...with the theme “Be Transformed by the Renewing of the Mind to Obedience of Faith for Holistic Mission in a Radically Changing Global Landscape” (Rom 12.1f; 2 Tim 4.7).
 
 1.  This Conference is a response to the call at the 4th Global South to South Encounter in Singapore April 2010 to gather leaders from Provinces of the Global South and other mission partners, which are unequivocally committed to the apostolic-historic faith for the Global South Conference on Decade of Mission and Networking.
 
2.   We received with thanks a note of greeting from Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who affirmed his support for the work of the Conference.
 
3.   Similarly, we also received with thanks a note of greeting from Elder Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the National Committee of Three Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches of China.  He affirmed his friendship with the Global South Anglican Churches and continual desire for further dialogue and partnership in ministry.
 
4.   More than 100 delegates from provinces in the Global South (comprising Africa, Asia, the Pacific and South America) gathered together in prayer, fellowship and listening to the teaching of the Word.  We were also joined by a number of our mission partners from other parts of the Communion and various Mission agencies.
 
5.   We are immensely grateful for the wonderful hospitality and support shown to us by the Anglican Church in Thailand, a deanery in the diocese of Singapore and the Province of Southeast Asia.
 
6.   The Holy Scriptures shaped our thinking on Mission and inspired our collective resolve to action.  We found fresh insights from the Book of Romans.  We were challenged to see Mission as “calling people from among the nations to the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5 cf., 15:18, 16:26).  Mission is not complete until it leads people to obey the true, living and only-wise God, who in His grace and righteousness (Romans 3-8), has saved humankind for newness of life (Romans 12-16) through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
7.   For nations to come to the obedience of faith, we as Christians individually and as the Church corporately need ‘consecrated bodies and renewed minds’ (Romans 12:1-3), so that we can share and live out and witness holistically to the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16) in the expanding spheres of community, nation and the world at large.  Hence, the choice of the Conference theme so that all of us may be challenged “to offer our sanctified bodies (churches) and renewed minds as living sacrifices” for our Lord’s glory.
 
Plenary Sessions
 
8.   We took careful note of the radical change in the post-1989 geo-political landscape.  The Global South is now a global “Antioch” church, which is multi-cultural and missionary-sending.  We noted that the “centre of gravity in world Christianity” has shifted to the Global South.
 
9.   Changing globalised patterns of thinking and action are likely to drive much of the activity in the world.  We can expect a resurgence of traditional religious-cultural groups on the one hand, and hardened secularism and materialism on the other.  These are the serious challenges that the global church is facing. 
 
10. In the face of these challenges, our greatest need is for discipleship to take root and go deep.  The way forward is to equip our churches with an emphasis on discipleship and character formation, marked with “humility, integrity, and simplicity.”
 
11. Equipping the Global South churches means that the gospel should be contextualised so that it does not have a foreign but a local face and be effective in the local context.  Along with this, we should strengthen an orthodox theology on the Church’s role in nation-building.  Our commitment is to a strong society marked by the rise of a civil society, political stability, sustainable economy, reduction of poverty, and the eradication of all forms of violence, endemic diseases and corruption.
 
12. We had an overview on Mission trends.  The data presented on the growth of orthodox-evangelical churches in different contexts encouraged the assembly to continue with the work, especially in areas with difficult and hostile conditions.  It complemented the two other papers by challenging us to face up to globalisation and cross-culturalism so as to be effective in a “multi-layered” world.  We need to strengthen our theological education that it may have a missional dimension.  We realised that we need to “pass on” (2 Timothy 2:2) through personal discipleship and the transformation of societies.
 
13. The Conference also heard from different regions of the Global South as well as from our Mission partners on the issues and challenges facing them.
 
Responses
 
14. In a globalised world, where local cultures and traditions have been weakened (along with time-tested values), there is a need for holistic discipleship.  Therefore, we need to invest in the next generation.  We need to start this as early as possible.  This will include the environment in which the child or youth grows, including the family, church and school.
 
15. Much work needs to be done theologically and practically to guide the church in this call of discipleship within each culture.  To this end, churches and theological centres need to share resources and to work together.  Greater coordination is needed between theologians and theological centres.  Much of this theological work is to apply within the context of the church community and her needs.
 
16. There were intensive discussions on the need for theological and economic empowerment.  We are inter-dependent and we need each other.  Constructive partnerships are needed to encourage each Province to be increasingly self-reliant.  Much of this can happen through the mutual sharing of resources and building up of relationships.  Economic and intellectual resources are needed to do the work.
 
