Questions surrounding the change in language from primus inter pares (“first among equals”) to “Chair of the Council” during the recent GAFCON Council gathering prompted further clarification from leaders during the afternoon sessions in Abuja. Earlier in the day, the public announcement regarding the formation of the new Global Anglican Council referred to the elected leader as Chair of the Council, rather than using the term primus inter pares that had appeared in earlier discussions and press conferences leading up to the meeting. The shift generated curiosity among some observers, particularly within English church media, who wondered whether the change reflected internal disagreements or outside pressures.

Later in the day, the Rt. Rev. Paul Donison addressed the AAC’s question about this directly, offering historical and ecclesiological reasons for the decision. He also then expressed this reasoning to the entire gathering, explaining that the phrase primus inter pares is closely tied to the historic structure of the Lambeth Conference and the way authority traditionally functioned among bishops within the Anglican Communion. “When the Lambeth Conference first met in 1867, it was a gathering of bishops,” Donison said. “In that context, the Archbishop of Canterbury could be described as the ‘first among equals’ because he was the senior archbishop among bishops gathered together.”

That framework, however, does not reflect the structure that GAFCON leaders believe they are now developing. According to Donison, the council model that emerged within the GAFCON movement intentionally involves a broader form of representation that includes clergy and lay leaders alongside bishops. Because authority in that structure is shared across the wider body of the church, the concept of a single bishop serving as primus inter pares among other bishops does not accurately describe the arrangement. “Once bishops share authority with clergy and laity within a council, the structure becomes conciliar,” Donison explained. “True conciliar bodies don’t really function with a ‘first among equals’ in the same way. Instead, the council has a chair.”

For that reason, the role established by the council was framed as Chair of the Council, a position that still carries leadership responsibility but is understood primarily as a form of servant leadership within the broader body. “The chair is still a primate,” Donison noted, “but the role is to serve the council and guide its work.”

Donison also pointed to a second factor behind the decision: GAFCON’s long-standing critique of the traditional “Instruments of Communion” within the Anglican Communion. Over the past two decades, and particularly since the movement’s recent Martyrs Day statement, GAFCON leaders argued that the existing structures centered around the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference no longer adequately reflect the theological convictions or global realities of the wider Anglican world. “In many ways we said we are moving beyond those structures,” Donison said. “If we are leaving behind the instruments themselves, it also makes sense not to carry forward the titles that were tied to them.”

For GAFCON leaders, the shift in terminology is therefore intended to reflect both a structural and symbolic transition. The council model is meant to embody a form of global Anglican cooperation rooted in shared confession and conciliar decision-making rather than historic titles associated with older institutional arrangements. While the phrase primus inter pares appeared in earlier discussions about possible leadership models, Donison said the final decision reflected careful reflection by those gathered.

Rather than signaling political compromise, Donison suggested the change was a decision made during the primates’ meeting through conversation and subsequent prayer. It was intended to better reflect the ecclesiology that GAFCON leaders believe they are now putting into practice. As the Global Anglican Council begins its work for the Global Anglican Communion, the emphasis, said Donison, will remain not on titles but on the shared mission of strengthening faithful Anglican witness around the world.