With many thanks to Gafcon media, below we have the transcripts of each of the main speakers from the first night of Gafcon Kigali 2023. Please visit www.gafcon23.org for more information on this year’s Gafcon gathering and to watch it live.
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Anglican Archbishop of Rwanda
What a privilege and honor to welcome you to GAFCON IV, the second GAFCON conference to be held on the African Continent. As you all know, GAFCON I was held in Jerusalem, GAFCON II in Nairobi, Kenya, GAFCON III in Jerusalem in 2018 and Now GAFCON IV here in Kigali, Rwanda a beautiful City, and a beautiful country.
We have prayed for this conference! We have waited for this Conference! It comes at a time when the Church of England has shocked the World and more so the Anglican Communion. It comes at a time when false teaching is rampant! When the authority of Scripture is the thing to hold on tightly! While some have departed from the Biblical authority. When that happens, we become disillusioned, confused and things start going south. The prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 23:26 warns against inescapable consequences of rejecting the authority of God’s word. GAFCON wants, desires and commits to bringing and keeping the Bible at the center of everything we do. Let us keep the unchanging Word of GOD.
The East Africa Revivalists moved with their Bibles in hand, preaching and teaching the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bible became their best friend , their walking stick, a pillar to lean on and focused them on GOD.
It is my prayer and hope, that by the time you leave Kigali, Rwanda, you will leave refreshed, encouraged, not feeling alone in your endeavor.
I also pray and hope that the Rwandan bug, ticks you. The bug that causes you to want to come back and see us again and enjoy this beautiful country of ours. You have come, you have seen, go and tell the story of Rwanda and the spread of the gospel.
May God bless you again a warm welcome and a Rwandan hug!
Peace of the Lord be with you.
Archbishop Foley Beach, Chair of Gafcon
Right Honorable Prime Minister, Archbishop Mbanda, Mr. General Secretary, my fellow primates and bishops, and all delegates to this 4th Gafcon Conference, greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
As the Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, and current chair of the Gafcon Primates Council, it is a joy to join others in welcoming you here to Kigali. I bring you greetings from my dear wife, Allison, and from laity, clergy, and bishops of the Anglican Church in North America.
Actually, we owe our existence to Gafcon. In 2008 Gafcon called for a new Province in North America, and in 2009 we were received into the Anglican Communion by the Gafcon Primates.
Thank you!
It has been an honor to have been selected by the Primates to serve in this capacity for the past five years. We have seen the Lord do some amazing things throughout the world to advance the Gospel of Jesus. But I have to admit it has been quite a challenge! We have had to face together a world-wide epidemic of COVID-19. Not only did we lose many people who were precious to us, but we literally had to shut down our ministries. We weren’t able to have church. We weren’t able to travel.
Many of us have faced persecution with the killing of fellow Christians in our villages. Many of us have faced famine and drought and flooding which caused all kinds of hardship, including starvation and sickness. Many of us have faced war and civil unrest, and many of us have had to face economic challenges. Frankly, I wondered if Gafcon would survive, but when God ordains something, he sees it through! Romans 8:28 tells us that God works out all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
Here we are, the largest gathering of Anglican leaders since Gafcon III in Jerusalem in 2018, and maybe, one of the most important Church gatherings in our life-time. God has had his hand on Gafcon –not because we have charismatic leaders, not because we have a great organization, and not because we are Anglicans. No, God has had his hand on Gafcon because we are honoring him by standing against those who conveniently and culturally disregard the Word of God.
We have stood firm in our biblical convictions summed up in the Jerusalem Declaration. He has been honoring our efforts to call the Anglican Communion to repentance, to renewal, and to reform. Jesus is our Lord and we are seeking to honor him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
I want to thank our General Secretary, Archbishop Ben Kwashi, who has been fighting serious health challenges. He has not compromised in his dedication to Gafcon and to serving us. He continues to be the evangelist God has called him to be, and to keep us focused on the mission Jesus gave to us all.