17. In relating to other faiths, we need to engage in meaningful and constructive inter-faith dialogue.  While we acknowledge that this could be difficult in some societies, we seek to encourage, help and support churches, both in better understanding our own faith and in facing more radical and political forms of other religions.
 
18. In the Mission of the Church, we are encouraged by some of the global trends.  While we can attempt to project into the future from statistics based on present realities, we need to acknowledge the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, which is a starting point for faith and courage in spreading the gospel.
 
19. The nature of the global Anglican Church affords us an opportunity to serve, work and learn together.  This is a gift from God to the world, of a church which is globally connected and yet rooted into the local community.  Our unity is both a witness and a conduit by which this work and witness flow.
 
“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ….to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen.” (Romans 16:25-27, ESV)
 

2.  The theme of Conference called the Church to “Be Transformed by the Renewing of the mind to Obedience of Faith for Holistic Mission in a Radically Changing Global Landscape”, offering our sanctified bodies and renewed minds as living sacrifices for our Lord’s glory.

3.  We are grateful to the Lord for the convivial fellowship, the insightful discussions and the spirit of unity that we enjoyed at this assembly. It is truly a demonstration of the Holy Spirit at work across diverse cultures and backgrounds to shape “a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9) for His glory in the salvation of humankind.

4.  The Conference, with delegations from the Global South as well as orthodox Anglican churches in the West, explored the trends in mission in the 21st century amidst the post-1989 global landscape, and evaluated the effectiveness of Anglicans in missions. The challenges of the unfinished work of mission were intensively discussed in four tracks, namely Economic Empowerment, Emerging Servant Leaders, Theological Resourcing and Inter-faith Relations, as well as various regional networking sessions.

5.  We are committed to implement the recommendations of the Conference. In order to do so, we have appointed the following Task Forces to follow up the progress.

5.1    Economic Empowerment, coordinated by the Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala.

5.2    Theological Resourcing, coordinated by the Most Rev Bolly Lapok.

a)      Evangelism and Discipleship
b)      Mission

5.3    Emerging Servant Leaders, coordinated by the Most Rev Ian Ernest.

5.4    Inter-faith Relations, coordinated by the Most Rev Nicholas Okoh.

6.  We note with great sadness the passing of Resolution A049 at the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church which authorized a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. This action confirms our disappointment that The Episcopal Church has no regard for the concerns and convictions of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.

7.  We stand in solidarity with our brethren in the Communion Partners who have dissented from this action. We uphold them in prayer and support them in fellowship as they continue in their commitment to the evangelical faith and catholic order of the Church, as expressed in their Minority Report known as The Indianapolis Statement.

8.  We also appreciate and support all the faithful in Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) as well as those in the Anglican Church in Canada who remain true to our biblical and historic faith.

9.   We deeply respect and appreciate our historical and spiritual relationship with the See of Canterbury. We have written to the Crown Nominations Commission with concerns from the Global South and important principles for consideration as it nominates candidates for the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.

10.  We have appointed a new Global South Primates Steering Committee (GSPSC) comprising:

10.1    The Most Rev Dr Mouneer Anis as Chairman

10.2    The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh as Vice-Chairman

10.3    The Most Rev Ian Ernest as Honorary Secretary

10.4    The Most Rev Bolly Lapok as Honorary Treasurer

10.5    The Most Rev Stephen Than as an Elected Member

10.6    The Most Rev Henri Isingoma as an Elected Member

10.7    The Most Rev Hector Zavala as an Elected Member

10.8    The Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala as an Elected Member

10.9    The Most Rev Daniel Deng as an Elected Member

11. We have also invited the Primates of the Provinces of West Africa and Melanesia to be co-opted members of this Steering Committee.

12. We deeply appreciate the Right Rev Dr John Chew who served as Secretary and Chairman of the last two Steering Committees respectively, especially for his untiring efforts in focusing the Global South on the vital tasks of missions and transformation of society through the Gospel of Jesus Christ culminatinh in this Conference.

13. We have the pleasure of nominating the Right Rev Peter Akinola and the Right Rev Dr John Chew to be Honorary Members of the Global South Steering Committee.

14. We also appreciate the Venerable Wong Tak Meng and the Rev Canon Terry Wong for their work in the Global South Secretariat.

