Archbishop Laurent Mbanda elected Chairman of Global Anglican Council

The announcement came in a statement released on March 5, 2026, by GAFCON Secretary-General Rt. Rev. Paul Donison, following the G26 Bishops Conference in Abuja, Nigeria.

In the communique titled “A Council to Lead the Communion,” Donison confirmed that the GAFCON Primates had dissolved the longstanding GAFCON Primates Council and replaced it with the Global Anglican Council, a conciliar structure including primates, bishops, clergy, and lay members with full voting privileges, to lead the Global Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Mbanda was elected Chairman, Archbishop Miguel Uchoa as Vice-Chairman, and Bishop Paul Donison as General Secretary, with terms concluding at GAFCON V in Athens in 2028.

This restructuring marks a decisive step in GAFCON’s efforts to reorder the Anglican Communion amid ongoing divisions.

GAFCON was founded in 2008 in response to concerns over liberal shifts in parts of the Anglican Communion, particularly decisions perceived as departing from biblical authority.

Tensions intensified with the January 2026 appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury and events such as the 2025 election of Bishop Cherry Vann, who is in a same-sex marriage, in Wales.

Archbishop Mbanda had publicly voiced concerns that such developments reflected worldly pressures contrary to Scripture, and GAFCON has emphasized its role in representing the majority of Anglicans worldwide, especially through alignment with the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), claiming to encompass around 85% of global Anglicans.

The new council structure deliberately moves away from a single “primus inter pares” model, opting for shared leadership to better serve the needs of the majority of Anglicans.

Archbishop Mbanda, who has led GAFCON since April 21, 2023, continues in this pivotal role through the restructured framework.

Archbishop Mbanda holds advanced degrees in evangelism, Christian education, and theology from Trinity International University in the United States, following studies at Kenya Highlands Bible College.

He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Shyira from March 2010 before being elected Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Rwanda in January 2018.