The Global Anglican Communion is here

Two weeks ago, the Church of England announced a new Archbishop of Canterbury. On Oct. 16, the world's orthodox Anglicans gave a definitive response. They announced that the Anglican Communion would be “reordered” without Canterbury and its allies. The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which represents over 85% of all practicing Anglicans, declared that “we are now the Global Anglican Communion.” They called upon all of their members to disassociate from any further meetings with the Archbishop of Canterbury and to reject all monetary contributions from Canterbury and its partners. The daughter churches are kicking the mother out of the Anglican fold. “[W]e have not left the Anglican Communion,” they added, “we are the Anglican Communion.”

This signifies a new epoch in the history of Anglicanism. No longer a collection of churches descended from England, Anglicans are now a global communion led from Africa.

The immediate context for this action is the announcement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally. The majority of worldwide Anglicans do not approve of the ordination of women to the episcopate, and so Mullally's selection was inherently controversial. But Mullally represented more than that. She was also on the record as supporting legal abortion and the blessing of same-sex unions. Her nomination was a symbol that England would continue its movement towards apostasy.

The now-Archbishop Mullally, however, is not really the primary issue. Gafcon was first formed in 2008, in response to the U.S. Episcopal Church’s endorsement of homosexual practice. Standing behind this was the Episcopal Church’s denial of the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures. At that time, Gafcon stated in its Jerusalem Declaration, “We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.”

One consequence of this was the planting of new churches that stood in contrast to various other Anglican bodies, especially in the United States and Canada. The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) was founded a year later. Since then, the movement has spread internationally. In 2023, Gafcon's “Kigali Commitment” added Canterbury to the list of unfaithful churches. Mullally's appointment now is simply the final nail in the coffin. England's time is up. Gafcon will assume the central place of leadership of worldwide Anglicanism.

Practically, this means that the traditional and sizable churches of Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan no longer consider themselves to be members of the same group as the Archbishop of Canterbury. They reject charges of leaving the Anglican Communion. Instead, they maintain that they are the Anglican Communion. They are not leaving; they are removing those bishops and archbishops who have departed from the Biblical faith from their communion. Their critics will say that this is impossible, arguing that England simply owns the various “instruments of communion” that have historically defined the organization. But unlike other more familiar denominational church splits, the African churches have exponentially higher membership rolls and possess an indisputable spiritual vitality.

Anglican church polity also grants autonomy to each national church. This means that the various Gafcon churches are not and were not dependent upon Canterbury. Canterbury had a sort of historic and moral influence, but once it gave up the history and the morality, the influence was bound to go too.

This move will also elevate the standing of the ACNA. In the past, the ACNA's critics could say that it was not a member of the Anglican Communion. But now the ACNA will find itself invited to the Global Anglican Communion, and the Episcopal Church will not. Something similar will happen in England with the emerging Anglican Mission in England (AMiE). Those church bodies that had thought of themselves as “the first” and most significant in the Communion will now find themselves members of a rump assembly. Their gold has become dim, and they are now in danger of having their candlesticks removed entirely.

The Global Anglican Communion is not without its challenges. Important disagreement between its member churches remain, and many of the spiritually influential churches are still quite poor in material resources. There are also other orthodox churches and church leaders who have thus far declined to join. Still, the Global Anglican Communion has built upon a solid rock, proclaiming “one foundation,” the Holy Scriptures. Importantly, the Global Anglican Communion uses the language of “the inerrant word of God as the final authority.” It also names the historic Anglican Formularies (the 39 Articles, 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and Ordinal) as its authoritative secondary standards, with the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration serving as its charter.

Many details remain to be ironed out. A new Council of Primates (leaders of national churches) will be formed with its own executive officer. But a new chapter has begun in the historic story of Anglicanism. Those Christians who affirm the Holy Scriptures in their entirety and continue to teach and defend the historic articulations of that faith will now lead the Global Anglican Communion. Its center of gravity will be in Africa, and new churches will continue to be added to it. If it is of God, then nothing can stop it. Today is a day of hope, as the Global Anglican Future is here.