I want to thank my fellow primates: Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of the Church of All Nigeria, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit of the Church of Kenya, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of the Church of Rwanda, Archbishop Stephen Than of the Church of Myanmar, Archbishop Miguel Uchoa of the Anglican Church of Brazil, Archbishop Tito Zavalla of the Church of Chile, Archbishop Justin Badi of the Church of South Sudan.
I want to thank our new primates: Archbishop Andre Titre of the Church of the Congo, Archbishop Samy Shehata, from the Province of Alexandria.
I want to thank our Advisors: Archbishop James Wong of the Province of the Indian Ocean, Archbishop Ezekiel Condo of the Province of Sudan, and Archbishop Kaniska Raffel from the Diocese of Sydney.
These men have stood tall amidst challenging events in their own Provinces, but they have also been tremendous leaders in facing the challenges laid down for all of us by the Anglican Establishment. They have each been a source of encouragement to me personally, but also examples of faithfulness to the Word of God! Thank you, my brothers!!
We are joined this week by some of the leaders of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches: Justin Badi, the Chairman, and Tito Zavala, the Vice Chairman, are also Gafcon Primates, and the General Secretary, the retired bishop of Singapore, Rennis Ponniah is also here. Welcome my brothers. I look forward to ways we can collaborate for the sake of the Gospel.
As we gather this week from all over the world, I want to encourage you to keep the following in mind as we travel together this week, and then return to our provinces.
I would like to share what I call the “Four Marks of Continuing a Spirit-filled Movement” or rather we could say, the “Four Marks of Modern Anglicanism.” You see, we could go on playing Church, being religious, and even making bold statements and make no spiritual impact in our world. What a tragedy this would be! No, we want to see true revival break out and spread to every part of the world.
The First Mark of Modern Anglicanism is that we must be a repenting Church.
After all, this is the message we have received in the Gospel. Remember the message of John the Baptist: Repent. Matthew 3:2 – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Remember the message of Jesus: Repent. Matthew 4:17 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Remember the message of the Apostle Peter – at the end of his Pentecost sermon and the people were asking, “what must we do?” Acts 2:38 – “Repent and be baptized every one of you in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children.”
Remember the words of the Apostle Paul when he was addressing the people of Athens in Acts 17:22 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands people everywhere to repent.”
We are called to be a repenting Church. That is, we must call people to repent of their sins,
and also be a repenting people ourselves; a group of repenting followers of Jesus. When God shows us our sin, we must turn from it and return to the Lord. Isn’t this what repent means? Literally, to change your mind. Illustrate repentance.
St. John of Damascus said, “Repentance is returning from the unnatural to the natural state, from the devil to God, through discipline and effort.” I know…people will say that this is how you become a believer – and it is – we repent of our sins, believe, and follow Jesus.
Because of God’s love for us, because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, and because of his resurrection and the promise of eternal life, we change our minds (repent) about living for me, myself, and I, and begin to live for Jesus. But this repentance doesn’t stop when one is born again or comes into a relationship with God through Jesus. It is a day by day, moment by moment reality.
When a person comes to faith in Jesus, God does a wonderful and amazing thing – he places within the person the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit begins to teach you, guide you, reveal to you the ways of God, and he begins to reveal to you your sin.
As God the Holy Spirit reveals to you your sin – usually through His Word, the Bible, – you then have a choice: continue in the sin or change your mind (repent). That is, begin to believe the behavior or attitude is a sin – and turn from it! This is repentance.
He is constantly showing me my sin and unless I repent I quench the Holy Spirit in my life and in my ministry. (1 Thess.5:19) As God shows us our sin, we must turn from it and return to the Lord.
St. Paul of the Cross said, “Should we fall into a sin, let us humble ourselves sorrowfully in his presence, and then, with an act of unbounded confidence, let us throw ourselves into the ocean of his goodness, where every failing will be cancelled and anxiety turned into love.”
We are called to be a repenting Church. In recent days, we have seen the Church of England, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and their bishops, walk away from the plain teaching of Scripture. We call on them to repent – to return to the teaching of the Word of God. We call on them to stop blessing sin, and return to the sanctity and holiness of Marriage.
