Rev. Bill Atwood: Kenyan House of Bishops Embrace GAFCON, Reject Indaba

September 30, 2014

Last week, the church gathered for the Provincial Synod including the Finance Meeting, the Standing Committee, and the House of Bishops. There were a host of issues, both national and international. Though I’ll describe some of the findings, they are not the only things of importance. What was most remarkable was the atmosphere of the conversation among the Bishops. Kenya, like every other nation, has many divisive problems.

There was a report from the GAFCON-2 meeting last October. Some of the Bishops had been skeptical that a conference could be held with that many people without plunging into debt. In fact, every single expense was covered and there was a tiny positive balance after all the bills were paid. It was an amazing tribute to both the GAFCON leadership (especially Bishop Martin Minns), and for the huge, organized, and dedicated local team from All Saints Cathedral Diocese where there was a small army of volunteers involved.

Having experienced meetings sponsored by the Anglican Communion Office, GAFCON-2 was seen by the bishops as a dramatic shift. Little happens of spiritual substance at Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meetings, unless one includes things which are actually destructive to the Gospel. GAFCON-2 by contrast was a revival retreat with tracks and topics that allowed for Gospel Mission and practical applications of Biblical principles to everyday ministry. Bishops also spoke about the rich offerings of resources for engaging Islam, doing development, and developing theological education (among many other things). That is exactly what GAFCON and its ongoing fellowship, the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GFCA), is all about...  the rest

“GAFCON is the future and it’s life. The ACC is dominated by Western liberals and doesn’t have any life to offer,” offered one of the senior bishops. There were many voices of agreement and no dissent.