GAFCON

GAFCON
Name	GAFCON
Formation	2008
Type	Christian movement
Leader title	Convenor
Leader name	Benjamin Nzimbi
Headquarters	Nairobi
Region served	Global

GAFCON is a global Anglican realignment movement founded in 2008 that brought together bishops, clergy, and laity from provinces such as Church of Nigeria, Anglican Church in North America, Province of the Anglican Church of Kenya, and others to address disputes within the Anglican Communion. It emerged amid controversies involving the Episcopal Church (United States), the Anglican Church of Canada, and developments in provinces such as the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of England. The movement has engaged leaders from the Global South including figures associated with the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Anglican Church of Rwanda, the Anglican Church of Uganda, and the Church of the Province of South East Asia.

Background and Origins

GAFCON traces its roots to tensions sparked by decisions in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (United States) and synods of the Anglican Church of Canada, together with reactions to rulings in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and debates at the Lambeth Conference of 1998 and the Lambeth Conference of 2008. Key early participants included leaders from the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Anglican Church of Rwanda, and the Anglican Church in North America formation circles influenced by events such as the consecration of Gene Robinson and decisions by bodies like the House of Bishops (Church of England). The founding convocation convened bishops, clergy and laity from provinces across Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, alongside tribes and dioceses historically connected to the Anglican Communion.

Theology and Principles

The movement emphasizes traditional interpretations of the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and historic creeds such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, asserting fidelity to doctrines also upheld by churches like the Eastern Orthodox Church and historic Western bodies including the Roman Catholic Church on matters of marriage and ordination. GAFCON leaders have articulated positions on Holy Scripture consistent with confessional statements similar to those in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral and documents from the Reformation era, aligning with theological currents represented by figures connected to the Evangelical Anglican Network and institutes like the Wesleyan and Reformed traditions. Debates over episcopal authority engaged writings from theologians associated with John Stott, J.I. Packer, and movements linked to seminaries such as Trinity School for Ministry and Ridley Hall, Cambridge.

Structure and Membership

The movement operates through international councils, primates' meetings, provincial networks and regional convocations, involving entities like the Global South Anglican grouping, the Primates' Meeting (Anglican Communion), and national churches including the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Church in North America, Anglican Church of Kenya, Anglican Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Rwanda, the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, and the Anglican Church of Tanzania. Leadership has included bishops, primates, and convenors drawn from dioceses connected to the Archbishop of Canterbury controversies and to movements such as the Continuing Anglican Movement. Membership patterns intersect with jurisdictions like the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, and dioceses that realigned from the Episcopal Church (United States), while also involving missionary agencies such as Crosslinks and CMS (Church Mission Society)-related networks.

Conferences and Key Decisions

Major gatherings have been held in cities such as Jerusalem, Nairobi, and Georgetown (Guyana), producing declarations and communiqués that addressed issues including same-sex unions, the episcopal ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy, and missionary oversight. Key statements paralleled historical documents like the Canons of the Church of England and invoked precedents from councils such as the Council of Nicaea in affirming doctrinal continuity. Decisions influenced the creation of alternative structures akin to those arising after the Oxford Movement conflicts and echoed realignments similar to outcomes of the Continuing Anglican Movement and the formation of the Anglican Mission in the Americas.

Impact and Controversies

The movement has had political and ecclesiastical effects on relations among provinces such as the Church of England, the Episcopal Church (United States), the Anglican Church of Canada, and southern provinces like the Church of Nigeria and Anglican Church of Uganda. Controversies include disputes over recognition of orders, property litigation in courts similar to cases in New York State and Ontario, and tensions at ecumenical gatherings such as the World Council of Churches assemblies. Critics have compared its trajectory to historical schisms such as the aftermath of the English Reformation and the Great Schism (East–West Schism), while supporters cite evangelical revivals associated with figures like Charles Simeon and movements linked to John Wesley as antecedents.

Relations with Anglican Communion and Other Churches

GAFCON's relationship with the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury has been marked by both challenge and dialogue, involving negotiations with instruments of communion like the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates' Meeting. It has engaged ecumenically with bodies such as the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, World Methodist Council, and Evangelical Alliance networks, while influencing missionary partnerships with agencies like the Church Mission Society and theological education through colleges similar to Westcott House, Cambridge and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Tensions have led to conversations about recognition, reconciliation, and parallel jurisdictions reminiscent of settlements seen in disputes involving the Episcopal Church (United States) and the Church of England.

Category:Anglicanism Category:Christian movements Category:Religious organizations established in 2008