Monday, July 21, 2008

Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion ‘heartily endorses’ GAFCON declaration

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/07/21/evangelical-fellowship-in-the-anglican-communion-heartily-endorses-gafcon-declaration/

[Anglican Mainstream] 21 Jul 2008--The Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion (EFAC) is a fellowship of evangelical Christians in Anglican Churches around the world, who are passionate for biblical faith and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and who support one another’s concerns and ministries. EFAC is active in different regions of the world, and currently holds an international conference every five years, before each Lambeth Conference, and at the halfway point between.

We are thankful to God for the Gospel, which is eternally unchanging and yet ever new, and for all those with whom we share the work of proclaiming Christ. We are encouraged by the work of mission and evangelism wherever it is taking place around the world, particularly for developments in missional theological education, for extensive church planting, and for great openness to the Gospel. We give thanks for our brothers and sisters in the Churches of the Global South, for their leadership, sacrifice and example in the work of the Gospel, and for their work on the Anglican Covenant. We are especially grateful for growing relationships among all Anglicans of orthodox persuasion.

In spite of these causes for rejoicing, we acknowledge that we have not always lived lives worthy of the Gospel and that we have not always been gracious in disagreement. We repent of this behaviour. The present divisions in the Anglican Communion grieve us greatly, and we regret anything we may have done to exacerbate those divisions unnecessarily.

In view of these developments, it is our heart’s desire to seek renewal by the Holy Spirit for “the obedience of faith”, to give ourselves afresh to the ministry of the Gospel, and to work together in unity with all who affirm “the faith once for all entrusted to the saints”. We heartily endorse the fourteen points of the Jerusalem Declaration of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and, like those at GAFCON, are fully committed to remaining within the Anglican Communion, and to bearing joyful witness to evangelical distinctives.

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