We call on the Scottish Episcopal Church to repent. We call on the Church of Wales to repent. We call on the Episcopal Church in Brazil to repent. We call on the Anglican Church in New Zealand Church to repent. We call on the Church of Australia to repent. We call on the Anglican Church of Canada to repent. We call on the Episcopal Church to repent. Repent and return to the teaching of Holy Scripture!
Sadly, and with broken hearts, we must say that until the Archbishop of Canterbury repents, we can no longer recognize him as the “first among equals” and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. It is time for the whole Anglican Establishment to be reformed anyway. Why does a secular government of only one of the nations represented in the Anglican Communion still get to pick the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion? This makes no sense in today’s post-colonial world.
But let us not only call on those “out there” to repent. Some of United States need to repent of our sins – of our provincial sins, our church’s sins, and our personal sins. Sexual sins are not the only sins in the bible. Some of us have practices in our provinces, in our ministries, and in our lives which are not of God. We need to repent.
We Anglicans pray this prayer each time we pray confess the General Confession, “We are truly sorry, and we humbly repent…” (Or some version of this – depending on the liturgy.) As we confess our sins, we tell God that we are sorry, and that we humbly repent. Yet, do we? The question each of us must ask ourselves: “Is there something in my life which the Lord has shown me of which I must repent?” If we are going to be the people of God that the Lord wants us to be, we must be a repenting Church. If we want a true spiritual awakening, we must be a repenting Church.
The Second Mark of Modern Anglicanism is that we must be is a reconciling Church.
When I speak of reconciliation, I am not talking about being reconciled with the world, or with sin, or with sinful behavior, or giving up one’s principles, or compromising Biblical Truth in order to be reconciled.
The Scriptures do tell us that we are all ministers of reconciliation and that we are to be reconciled with each other. This reconciliation is based on the cross of Jesus, on the Truth in the Scriptures, and on the tradition handed down to us by the Church Fathers, but this reconciliation does not compromise the teaching of Scripture.
To be reconciled means there was “once” a problem. The Australia Anglican scholar, Leon Morris, wrote “Reconciliation properly applies not to good relations in general but to the doing away of an enmity, the bridging over of a quarrel. It implies that the parties being reconciled were formerly hostile to one another.” This is true with us individually with The Lord.This is true with too many of God’s people with each other.
For real reconciliation to take place, you must remove the enmity, the source of the quarrel. We may apologize for our actions, we may pay back money we owe, we may return something which we borrowed, or we may make restitution for the damage we have done. In every situation, there must be a dealing with the root cause of the enmity. In other words, there is no true reconciliation without repentance.
Jesus died on the cross to put away our sin; he removed the enmity between humanity and God. He opened the door for all human beings to come back to God. He made it possible for us to be reconciled to God through faith. However, there is another aspect of reconciliation, and if this is not addressed in our lives and in our congregations, the Holy Spirit is grieved.
The Apostles John addresses this in 1 John in several ways. Here is one, I John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” God has called us to be a reconciling church; a people who are reconciled with God through Jesus Christ and who are reconciled with one another.
Doesn’t Jesus tell us that this is one of our biggest witnessing tools to unbelievers – our love for one another? And yet people wound us, people get mad and say bad things, family members hurt us, friends go back on their word. Godly people get out of the Spirit and in the flesh do things or say things which offend us. This happens in congregations, too. We are all human and too many times our sinfulness is brought into spiritual situations, and we can make a big mess of things. I know I have.
The biggest problem we have in being reconciled with others is our unwillingness to forgive. Unforgiveness sets in, resentment begins to grow, bitterness creeps in, and before long, unforgiveness has so grieved the Holy Spirit in your life that there is no joy or peace,
and it affects everything you do. Brother and sisters, this must not be! We are called to be a reconciling Church.
To be reconciled doesn’t mean you are going to agree about everything. To be reconciled doesn’t mean you necessarily even agree about the facts of what happened. To be reconciled means that you value the Lord and each other so much, that you are willing to acknowledge your own part in the situation, repent, and you are willing to forgive and move on.
This is what we confess each week. When we pass the peace each Sunday, what are we symbolizing? We are not just greeting our neighbor. I am visibly saying that before I come to the Table of the Lord, I am reconciled with my brother or sister to the best of my ability.
