The leaders of the GAFCON movement will elect tonight a new leader for the reordering of the Anglican Communion. Meeting at St Matthias House in Abuja – the headquarters of the Church of Nigeria – the GAFCON global council will elect from its primatial members an archbishop to chair the Global Anglican Council. The new leader will be first among equals – primus inter pares – amongst the Anglican archbishops for those who cannot accept the heterodox teachings of the Most Rev. Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Approximately 300 bishops and 100 clergy and lay leaders from across the Communion are meeting in Abuja from March 3 to 6 for G26, to enact “the most consequential structural development since the 1867 Lambeth Conference,” G26 spokesman the Rev. Canon Justin Smurf said. At the close of business on Wednesday, the GAFCON governing council will meet in secret to elect the new archbishop, with the name set to be announced on Thursday March 5, 2026. The names of the archbishops, bishops and lay members of the council who will also elect a new leader will also be released at that time.
The exact nature of the new Global Anglican Council will be explained by GAFCON General Secretary, the Rt. Rev. Paul Donison after the vote and will include primates and “primates in formation”, explained conference leaders.The council was described as democratic and representative, with newly formed dioceses/provinces having an equal voice to established provinces.
Canon Smurf noted Dr Yassir Eric, who was commissioned by the Gafcon Primates Council in 2023 and consecrated in 2024 to lead a non-geographic diocese specifically serving Muslim-background believers (MBB’s) in home church groups across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, was one such leader who would be seated alongside the archbishops of Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda as a leader of a “province in formation”.
The eligible archbishops who could be elected the Anglican primus include the archbishops of Rwanda, Laurent Mbanda; Brazil, Miguel Uchoa; Congo, Georges Ande; South Sudan, Justin Badi Arama; Uganda, Samuel Kaziimba; Nigeria, Henry Ndukaba; Siegfried Ngubane; REACH-SA (the former Church of England in South Africa); Myanmar, Stephen Myint Oo; Kenya, Jackson Ole Sapit; and Chile.
The General Secretary emphasized that this is not a new communion but a reordering of the ongoing Anglican Communion to reflect new global realities, allowing primates to express their desire for leadership based on biblical standards. The role of the Primus inter pares is described as a servant leader, not an authoritarian figure, with no doctrinal authority over other provinces but serving as a political figurehead and spokesperson. The Archbishop of Canterbury historically held this role by custom, not through formal judicial authority. The new Primus will be the primary public voice of the Global Anglican Communion in ecumenical and international contexts, carrying significant moral and symbolic weight, while member provinces retain their full provincial authority, conference leaders told Anglican.Ink.
The conference has not published a formal list of those in attendance, citing data privacy concerns, but also the realization that participation in the conference and endorsing the conference statement on Friday might be construed by some as being a disloyal act in liberal provinces. The conference press office stated that representatives of the Church of England were attending the conference, but questions as to whether they would be voting members of the council would have to be answered by the General Secretary. One serving bishop of the Church of England has been spotted amongst the delegates.
The conference continues through Friday.
