Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and People of God. The Future Has Arrived — The Reordering of the Anglican Communion

Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and People of God

The Future Has Arrived — The Reordering of the Anglican Communion

“Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”

– Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

On October 16, 2025—the day the Church commemorates the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley —my brother GAFCON Primates and I, gathered as the GAFCON Primates’ Council, released a declaration that will, I believe, mark a decisive moment in the life of the Anglican family.

With sober joy we said together: “The future has arrived.”

For almost twenty years we have prayed and labored toward this day. From Jerusalem to Kigali, from Sydney and soon, Abuja, we have sought one end—that the Word of God might again stand at the heart of Anglican fellowship. What began in 2008 as a plea for repentance has now become, by God’s grace, the reordering of the Anglican Communion itself.

As a colleague wrote me yesterday, “This is not a revolution. It is a restoration.”

Why We Spoke

When we first gathered in Jerusalem in 2008, the generational leadership of that era called the Anglican Communion back to its biblical and apostolic foundations. Their hope was that those who had departed from the authority of Scripture would return.

That call went largely unheeded. 

Over the years, the very institutions once charged with guarding the faith—Canterbury, Lambeth, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates’ Meeting—have too often become agents of confusion rather than clarity.

As we met and prayed together last week, we knew the time had come to act. We therefore declared what has long been true in conscience and conviction: the so-called “Instruments of Unity” have failed to guard the faith once delivered to the saints. They have failed us, and are indeed inadequate to renew us.

Structures cannot bring revival. Bureaucracy cannot breathe life into dry bones. Only the Word of God and the Spirit of God can renew the Church. As Ezekiel learned in the valley of dry bones, reformation begins not with organization, but with proclamation: “Prophesy to the breath… and the breath came into them, and they lived” (Ezek. 37:9–10).

The future of Anglicanism will not be secured by repairing broken machinery, but by returning to our first love and our final authority—the living Word of God. For our identity is not institutional; it is biblical. And our communion is not defined by geography or politics, but by shared submission to the Word of God.

The Global Anglican Communion

In our statement we affirmed that “the Holy Bible, translated, read, preached, taught, and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense,” is the one true foundation of our fellowship. This language reflects both the Jerusalem Declaration and Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles: “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation.”

We therefore recognized and named what already exists among us: a renewed fellowship of biblically faithful provinces that we call the Global Anglican Communion.

This is not a new denomination. It is the historic Anglican family restored to its original pattern—autonomous provinces united by the gospel, by our Formularies, and by a shared commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.

Together we will be governed by a Council of Primates, choosing from among ourselves a primus inter pares—a first among equals—to serve in collegial oversight. The bonds that unite us will be those of truth, prayer, and mission, not hierarchy or bureaucracy.

A Word About Canterbury

You may well note that our declaration made no mention of the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. That silence was deliberate. To single out a person would have been to suggest that our identity still revolves around that See.

This moment is not about personality or politics; it is about principle. By our silence we proclaimed a deeper truth: the See of Canterbury no longer defines who we are.

The Challenges Before Us

Though we rejoice, we are not naïve. The future will undoubtedly test our resolve. Every reforming movement begins with unity of purpose and soon encounters the trials of endurance.

We will have to guard against the danger of fragmentation. We must remain centered not only on what we reject but on what we affirm—the gospel of grace, the authority of Scripture, the mission of Christ’s Church.

We will have to guard against the danger of organizational drift. Having released one human center of authority, we must not replace it with another. Our Council must remain conciliar, not corporate—led by prayer and governed by the Spirit.

We must guard against the danger of doctrinal narrowness. True Anglicanism is both catholic and reformed—biblical, creedal, liturgical, and sacramental. If we lose that breadth, we lose the beauty of our heritage.

Perhaps, however, the greatest threat is triumphalism—mistaking fidelity for superiority. This movement began on its knees in Jerusalem; we must remain on our knees. The Global Anglican Communion must be marked by repentance and humility.

The Hope of Renewal

What we are witnessing is part of a larger work of the Holy Spirit. Across the world the Lord is renewing His Church—calling it back to its first love, its first mission, and its first authority. Institutions that once seemed unshakable are faltering, while new expressions of faithful witness are taking root.

The world may see division; Providence sees pruning. What remains will bear fruit.

A Call to Gratitude and Forgiveness

For all who love the Church, this is a time for gratitude, not gloating.

We give thanks that the Word of God endures.

We give thanks that the gospel still saves.

And we give thanks that the Anglican family, once adrift, has rediscovered her compass in Christ.

Now we must live what we proclaim—grounded in the Word, alive in the Spirit, and sent into the world for the sake of the gospel.

The future has indeed arrived.

And by God’s mercy, it looks very much like the past—biblical, prayerful, global, and free.

A Prayer for the Church

Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Holy Spirit didst guide the apostles and hast promised to lead Thy Church into all truth: Keep, we pray, the Global Anglican Communion steadfast in faith, humble in spirit, bold in witness, and holy in life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with Thee and the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Faithfully in Christ,

The Most Reverend Steve Wood

Archbishop and Primate | Anglican Church in North America