ABUJA, Nigeria — Traditional Anglican church leaders have formed a new governing body, marking a dramatic departure from four centuries of established church structure as they work to reshape the global religious organization.
The Global Anglican Future Conference, known as Gafcon, eliminated its existing Gafcon Primates Council and established the Global Anglican Council in its place.
According to Gafcon general secretary The Right Reverend Paul Donison, the restructured council will feature primates, advisers and guarantors — including bishops, clergy and lay members — all holding equal voting rights.
The restructuring was announced during a gathering of traditional church leaders in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, which brought together 436 representatives from 48 nations, covering more than 180 dioceses worldwide.
“While the Chairman of the Council will be a Primate, he will not be primus inter pares (first amongst equals),” Donison stated. “Believing that the current Instruments of Communion no longer meet the needs of the majority of Anglicans around the world, the Global Anglican Communion is to be led by a conciliar structure.”
The Gafcon movement has consistently challenged progressive policies including same-sex marriage and the appointment of openly LGBTQ+ clergy within Anglican churches across Europe and North America, particularly targeting the U.S. Episcopal Church.
These theological disagreements have grown so intense in recent years that several national churches have withdrawn from traditional Anglican Communion meetings.
Rwanda’s Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, who received unanimous approval as chairman of the newly formed Global Anglican Council, spoke to Nigeria’s Advent Cable Network on Thursday, emphasizing that Gafcon leadership must “reject those instruments that have not worked for us in the past.”
The Anglican Church’s traditional leadership structure includes the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Sarah Mullally, who serves as the church’s spiritual leader and holds the distinction of being the first woman in this role. Mullally has encountered resistance during her tenure as head of the church.
In the previous year, Mbanda advocated for separating from the established communion structure, stating that “the Anglican Communion will be reordered.”
