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The Future of Anglicanism Has Arrived: What GAFCON’s Statement Means for Evangelicals
On October 16, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, the leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) released a statement beginning with the striking words: “The future has arrived.”
For many outside Anglicanism, this may sound like insider church politics. But the statement represents something much larger: a historic reordering of the Anglican Communion that has profound significance for global evangelicalism.
A Communion in Crisis
Since its beginnings in the 16th century, the Anglican Communion has been bound together by a shared commitment to the Bible as the Word of God, by historic formularies (the 39 Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal), and by the gospel mission to “contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
The statement represents a historic reordering of the Anglican Communion that has profound significance for global evangelicalism.
But over the last several decades, some of the most senior leaders in the Communion—particularly in the Church of England and The Episcopal Church (USA)—have embraced revisionist teachings. These include the rejection of biblical authority in matters of marriage, sexuality, and the uniqueness of Christ. Evangelicals across traditions will recognize the dynamics here: when leaders abandon Scripture as the final authority, the gospel itself is at stake.
The first GAFCON met in Jerusalem in 2008 as a response to this crisis. The hope was for repentance and a return to biblical authority. That repentance never came. Over time, the majority of the world’s Anglicans—primarily in Africa, Asia, and South America—began to prepare for a new future.
As the GAFCON statement affirms: that future has now arrived.
Reordering of the Communion
What is this future for Anglicanism? Three points stand out.
1. New Foundation of Communion
The statement says the Anglican Communion will now rest on a single foundation: the Holy Bible, “translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense.” This is a deliberate echo of the Reformation principle of sola Scriptura. In other words, unity is no longer defined by loyalty to Canterbury or participation in Anglican institutions but by submission to Scripture as God’s Word.
2. Rejection of Failed Instruments
The statement names and rejects the so-called “Instruments of Communion”—the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates’ Meeting. Why? Because they have consistently failed to uphold biblical truth, especially following the 1998 Lambeth Resolution I.10 which affirmed that Christian marriage is between a man and a woman. These “Instruments,” while once helpful, have fallen into revisionism.
3. Return to the Original Model
The statement emphasizes that GAFCON has not left the Anglican Communion. Instead, it claims the original vision: a fellowship of autonomous provinces united by the gospel and the Reformation formularies. This was how the first Lambeth Conference in 1867 understood Anglicanism and what held member provinces together in unity—before the so-called “Instruments” turned Canterbury into the sine qua non of what it means to be Anglican. Now, GAFCON says, the center of the Communion is not a person or an office, but the Word of God.
In place of the old “Instruments,” Gafcon proposes a Council of Primates (archbishops) from all provinces that affirm the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, with a primus inter pares (“first among equals”) serving as chair.
Significance for Evangelicals
For evangelicals outside Anglicanism, this moment may feel inconsequential. But consider three implications.
1. Courage of Global-South Christians
The majority world Anglicans—who represent the majority of Anglicans, period—have refused to compromise on Scripture. They have chosen faithfulness over institutional loyalty. This is a powerful example for all evangelicals wrestling with similar pressures in their own denominations.
2. Model for Biblical Reformation
When church structures fail, Christians are not called to abandon the faith but to reform the church according to the Word. This is exactly what happened at the Reformation, and it is happening again today.
3. Centrality of Scripture
In an age when unity is often defined by sentiment, brand, or leadership charisma, GAFCON insists that the only true basis of communion is the Bible. As Jesus prayed in John 17, the unity of his people comes from being sanctified in the truth—“your word is truth” (John 17:17).
A Way Forward for Those Left Behind
But what about Anglicans who live in England, or in provinces where their dioceses have not yet joined GAFCON?
Now the center of the Communion is not a person or an office, but the Word of God.
The answer is local GAFCON branches. Already, there are branches in places like England, Ireland, Ghana, Australia, and Tanzania. These function as networks where clergy and laypeople can fully participate in the life of the Communion without waiting for their province to act.
The long-term vision is clear: every Anglican in the world should have a pathway to full communion through the Jerusalem Declaration. In practice, this means that the average evangelical Anglican—whether in Nigeria or Nottingham—can belong to the same global family rooted in Scripture and mission.
The Future Really Has Arrived
So what does it mean when GAFCON says, “The future has arrived”? It means that the years of waiting are over. Hope that the Church of England might repent is no longer realistic. The orthodox majority has acted. Global Anglicans are not leaving Anglicanism; they are leading it.
Global Anglicans are not leaving Anglicanism. They are leading it.
This isn’t just an Anglican story. It’s an evangelical one. Whenever God’s people refuse to compromise on the authority of Scripture, whenever they reform failing institutions to contend for the faith once for all delivered, whenever they choose Christ over cultural accommodation—there is encouragement for all of us.
In 1555, Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake in Oxford for their commitment to the gospel. As the flames rose, Latimer is reported to have said to his friend: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
That candle still burns—not only in England, but now in a truly global Anglican Communion. And for evangelicals everywhere, it is a reminder: the future belongs to those who cling to Christ and his Word.
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