G26 — Day Three: A big announcement – new leadership for the Global Anglican Communion

Posted on March 6, 2026 
Filed under GAFCON, Global Anglican Communion

From The Pastor’s Heart at G26 in Abuja, Nigeria –

“In his first interview after being elected chair of the new Global Anglican Council, Archbishop of Rwanda Laurent Mbanda has outlined how leadership will work in the emerging Global Anglican Communion

The GAFCON Primates have dissolved the GAFCON Primates Council — the body that has guided the movement since 2008 — and in its place established a new Global Anglican Council to help lead what is the emerging Global Anglican Communion.

The Primates have chosen to broaden authority. The new council will include primates alongside bishops, clergy, and lay leaders, all with full voting privileges.

The structure signals a shift toward a more conciliar model of leadership, reflecting the conviction that the existing Instruments of Communion no longer adequately serve the majority of Anglicans worldwide.

Rwandan Primate, Archbishop Laurent Mbunda has been elected to chair the Council, until the Athens Conference in 2028.

In this Pastor’s Heart special from Abuja, Dominic Steele speaks with:

* The newly elected chairman of the Global Anglican Council, Rwanda’s Archbishop Laurent Mbanda,

* Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel,

* Former Archbishop of North America and Former Chair of Gafcon, Bishop Foley Beach,

* John Dunnett from the Church of England Evangelical Council.

Mbunda, Raffel and Beach discuss the reasoning behind the new structures, what they mean for Anglican leadership globally, and how this moment emerged from nearly two decades of GAFCON’s development.

We expore why the Primates have chosen to share authority more widely, how the new council will function, and what the leaders involved hope it will mean for the future of Anglican mission, doctrine, and fellowship across the world.

Plus The launch of the New Global Anglican Communion Fund with Anglican AID CEO Tim Swan.”

– Watch here.