In Depth:  Gafcon

David Shepherd

It has only been a short while since Gafcon (Global Anglican Future Conference) issued the Abuja Affirmation, declaring that “reordering the Anglican Communion is now necessary”.

Concerning that Communion, Gafcon also claimed to have “restored its original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Formularies of the Reformation.”

Rebecca Chapman

This week, 347 Anglican bishops and 121 lay and clergy Anglican leaders from 27 provinces met in Abuja, hosted by the Church of Nigeria, to “confer and celebrate the Global Anglican Communion”.

The meeting was trailed as a “kairos moment” by Bishop Paul Donison, Gafcon’s General Secretary, a Communion re-ordering. In late October he had set out that the Conference would include the Council of Primates electing a primus inter pares, a "first among equals", to lead the Communion. Yet, in a surprise move mid-way through the gathering, a communique confirmed that the Council of Primates is to be reconstituted as a new leadership body, the Global Anglican Council, with a mix of members including primates, advisors, and guarantors (see en news article here).