We are called to be a reconciling Church. If not, we grieve the Holy Spirit. You may not think it affects your life. You may not think it affects your relationships with others. You may not think it affects your ministry. But it does! Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
So the question which must be asked: Is there someone or a “bunch of someones” with whom you need to be reconciled? God is calling us to be a reconciling Church.
A Third Mark of Modern Anglicanism is we are called to be a reproducing Church.
Just as in the creation story when God told humanity to be fruitful and multiply, Jesus commissioned his disciples before he ascended to do the same. Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you to the end of the ages.”
We are called to be a reproducing church, a disciple-making church. This is the major reason God gives us the Holy Spirit. Remember his words after this in Acts 1, “Go into Jerusalem, and wait for the gift of My Father.” And then, says Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to end of the earth.”
The power of the Spirit is related to the commission to Go and make disciples. Do you think that God will continue to pour out his Spirit if we are not obeying his commission? Jesus says here that we are to GO. They will rarely come to us. We must go. We must get out of the four walls of our church and go. We must get out from in front of the television or the computer screen and go.
The theme of this conference is “To Whom Shall We Go?” And we will hear a lot of this, but please know that at this moment there are over 3 Billion people in our world who don’t know Jesus. You and I need to go.
We need to go to people in our world, our sphere of influence: the people we work with, the people we have fun with, the people down the street, the people in our villages, and the people in the next village or town. We are called to go share the Good News of Jesus and make disciples of ALL Nations. Brothers and Sisters, We are called to be a reproducing Church
The 4th Mark of Modern Anglicanism is that we are called to be a relentlessly compassionate Church.
2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “The love of Christ compels us!” 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” Jesus, in the second Great Commandment, said “Love your neighbor as yourselves.”
Do you know what most unbelievers out there think we feel toward them? They think we hate them. They think we despise them. They think we judge them. They think we don’t care about them. Now, obviously, they don’t know us very well because that is not true. But this is our problem, not theirs. God calls us to be relentlessly compassionate to the people in our world.
Let me challenge you to pray a very dangerous prayer: “Lord, open my eyes to see the hurt and the pain in the people around me.” Don’t pray this unless you are ready to be compassionate. Don’t pray this unless you are ready to care. People all around us are suffering immensely. People have wounded family relationships People are living in sexual brokenness and misery.
People are financially burdened and overwhelmed. People are addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, porn, and money. People are exhausted and can’t get off the merry-go-round, and the black-hole just gets deeper and deeper with no way out. People have medical conditions which sap all their strength and creativity. They are craving a little compassionate care. They are craving a better way.
We have the answer for their needs. We have the answer for the drug addict. We have the answer for the porn addict, the financially broken, emotionally and physically abused, those living a life of poverty. His name is Jesus.
He cares for them and desires to help them. He deeply wants a relationship with them and to lead them into meaningful life. However, this Jesus expects his body to be His Body in the towns, villages, cities, and neighborhoods in which we live. He expects us to be His arms, His legs, His voice, His ears, and His heart.
We are not and cannot be the Church as we have known it. We must be a living Body engaged with the people around us. We must be the Temple of the Holy Spirit exhibiting the fruit and gifts of the Spirit in all we do.
May it not be said that we did not pray and fast for our nations. May it not be said that we did not reach out to our neighbors in love. May it not be said that we did not love our enemies into the Kingdom of God. May it not be said that we did not do all we could do to reach our friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers with the transforming love of Jesus. We are to be a relentlessly compassionate Church.
As we go throughout the week with our theme, “To whom shall we go?,” and we eventually return back to our homes and ministries, let us remember that God calls us to be a repenting people, a reconciling people, a reproducing people, and a relentlessly compassionate people.
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Archbishop Ben Kwashi, Gafcon General Secretary
The day has come! We are over 1,300 people here tonight from at least 53 countries, some represented for the very first time. How wonderful to see you all and to welcome you to Kigali. For this to happen thousands of miles have been travelled; thousands of hours spent in preparation; thousands of dollars have been raised – and spent! All has been saturated in the prayers of God’s people.
To God be the glory, great things he has done and will do!
