The convening Primates have said that their pastoral responsibility requires that they provide an opportunity for their bishops who would normally have looked to the Lambeth Conference, to meet for prayer, fellowship and counsel on matters vital to their church's mission and ministry. Southern Cone Primate Gregory Venables said: "Our pastoral responsibility to the people that we lead is now to provide the opportunity to come together around the central and unchanging tenets of the central and unchanging historic Anglican faith. Rather than being subject to the continued chaos and compromise that have dramatically impeded Anglican mission, GAFCON will seek to clarify God's call at this time and build a network of cooperation for Global mission."

Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney has written: "The Conference is to discuss the future of mission and relationships within the churches of Anglican Communion. Those who wish to retain biblical standards especially in the area of sexual ethics want to move on together with the gospel of Christ's Lordship, a gospel which challenges us and changes lives." These include challenges in the world of religion, the world of secularism, the role of family in world peace, impediments to and the means for economic empowerment of families and communities.

The conference will grapple with the crisis of authority and ecclesiology that has occurred as a result of the North American actions. We want to ensure that our relationships in the Anglican Communion reflect gospel values. We seek to affirm both biblical orthodoxy and Catholic order but a Catholic order that will serve the Catholic faith, not the other way around. Were Catholic faith to serve Catholic order there would never have been a Reformation.

Responses

Responses have been positive: One senior English clergyman spoke for many: "We have to find a way which does not leave us endlessly stuck waiting for decisions which never come and allow us to move on with the gospel." Another called the decision to hold the conference "Momentous". From East Africa a senior official has written: "The vision is timely."

Why the Holy Land ?

As the principle of calling the conference was being discussed in December, a clear sense emerged that there was only one global venue for Christians seeking to affirm the roots and basis of the apostolic and biblical faith, the Holy Land. The Lord spoke through Psalms of Ascent for example Psalm 122: "I rejoiced with those who said to me "Let us go to the house of the Lord". Our feet are standing in thy gates, O Jerusalem. That is where the tribes go up to praise the name of the Lord. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." The difficulties and complexities were faced, and discussed with others, but the conviction remained.

Who will attend?

Bishops and their wives, clergy and laity, including the next generation of young leaders will attend GAFCON. It will bring together Anglican leaders from around the globe, who are committed to the accepted teaching of the bible, of the Church throughout the ages, and of the Anglican Communion.

This will enable all churches to develop their understanding of the gospel by building relationships across the usual dividing lines of humanity, of race, culture, gender and economics. This expresses the true inclusiveness of the gospel - that all who receive the good news of Jesus have a contribution to make to the spiritual health of the whole. This is one of God's ways of ensuring that churches in the west are not overwhelmed by the power of their surrounding culture, because they are in fellowship with and accountable to churches among Christians in other cultures and contexts.

God is clearly at work. This is a time of asking people to reaffirm their Anglican identity by being clear about their commitment to the biblical Gospel and the faith of the church as expressed in its creeds and formularies. We have to be ready to make a clear witness, not to compromise what has been entrusted to us for the health and wholeness and salvation of men, women and children. We must put our hope in God, we must pray for his will to be done, we must be ready to be willing instruments of his purpose, and we must look for him to give the increase.

---Chris Sugden writes for Anglican Mainstream www.anglican-mainstream.net