The GAFCON 2018 report

‘We will proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations!’ was the rallying cry of the 1,950 or so delegates at GAFCON 2018 (Jerusalem, 17-22 June), but it was more than a slogan; it was a declaration of intent.

GAFCON is not a conference where people come to moan about the state of the church – instead it is a place where those facing persecution and pressure to conform are reminded of the gospel and inspired to return to their ministry with new zeal. It does that because it lives up to what it says on the tin: it is a Global, Anglican, Futures CONference.

GAFCON is Global

There were delegates from over 50 countries; from France to Fiji, Mexico to Myanmar. Some national delegations were made up of hundreds, other countries were represented by lone voices. But to hear the Lord’s Prayer spoken in over 100 languages simultaneously was to be reminded of God calling people from every nation, tribe, people and language to praise his holy name.

GAFCON is also developing truly global teams, networks and leadership, which overturn the sometimes neo-colonial expectations of the traditional Anglican structures. Preachers, presenters and seminar leaders from six continents shared their wisdom. Hundreds of thousands tuned into the livestream from all over the world – and for those who missed it you can still catch up at vimeo.com/gafcon.

GAFCON is Anglican

In England we often downplay our Anglican connections – but at GAFCON the benefits of belonging to a biblically based, historically grounded, episcopally-led global family, with a shared liturgy that allows us to worship together, is something to be celebrated. The message was clearly stated in the Letter to the Churches, published on the final day: ‘We are not leaving the Anglican Communion; we are the majority of the Anglican Communion seeking to remain faithful to our Anglican heritage.’

This is an Anglicanism which is based on a joint confession of biblical faith and a desire to support one another as we proclaim the true gospel to the nations. It stands in contrast to those seeking institutional unity based on archaic structures.

GAFCON is looking to the Future

Many commentators have remarked on the ‘maturity’ of GAFCON III and there is no doubt that this conference has moved forward in tone, content, organisation and ambition.

The Letter to the Churches expresses grief and repentance over the divisions in the wider church, but this is no outward display of hand-wringing. Instead those present accepted that it was GAFCON’s responsibility to ensure the future health of the Anglican Communion. New leaders and structure will reduce the vulnerabilities that stem from being reliant on a few individuals; nine global networks will expand GAFCON’s ability to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.

GAFCON is truly a Conference

One of the most extraordinary things about GAFCON is that it is a proper conference – the delegates are able to confer with one another – and their voices are listened to. Those with responsibility for writing the conference ‘statement’ worked long into the night on Thursday, as they sought to consider every delegations’ response to the ‘draft statement’. What emerged was the Letter to the Churches – a letter that I hope will encourage and challenge us all, whether we worship in an Anglican church or not.