GAFCON Primates, after their meeting in Nairobi, have announced plans for a second GAFCON conference as well as opening offices in London and Nairobi. The council of Anglican leaders, of which Archbishop Jensen is secretary, was established by the Global Anglican Future Conference in 2008, representing more than 35 million Anglicans.

The Primates say that as well as a second GAFCON in 2013, there will be a leadership conference in New York in 2012.

At the start of their meeting just after Easter, the council elected Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, as its new Chairman to replace Archbishop Greg Venables, the Primate of the Southern Cone. The new Primate of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Hector Zavala, was welcomed to the council, as was the Primate of Rwanda Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje. The election of Archbishop Wabukala is significant as it marks a transition of the chairmanship to someone other than one of the original GAFCON primates.Archbishops Zavala and Rwaje are also new Primates.

New Offices

In a 13 point statement issued after their Nairobi meeting, the Council said “if we are offer adequate support to our member provinces, sustain our various initiatives, and strengthen our communications capabilities we must add capacity to our current secretariat.”

A Chairman’s office would be established in Nairobi, Kenya and a GAFCON Global Coordination office would be established in London under the direction of the Bishop Martyn Minns, Missionary Bishop of the Church of Nigeria, serving as Deputy Secretary and Executive Director.

The meeting discussed the challenges confronting the Anglican Communion and the Primates said they were “disappointed that those who organized the Primates meeting in Dublin not only failed to address these core concerns but decided instead to unilaterally reduce the status of the Primates’ Meeting. This action was taken with complete disregard for the resolutions of both Lambeth 1978 and 1998 that called for an enhanced role in ‘doctrinal, moral and pastoral matters’. We believe that they were seriously misled and their actions unacceptable.”

"Shadow Gospel"

“We continue to be troubled by the promotion of a shadow gospel that appears to replace a traditional reading of Holy Scriptures and a robust theology of the church with an uncertain faith and a never ending listening process. This faith masquerades as a religion of tolerance and generosity and yet it is decidedly intolerant to those who hold to the “faith once and for all delivered to the saints”.

The Primates reaffirmed the statement of orthodox faith formulated at GAFCON 1 in 2008, known as the Jerusalem Declaration.

“We believe that the theological principles outlined in the Jerusalem Declaration offers the only way forward that holds true to our past and also gives a sure foundation for the future” the Primates said.