Conservative Anglicans’ group appoints new leadership council

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Global Anglican Future Conference on Thursday declared a new council to lead its churches that have accused the Church of England of straying from Biblical accuracy. Rebranded as the Global Anglican Communion, the group was widely expected to appoint a chairman to replace the Archbishop of Canterbury. While the council will be led by a top bishop or primate, he will not be referred to as “first among equals,” a title the Archbishop of Canterbury has held.

“If we are to move past old structures, we have to move beyond old titles as well,” said Rev. Paul Donison, the group’s general secretary. Rev. Laurent Mbanda, archbishop and primate of the church of Rwanda, will serve as chairman of the council. Mbanda also led the group’s prior leadership body, the Gafcon Primates Council. The announcement came after a closed-door vote on Wednesday evening on the sidelines of a conference in Abuja. The new Global Anglican Communion says it represents the majority of all practicing Anglicans.

What are the details of the vote? Donison said they voted to dissolve the Gafcon Primates Council, first established at the group’s founding in 2008. The newly formed Global Anglican Council will include bishops, clergy, and lay members who each will have full voting rights, Donison said. Rev. Miguel Uchoa, archbishop of the Anglican Church in Brazil, will serve as vice chairman. Donison will also return as the general secretary. Justin Murff, the press secretary for this year’s Abuja conference, agreed the new leadership structure took an unexpected turn.

“Prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit led the council to discern a new direction,” Murff said.

What caused the rift with the Church of England? The Global Anglican Communion has rejected the Church of England’s leadership for years over doctrinal concerns. The latest objections emerged after the Church of England confirmed Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury.

But Murff insisted the rift goes beyond sexuality or female leadership. “It is whether Scripture or contemporary culture governs the life of this Church,” he said.

The group has asked all those interested in joining the Communion to sign the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration, which affirms Biblical inerrancy and honoring God’s design for marriage and sexuality, among others.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report on Gafcon first announcing its separation from the Church of England.