“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7).

“What is going to come out of GAFCON?” I was asked again and again in the months leading up to Jerusalem. I didn’t presume to know, but since arriving here, it has become quite clear why we have not yet known the answer to that question.

Over the years, I have seen the all too common Western pattern of leaders effectively deciding in advance what the outcome of a meeting will be. But from the very first conversation at the preliminary meeting planned for Jordan, the leadership has reminded us again and again that there would be no advance decisions made, only prayer and discussion of what we believe the Lord Jesus Christ wants of us in GAFCON.

Here in Jerusalem, I spoke to a member of the Statement Committee, the team responsible for drafting the document through which the Conference will speak about its work. I learned that this group, chaired by Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, is operating in a wonderfully non-Western way. They are not crafting an advance text of a final statement; they are only preparing to receive and pray over the insights and reflections from the conference participants.

From the outset, the focus is to be on seeking the Lord through worship and Bible study, followed by small group prayer and discussion. Our task is discernment, seeking the Lord’s direction, not arguing our own bright ideas. Then there will be a plenary address and workshops, then more time for prayer and discussion in our groups of what we have heard. Each group will put forward key points we believe the Lord is giving us as part of the outcome of GAFCON. The points from the many groups will all be fed to the Statement Committee through this process daily through Thursday.

On Friday, having prayerfully considered on all that has been raised up by the groups, the Statement Committee will present a draft statement to the whole conference. That draft will be the subject of further prayer and reflection in our groups, which then give yet more feedback to the Statement Committee, enabling them to revise the draft and present a final statement to the Conference on Sunday.

It’s all part of the Lord’s blessing to us in the West, to learn from the leadership of our brothers and sisters in the Global South as we encounter the Lord in worship, in the Word and in prayer. Please pray for us, that together we may truly and humbly submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the future of His Church.

Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. John A. M. Guernsey
Church of Uganda Bishop for Congregations in America

Editor's Note: Before he was consecrated bishop, Fr. Guernsey visited our parish, St. Andrew's Anglican Church, twice, helping us to discern our future outside of pecusa.