Thank you for your prayers for this movement. We are in troubled times and yet those who continue to be obedient to God’s word, those who stand firm and hold the line, will be blessed as they proclaim the gospel of our Lord and Saviour.
I must also thank you personally for your prayers. As you know I have been on a journey with my health and God has healed me not once, but twice from stage 4 cancer. Praise be to His Holy Name. Without you upholding me before his throne of grace, I’m not sure if I would be here today. But God has chosen to be gracious to me once more and I will continue to serve him faithfully till the end. Gloria and I will never forget Angel Annette and Quigg Lawrence who gave us hospitality these two time for a total length of SIXTEEN MONTHS in a luxurious basement with all supplies at no cost to us. We will never forget …how science bore witness to the hand of God in using these doctors and nurses to perform the healing in my body.
-Dr. Bob Williams
-Dr. Gennard Lanzara
-Dr. Dominique Dempah
-Dr.Madge Ellis
-Dr. Paul Richard
-Dr. Jim Elliot
-Drs Kevin and Sheri Coulbaugh
-Greg Smith and the Church of the Holy Spirit Roanoke VA
Thank you all for your prayers.
Thank you too for your generosity in contributing to the support of over 200 delegates. Over $425,000 was given in bursary support. We are deeply grateful.
Thank you to Archbishop and Mrs Chantel Mbanda for hosting us in this beautiful land – a land of a thousand hills and thousand smiles. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated and acknowledged. And we have already seen the beauty of the people and their beautiful smiles. Thank you.
Thank you, Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente, for your generous welcome: we are most grateful for your country’s hospitality and assistance in bringing our many delegates together. Please know that we pray for you, as we ask the Lord to bless this country and its people.
There were many who wanted to attend the conference but were unable due to many reasons. Retired Archbishop Donald Mtetemela from Tanzania, a founding father of the Gafcon Movement sends his greetings and is deeply sorry that he cannot be present.
During this week we will continue to seek the Lord and His Kingdom and thence determine together the direction we should take as we faithfully proclaim the Gospel – the unchanging truth in a changing world – to a world that is desperate to hear it. We will go to God in prayer, asking for his forgiveness for our sins and for the sins of the church, and pleading for his guidance, courage, faithfulness and love to lead us in the days, months and years ahead.
THEME
I believe that it is God who has called us to come together this week. He has called us out of our own contexts, out of our familiar places, so that we can sit side by side, listen and learn from him and from one another, pray to him and pray with one another, encourage one another, and seek to discern God’s vision and guidance for the future. Some of us have come from far away, and have faced the exhaustion and the cost of distant travel. Some have come from places where the persecution of the church makes it dangerous to be a Christian. Some have come from countries where recent events and decisions within the church – particularly with regard to the authority of the Bible and to marriage – have made life painful, bewildering and seemingly threatening to our faith and to our way of life. To everyone here we want to say a big Welcome as we continue to pray that this week will be a landmark of encouragement, hope and renewal in our own lives and in the life of the world-wide church.
The theme which is the backbone of our gathering is:
“To Whom Shall We Go?” (John 6:68)
Jesus had been teaching that he himself was the Bread of Life and then, in St. John’s words,
When many of his disciples heard [this teaching], they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” . . . After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” (John 6:60, 68-70)
Peter’s question, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” and the circumstances which gave rise to that question are particularly relevant to our own circumstances today. Jesus’ teaching was not hard for many people to understand but it was hard to accept; they preferred to follow their own ways and their own interpretations of Scripture. Our Lord knew their hearts: he knew that some would turn against him, but he knew also that there were others who, although they might fall from time to time, would persevere, remain faithful and become the core of his church. Those of us who wish to remain faithful to Christ today need to bear in mind three things:
i. The Primacy of Scripture
We are all too well aware of the pain, the confusion and the suffering which has now arisen within the Anglican Church, and indeed also in other denominations. Do we stick firmly to the Bible or do we follow the ways, the interpretations and the personal preferences of contemporary society? Let us be absolutely clear. Led by the Holy Spirit and relying on His power, GAFCON remains rooted in the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, supported by the Apostles’ Creed, the 39 Articles and the Jerusalem declaration. There can be no negotiations or back-tracking on what God has done, or about the teaching, the ministry, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here is the rock on which we are built and to step aside or vacillate in any way, big or small, would be to put our feet on shifting sand, where sooner or later we shall fall. Jesus gave clear warnings that some would turn away and that trouble and persecution would come, but he added, “take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt.28:20).
