The Gafcon movement of orthodox Anglicans is forging its own path away from the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury with the launch of the Global Anglican Communion.
It will be distinct from the worldwide Anglican Communion that is under the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury and which recognises other Institutes of Communion like the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates' Meeting of senior archbishops.
Unveiling its plans on Thursday, Gafcon said its intention was to "reorder" the Anglican Communion with only the Bible as its foundation. It will not recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury or other Institutes of Communion.
"We cannot continue to have communion with those who advocate the revisionist agenda, which has abandoned the inerrant word of God as the final authority and overturned Resolution I.10, of the 1998 Lambeth Conference," said the Most Rev Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Gafcon Primates’ Council, and Primate of Rwanda.
"Therefore, Gafcon has re-ordered the Anglican Communion by restoring its original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Formularies of the Reformation, as reflected at the first Lambeth Conference in 1867, and we are now the Global Anglican Communion.
"Provinces of the Global Anglican Communion shall not participate in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, including the ACC, and shall not make any monetary contribution to the ACC, nor receive any monetary contribution from the ACC or its networks."
Provinces aligned with the new Global Anglican Communion have been told to amend their constitutions to remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England.
The first formal gathering of the Global Anglican Communion has been planned for 3 to 6 March 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Archbishop Mbanda added, "As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion."
The announcement follows the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury.
Gafcon was one of the first to denounce her appointment on 3 October, calling on Mullally to repent for her support of same-sex blessings.
"Since the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury has failed to guard the faith and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate both the 'plain and canonical sense' of Scripture and 'the Church’s historic and consensual' interpretation of it (Jerusalem Statement), she cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion," said Archbishop Mbanda at the time.
"The leadership of the Anglican Communion will pass to those who uphold the truth of the gospel and the authority of Scripture in all areas of life."
In a pastoral letter in response to the statement, Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, wrote, "Divisions among Anglicans, and many other divisions in the Body of Christ, are sadly well known, as we see in the Scriptures (1 Cor 11:17). These divisions require urgent attention and repair, by means of every instrument available to us."
He added, "At every level of the Church (local, regional, and global), we cannot ‘neglect to meet together’, as it says in Hebrews 10:25, whenever possible.
"All Anglican churches are ordered by canon law, constitutions and synodical structures that provide a collaborative system of governance by bishops, other clergy, and lay persons. In this way, the ‘houses’ of Anglican synods determine matters of doctrine, discipline, and order, and make decisions for the good of the whole.
"All Anglican churches are likewise invited to shape the Instruments of Communion, which rightly evolve over time, as those gathered seek to discern what the Spirit is saying to the churches. I urge them to send their representatives to the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council next year in Belfast, so everyone can participate in the decision-making. Those who are present are the ones who shape the outcomes and resolutions of meetings."
