The worldwide Anglican Communion has formally divided into two major bodies after years of growing theological and structural tension.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a statement made available to GospelRaw, the Global Anglican Future Conference, known as GAFCON, declared the creation of what it calls the Global Anglican Communion, effectively ending its ties to the Archbishop of Canterbury and other central institutions that have historically bound Anglicans together.
The announcement was made in a statement by Archbishop Laurent Mabonda, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council. It marks the culmination of nearly two decades of conflict over scriptural authority and issues of sexuality within Anglicanism.
GAFCON’s statement declared that the “reordering” of the Anglican Communion restores it to its “original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces, bound together by the formularies of the Reformation.” The group rejected the traditional Instruments of Communion that have held the Anglican family together, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meeting, and the Anglican Consultative Council.
The statement asserts that GAFCON is not forming a new church but rather continuing the true Anglican tradition. “We have not left the Anglican Communion,” it reads. “We are the Anglican Communion.”
The move follows years of escalating division. The first GAFCON gathering took place in 2008 in Jerusalem, where leaders issued the Jerusalem Declaration, reaffirming traditional teachings on the authority of Scripture and marriage between one man and one woman. Since then, GAFCON has grown rapidly, gaining the support of provinces representing the majority of the world’s Anglicans, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Today’s declaration confirms that GAFCON provinces will no longer attend the Lambeth Conference, participate in meetings convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, or contribute financially to Anglican Communion institutions. The group announced it will establish its own Council of Primates, which will elect a chairman to serve as “first among equals.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office, currently vacant until Bishop Sarah Mullally assumes the role in January 2026, has not yet issued a response. The split leaves the future of the Canterbury-aligned provinces uncertain, and it remains to be seen whether efforts will be made to reconcile the two communions.
Observers describe this as the most significant division in global Anglicanism since its formation in the 16th century. Analysts are watching to see whether additional provinces will align with GAFCON or remain under Canterbury’s leadership, and how this division will affect local parishes in North America, Africa, and beyond.
GAFCON will hold its next major bishops’ conference in Abuja, Nigeria, in March 2026, where it plans to formalize the structure of the newly declared Global Anglican Communion.