ii. The Power of the Gospel
The world around us is falling into a growing state of confusion and in some cases, disintegration, but it is the power of the gospel which can turn things round: the gospel of Jesus Christ carries the power of God. The effect of the gospel will be seen in the life of whoever believes in that gospel, no matter their nationality, tribe, background, education, qualifications, age or gender, and the fruit of the gospel will be seen in righteousness, holiness, service, development, health, and in the physical and spiritual blessings that accompany that person in the community. The Christian gospel does not destroy: it builds and brings life in all its fullness to everybody without discrimination.
History has shown that where the Gospel is taught, preached and lived, and revival has broken out, it has started with one small spark in one place and spread like wildfire. As it spreads what has happened has not been a huge increase in bank balances, or even in the building of churches. What has happened has been that all trade, operations, practices and businesses that threatened life and safety closed down, corruption and lies were rejected, the police had less work, families were strengthened, lives were changed and the praises of God were sung in every household. The same can be true today!
iii. The Priority of Evangelism & Mission
If the gospel is alive then, like any living being, it must grow. When Peter preached the first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the church was born with 3000 babies! The administration was sorted out quickly and their priorities were clear: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:42). The result was that when the first internal disruption came it was quickly resolved through prayer, consultations, and the election of seven godly leaders to serve the community. The result was immediate: “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Either the gospel spreads its wings and grows, or it stands still and in doing so it stagnates, and disintegrates as the world passes it by, ignoring it as an out-dated commodity.
MOVING AHEAD
For GAFCON the corner-stone is the Primacy of Scripture, as rediscovered at the Reformation. Out of that flows the Power of the Gospel, issuing in the Priority of Mission. These put together give us a sure confidence in God and a certain hope in him for the future. Whatever we are facing today, there is always hope. Persecution has never killed the church, and it never will kill the church. In fact persecution helps the gospel to spread, as Christians run from one place to another!
Remember the story in Matthew 8:23-26. Jesus and the disciples were in the boat and a great storm blew up. And Jesus was asleep!!! They clambered over to him and shouted through the wind, “Master, wake up! Don’t you care! We’re in extreme danger! We are all going to drown!”. Jesus got up and calmed the storm, but notice what he said to the terrified disciples. “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” In other words, the question is not “Where is God?”, but “Where is your faith?”. The disciples’ question – which many of us today wish to ask – was turned round and thrust back at them in the form, “Where is your faith?”
You have nothing to fear if only you know who is with you in all the circumstances of life. It is we, God’s people, not God, who need to open our eyes and Wake Up!
THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION
All that I have mentioned so far has always been true of GAFCON, as can be seen from the Jerusalem Declaration, the formative document which emerged from the first GAFCON gathering in 2008. You will recall that the Jerusalem Declaration aimed “to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.” Thereafter followed fourteen foundational points of belief, doctrine and practice. The conclusion made it clear that GAFCON had been called together with a sense of urgency because “a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission . . . We believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical gospel and the mandate to go into all the world and present Christ to the nations.” That was a prophetic statement!
STRATEGIC FOCUS AND VISION
Building upon the Jerusalem Declaration and subsequent discussions, in February 2018 the Holy Spirit enabled us to produce a working document entitled GAFCON: Strategic Focus 2021-2031. This was whole-heartedly accepted by the Primates, Guarantors and Trustees and its implementation began immediately.
Then COVID……2019-2021 cancer…2020-2021 another Cancer attack 2022 June –
December with continuing treatment to march 2023.
It is therefore my suggestion that we begin to observe the implementation of our GAFCON VISION FOCUS from Kigali IV this conference 2023!!!
