The GAFCON Primates council, meeting before the FCA leadership conference, has called for Anglican Communion gatherings to have an elected chairman."
"With great anticipation we greet the delegates to the first FCA Leaders Conference as they gather in London" the statement said. "From this meeting will emerge key networks and commission capable of strengthening the worldwide churches and delivering the Christian message to the world."
At a media conference (listen here), the Primates took questions about the section of the statement that dealt with the Primates meetings of the Anglican communion.
"We pray for those responsible for the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury that they will look for a godly leader of God’s people. We believe that in the future development of the Anglican Communion the chair of the Primates Meeting should be elected by the Primates themselves. We believe that the future of our Communion relies on adherence to Scriptural authority, faithful and Christ-‐centred preaching of this word, the blessing of God’s Holy Spirit, godly leadership and the spiritual commitment of God’s people. These spiritual realities and the reality of worldwide Anglicanism should be reflected in the structures of the Anglican Communion".
(Click on picture for Conference photos)
The Primates also confirmed the decision to call GAFCON II for May next year in a venue shortly to be announced.
That night, GAFCON Chairman Eliud Wabukala issued a rallying call to delegates in his keynote address.
He took his theme from Micah 6 - What does the Lord require of you?
"First we need to bring a biblical mind to the situation we face. None of us looked for this crisis and we may be tempted to think we can get back to a time when the life of our communion ran along more predictable and familiar lines. But that is an illusion. Faith is not escapism, but facing things as they are in the confidence that God will act. The crisis we face is also an opportunity" the Archbishop said.
