we acknowledge that there is an urgent matter relating to the selection of candidates who want to pursue Church of England ministry but are unable to apply because of the House of Bishops’ recent departure from faithful Biblical teaching. Therefore senior leadership from the churches within this deanery chapter will nominate a group of people who can select new prospective ordinands.

Fifth, there is also an urgent matter relating to the deployment of current Church of England ordinands who are hoping to get ordained this summer. We know that many because of conscience are unable to be ordained by the diocesan bishop or any bishop acting on her behalf. Therefore senior leadership from the churches within this deanery chapter will commission these individuals so that they are enabled to work within Church of England churches until such a time that their ordinations can take place.

Do pray for all who seek to be faithful to God’s word in the Church of England.

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