Basic to the production of that paper was the understanding that “we cannot claim apostolic succession without following and continuing in the steps of the apostles to be apostolic in mission, apostolic in leadership and apostolic in ministry”[1]. In asking what God’s will, vision and plan is for GAFCON, it was noted that “This is generally a dangerous question as choosing to follow God’s way, rather than our own pre-packaged and carefully planned route, generally involves risk! If we truly want to go God’s way, to be his people and to spread his gospel around the world then we shall meet opposition and our faith will be tested, but, in God’s grace and through the Holy Spirit’s enabling power, his name will be glorified, and we shall be surprised!”
We therefore set out what we believe are seven key areas and ways in which God is calling GAFCON to move. Let me outline these very briefly.
1. To declare a Decade of Discipleship, Evangelism and Missions
Discipleship, evangelism and mission are at the heart of GAFCON. In order not only to remind churches and members of this, but also to provide a catalyst for action, we urged that a Decade of Discipleship, Evangelism and Mission be declared 2023-2033. In so doing, however, it should not be thought that these goals can be achieved simply by the issuing of a directive from the leadership. Experience has proved that the most effective movement is for an impetus to catch fire at the grass roots level, and from thence it will move upwards.
However, let us consciously concentrate our efforts, and give this gospel top priority in every ministry group in our churches, schools, communities and our individual lives – and see what God will do in the years ahead! We must partner with other Mission agencies, para church campus missions and all other outreach evangelism agencies on fire for Jesus!
2. Gafcon-Next-Gen
If we are looking to the future, as indeed we must be if we are at all serious about the mission which God has put into our hands, we must be looking at the next generations and particularly we must be looking for the leaders of the next generation. I am seriously wondering who will be my grandchildren’s pastor! “Next Gen” is the intentional development of the next leaders of the movement. The Most Rev Miguel Uchôa Calvacanti and the Rt. Rev.Stewart Ruch have already been appointed to begin this ministry.
3. GAFCON Youth
In many African, Asian, or South American nations the vast majority of the population is below 35 years of age.In Nigeria out of 200ml people, 120ml are under 30years of age and 80ml are under 20yrs. That generation needs to be guided, nurtured, trained and established on a firm foundation because these youths are the foundation of our society. There is therefore an urgent need to involve our youth in all aspects of the church’s life and ministry. The opportunity must be grasped now, before it is too late – before the youth are exploited negatively. By the way… the young generation are a world wide movement powered by the android phones. You could be with your children at home but they are receiving satanic teachings on any subject from any part of the world. The need for the saving gospel to our children is NOW!!!
4. GAFCON Women
Our ministry as leaders within the church must have a solid and secure base in our home and family. It should not be thought, however, that the role of women is limited to the home. Women, as individuals and as groups. have a vital role to play in the church and in the society. This network, led by Dr.(Mrs.) Gloria Kwashi, is already doing serious work and they are raising their funds through the production and sale of a beautiful blue GAFCON wrapper. They are the backbone of all mission enterprise involving hospitality, rescue missions, family counselling, protection of vulnerable and orphan children, behind the scenes “silent ministry” and evangelism to the rural and poor communities an so much that women are leading always in the front row.
5. GAFCON Mercy Ministries
We need to begin a central approach to dealing with the world’s natural and man-made disasters. In many ways this arm of our movement and mission is our “public face” and our witness hangs here in large part – especially to the non-Christian world.
6. Bishops’ Training
The Bishop’s Training will focus on understanding further what the gospel is, how it relates to the Reformation tradition and how we are to implement this today in our own various areas of service. The Bishops can then train their clergy and dioceses on how to implement and fulfil this call.
7. Primates
Primates are encouraged to engage in inter-provincial official visits so that all can listen to and learn from each other.
The Strategic Focus is a guide for each province to adapt and implement as a compass for our common ministry and missions. We are called to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.
CONCLUSION
It is my sincere hope and prayer that this week we shall grow in mutual love and understanding, and become a renewed beacon of light shining brightly, and urgently spreading to all the corners of the world with a revival fire whose fuel is the Primacy of the Scriptures, the Power of the Gospel and the Priority of Mission.
[1]1. Quotations in this section are from the paper GAFCON: Strategic Focus 2021-2031
