Pictured: A meeting of Gafcon and GFSA Primates and Leaders.
GSFA is the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans. There is significant overlap in the leadership of the Global Anglican Communion (the Gafcon-affiliated body) and GSFA, and both groups have expressed concern about the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury (even before Sarah Mullaly’s election).
You can read here the GSFA statement in 2023 in response to moves by the Church of England’s General Synod to bless same-sex unions.
And their 2025 statement in response to Bishop Sarah Mullaly’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury here.
These statements align with the Kigali Commitment from GAFCON IV in 2023.
Some of the GSFA Primates were at the Abuja conference in March this year; others were not, for various reasons.
The main difference between GSFA and Gafcon (now Global Anglicans) has been regarding structure: the GSFA has a covenantal structure (the Cairo Covenant), while Gafcon is based on a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound by the authority of Scripture and the Reformation Formularies (which was the nature of the Anglican Communion up to 1998).
While GSFA and Gafcon have both been on a trajectory to reorder the Anglican Communion, GSFA has wanted to stay within the Canterbury Communion and has sought to persuade other provinces to adopt the Cairo Covenant.
However, this strategy has not been as successful as they would have liked. In contrast, Gafcon has decided that, after nearly 30 years of ineffectual conversations and appeals, in which Resolution I.10 of Lambeth 1998 has been systematically eroded by revisionists, enough was enough and it was time to decisively reject the failed Instruments of Communion.
However, relationships between the GSFA and the Global Anglican Communion are warm and friendly, with conversations continuing.
Please pray for unity and fellowship between these two organisations, which are united by a common Anglican faith, a common history and common mission to proclaim Christ faithfully to all the nations. Pray that the unity we already share together in the gospel will enable us to work closely together and bring lasting gospel fruit.