Global Anglican Future Conference

Global Anglican Future Conference
Name	Global Anglican Future Conference
Abbreviation	GAFCON
Formation	2008
Type	Religious movement
Headquarters	Nairobi, Jerusalem, London
Region served	International
Leader title	Chairman
Website	None

Global Anglican Future Conference is a global movement within Anglicanism that emerged in the early 21st century as a network of bishops, clergy, laity, and provinces united by conservative theological convictions. It formed in response to disputes among provinces such as The Episcopal Church (United States), Anglican Church of Canada, Church of England, Scottish Episcopal Church, and Anglican Church in Wales and has convened international gatherings in cities including Jerusalem, Kisumu, Nairobi, Lambeth (London), Dar es Salaam, and Kolkata.

Background and Origins

GAFCON originated amid controversies involving Lambeth Conference 1998, Primates' Meeting, Anglican Consultative Council, Sydney Diocese, Canterbury Cathedral, and disputes over doctrinal issues raised by actions in The Episcopal Church (United States), including the consecration of Gene Robinson and policy decisions by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and provincial synods. Founding gatherings drew leaders from Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Kenya, Church of the Province of West Africa, Anglican Church of Tanzania, Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, and conservative constituencies linked to Crossway, InterVarsity Press, and Anglican seminaries such as Trinity School for Ministry and Nashotah House.

Organization and Leadership

Leadership has included bishops and archbishops from primatial provinces such as Archbishop Peter Akinola of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Henry Orombi of Church of Uganda, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala of Anglican Church of Kenya, and figures like Bishop Mouneer Anis of Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria. Administrative structures reference networks akin to Anglican Mission in the Americas, Reformed Episcopal Church, Convocation of Anglicans in North America, and provincial councils such as General Synod (Church of England). GAFCON established bodies including a Jerusalem Declaration drafting committee, a primates council-like assembly, and working groups interacting with institutions like Oxford University, Cambridge University, Emmanuel College (Toronto), and mission organizations including Africa Inland Mission and Anglican Church Building Fund.

Conferences and Events

Major gatherings occurred at the 2008 founding conference in Jerusalem, the 2013 conference in Nairobi, the 2018 conference in Jerusalem (often referenced as the second provincial-level assembly), and subsequent meetings in conjunction with events in Lambeth Conference cycles and regional gatherings in Kisumu, Dar es Salaam, Kolkata, and Sydney. These convocations featured speakers and participants from provinces such as Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Kenya, Church of South India, Anglican Church of Australia, Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, Anglican Church of Ireland, and delegations associated with Anglican Church in North America and Reformed Episcopal Church. Side events engaged with academic partners like Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and mission bodies such as The Leprosy Mission.

Theology and Positions

GAFCON advocates a conservative Anglicanism rooted in the Jerusalem Declaration and its interpretation of the Thirty-Nine Articles, Book of Common Prayer, and creedal formulations historically associated with Anglican Communion identity. The movement emphasizes scriptural authority as articulated in texts such as King James Bible, New Revised Standard Version, and evangelical liturgical resources used by groups like Crosslinks and Church Mission Society. Positions commonly promoted address human sexuality debates involving clergy like Gene Robinson and provincial responses in The Episcopal Church (United States), uphold traditional teachings on marriage referenced in provincial canons of Church of England and Anglican Church of Australia, and support mission priorities comparable to Global South (Anglican) initiatives and theological training models at Trinity School for Ministry and St John’s College, Nottingham.

Influence and Relationships within Anglicanism

GAFCON has affected provincial alignments, contributing to realignments involving Anglican Church in North America, Anglican Mission in the Americas, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of Uganda, Church of the Province of West Africa, and interactions with the Anglican Communion Office and the See of Canterbury. Its networks intersect with conservative organizations such as Global South Anglican leaders, primates assemblies including Primates' Meeting, and ecumenical dialogues with bodies like World Council of Churches and Roman Catholic Church representatives. GAFCON’s influence has shaped debates at instruments of communion including the Lambeth Conference and the Anglican Consultative Council and affected institutional responses in dioceses such as Diocese of Sydney, Diocese of Recife, and Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics from provinces including The Episcopal Church (United States), Anglican Church of Canada, Church of England, and commentators at Commonweal (magazine), Anglican Journal, and The Guardian allege that GAFCON’s actions risk schism, undermine conciliar instruments like the Anglican Consultative Council, and complicate ecumenical relations with World Council of Churches and Roman Catholic Church interlocutors. Controversies have involved property disputes in dioceses such as Diocese of South Carolina, legal cases referenced in secular courts like Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and tensions over missionary oversight resembling historical issues in Church Missionary Society and Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Defenders point to endorsements by primates from Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Church of Uganda, Anglican Church of Kenya, and support from conservative evangelical networks including InterVarsity Press and GAFCON Fellowship.

Category:Anglicanism