On the feast of the English Reformers Latimer and Ridley, GAFCON leaders announced the formal reordering of the Anglican Communion. With quiet authority, they declared: “The future has arrived.”
I’ll have much more to say about the GAFCON declaration in the days ahead. And I want to hear from our own leaders on the subject, but I know many readers of The Anglican wish to understand the essentials right now — what has changed, what it means, and why it matters.
Here are the ten big takeaways from this week’s historic announcement.
Ten Big Takeaways from the GAFCON Declaration
- A Historic Date with Purpose GAFCON’s announcement came on October 16 — the feast of the English martyrs Latimer and Ridley — signaling continuity with the Reformation’s courage and conviction.
- A Movement Twenty Years in the Making What began in Jerusalem in 2008 as a call to repentance has now matured into a formal reordering of global Anglicanism.
- A New Name and Identity The Global Anglican Communion is now the recognized fellowship of biblically faithful Anglicans worldwide.
- A Rejection of Failed Instruments The traditional “Instruments of Communion” of the Anglican Communion— Canterbury, Lambeth, the ACC, and the Primates’ Meeting — have been declared spiritually and doctrinally bankrupt.
- A Restored Council of Primates Leadership will now rest with a Council of Primates from Provinces affirming the Jerusalem Declaration, each accountable to Scripture rather than Canterbury.
- The Bible as the Sole Foundation The Global Anglican Communion recognizes only one foundation of fellowship — “the Holy Bible, translated, read, preached, taught, and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense.”
- No Mention of Canterbury — by Design The statement’s deliberate silence about the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury marks a theological shift: Canterbury no longer defines Anglican identity.
- Restoration, Not Revolution This is not a breakaway church but a restoration of the historic Anglican fellowship grounded in the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Reformation Formularies.
- Dangers and Discipline Ahead In my opinion, the movement will need vigilance against pride, division, and politicization. Its unity must rest on shared repentance and a conciliar spirit.
- The Future Looks Like the Past—in a good way. The new Global Anglican Communion is returning to its roots — biblical, prayerful, global, and free. It is the fruit of twenty years of faithfulness and the beginning of a new chapter of renewal.
Reader’s Guide to the GAFCON Declaration
With the lightning-quick help of AI, here is a guide for those unfamiliar with the terms, lingo, jargon, and acronyms of modern Anglicanism.
I know that many readers of The Anglican will want to know the minimal elements for understanding this historic statement.
1. GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference)
GAFCON began in 2008 in Jerusalem as a gathering of Anglicans committed to renewing the Church around the authority of Scripture. It was not a protest movement but a movement of repentance and renewal — calling the wider Communion back to biblical faith and mission.
2. The Anglican Communion
Traditionally, this term referred to all churches in fellowship with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Over time, that structure became compromised by theological revisionism and moral confusion. GAFCON now recognizes a Global Anglican Communion — defined not by Canterbury, but by shared doctrine and Scripture.
3. The Four “Instruments of Communion”
These were the old, official mechanisms meant to hold Anglicans together:
- The Archbishop of Canterbury (a symbolic center of unity)
- The Lambeth Conference (a gathering of bishops every ten years)
- The Anglican Consultative Council (a policy and administrative body)
- The Primates’ Meeting (gathering of archbishops and national leaders)GAFCON’s declaration states that these instruments have failed to preserve biblical truth and no longer represent authentic Anglican faith or fellowship.
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Read it all in The Anglican