Pastor’s Corner “Part of a Bigger Family Revisited”

Two weeks ago I wrote that Immanuel is “part of a bigger family,” pointing to our place within the greater Anglican family of our Diocese (DOMA), our Province (the ACNA), and the 40+ Provinces of the Global Anglican Communion.

Not long after my “Pastor’s Corner” arrived in your inbox, a significant email arrived in mine with the title, “The Future Has Arrived.” The email provided an official statement from the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon). Gafcon formed in 2008 in response to the increasing rejection of biblical authority by a few leading Provinces (e.g. The Church of England and The Episcopal Church USA). At the first Gafcon gathering, seventeen Provinces “called the Anglican Communion back to its biblical and apostolic foundations. Their hope was those who had departed from the authority of Scripture would return.”

That hope has not been realized. In the intervening years, the members of Gafcon—the ACNA among them—have been “prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion. Today, that future has arrived.” Those are the opening words of this official statement. It goes on to declare that “Gafcon has

re-ordered the Anglican Communion by restoring its original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Formularies of the Reformation, as reflected at the first Lambeth Conference in 1867, and we are now the Global Anglican Communion.”

I appreciate Bishop Chris’ commentary and guidance on the significance of this statement:

This moment of reordering within the wider Anglican Communion is historic and will be significant for us all. While it won’t affect the day to day operation of your church or our diocese in the short term, it will shift Anglican understanding over time. We can see in this a shift in influence and leadership from western, colonial-era structures which have grown rigid and increasingly unfaithful to the historic and apostolic faith to a vibrant, biblical, Spirit-filled, global south church.

I want to invite us to approach this time with humility and grace—to listen deeply, to pray carefully, to engage slowly, and to seek together what the Lord is doing in our midst. Let us hold fast to the unity we share in Christ, and may our response be shaped by prayer, peace, and love as we continue to follow Jesus faithfully, side by side.

Scripture, history, theology, and the global Body of Christ are intersecting in a crucial way. For those of you who want to increase your understanding of these events, I recommend the following resources:

·       Communique: The Future Has Arrived. The official statement put out by Gafcon outlining the rationale and commitments of the reordering of the Anglican Communion.

·       Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and the People of God. The ACNA’s overview and guidance regarding this reordering.

·       GAFCON: A Rookie Anglican Guide. A brief history of Gafcon’s origins and role in global Anglicanism.

·       The Dawn of a Revitalized Global Anglican Communion. A thoughtful reflection on the spiritual and structural implications of this moment, offered by the American Anglican Council.

As Bishop Chris wrote, these changes in the structures of the Anglican Communion will not directly impact Immanuel’s daily worship, discipleship, community, and mission. We will continue loving each other well, and offering Jesus’ Refuge, Reconciliation, and Renewal to Northern Virginia and beyond. And we will do so as part of a larger, global, historic Church faithful to our Triune God, his Holy Word, and his beloved Family.

Your Pastor in Christ,