15.  Now, as we launch the Decade of Mission and Networking, we seek God’s guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to expand God’s kingdom.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Primates Present or Represented:

The Most Rev Dr Mouneer Anis, Primate of Jerusalem & the Middle East
The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, Primate of Nigeria
The Most Rev Ian Ernest, Primate of the Indian Ocean
The Most Rev Bolly Lapok, Primate of South East Asia
The Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya
The Most Rev Stephen Tan, Primate of Myanmar
The Most Rev Henri Isingoma, Primate of Congo
The Most Rev Daniel Deng, Primate of Sudan
The Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi, Primate of Burundi
The Most Rev Onesphore Rwaje, Primate of Rwanda
The Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania
The Most Rev David Vunagi, Primate of Melanesia
The Most Rev Joseph Kopapa, Primate of Papua New Guinea
The Right Rev Dr Johannes Seoka representing Southern Africa
The Right Rev Matthias Medadues-Badohu representing West Africa
The Right Rev Dr Chad Gandiya representing Central Africa
The Right Rev Peter Bartlett representing the Southern Cone

1. At the kind invitation of His Excellency Mr. Wang Zuoan, Minister for the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) of the People’s Republic of China, following his visit to some African provinces earlier this year, we, the Primates of the Global South of the Anglican Communion, visited China from 30 August to 10 September 2011. It is with regret that a few other Primates were unable to be with us due to urgent matters that require their attention.

2. We wish to express our deep appreciation for the cordial hospitality extended to us by Mr. Wang, the staff of SARA and the religious affairs authorities of Jiangsu Province and the cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai. This visit is opening the way for greater cooperation between China and the countries we represent, especially in the areas of church development, social services and commercial activity.

3. Our hearts are greatly warmed by the fellowship we enjoyed with the senior pastors and church leaders in the various cities. We are particularly grateful for the brotherly hospitality of Elder Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TSPM), and the Rev Gao Feng, President of the China Christian Council (CCC).

4. Most of all, we are grateful to God for this historic opportunity for deeper fellowship, prayer and reflection among ourselves as Primates of the Global South.

5. The visit has been an extraordinary learning experience for us. We are amazed at the advances in economic growth and social development in China over the past three decades, including the recognition and encouragement given to the church and other religious organizations.

6. We are also inspired by the exponential growth of the Church in China, in spite of the challenges she faces. We are encouraged to see a Church that is actively leading people to faith in Christ, training lay leaders for ministry, advancing the theological education of catechists and clergy, and being a blessing to society, especially in providing social services to the needy.

7. We rejoice that the Amity Printing Press in Nanjing has printed over 90 million copies of the Bible, most of which are for distribution in China. Bibles and New Testaments are printed in nine ethnic minority languages. Amity Press has also printed Bibles for many African countries.

8. The Amity Foundation, as the first Christian-initiated non-profit social welfare organization in China, is engaged in an impressive range of relief and development projects for disadvantaged communities, signifying a move from being self-sufficient to achieving excellence.

9. These achievements affirm the church’s faithfulness in doing God’s work in a manner that is self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. In all this, we recognize God’s divine providence, grace and wisdom.

10. We are also excited by the invitation by the Church in China, with the support and encouragement of SARA, to develop a long-term relationship with the Global South of the Anglican Communion for mutual encouragement and sharing of experiences.

11. In our reflections, we found that our Anglican Communion has also undergone a tremendous transformation in recent decades. Today, the majority of Anglicans are found no longer in the west, but in churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America that are firmly committed to our historic faith and order.

12. At the same time, it grieves us deeply to observe many Anglican churches in the west yielding to secular pressure to allow unacceptable practices in the name of human rights and equality. Beginning with the undermining of Scriptural authority and two millennia of church tradition, the erosion of orthodoxy has gone as far as the ordination and consecration of active gay and lesbian clergy and bishops, and the development of liturgies for same-sex marriage.

13. We are wholeheartedly committed to the unity of Anglican Communion and recognize the importance of the historic See of Canterbury. Sadly, however, the Anglican Communion’s Instruments of Unity have become dysfunctional and no longer have the ecclesial and moral authority to hold the Communion together. For instance:

13.1. It was regrettable that the Lambeth Conference 2008 was designed not to make any resolutions that would have helped to resolve the crisis facing the Communion.

13.2. The Primates’ Meeting in Dublin in January 2011 was planned without prior consultation with the Primates in regard to the agenda. There was no commitment to follow through the recommendations of previous Primates’ Meetings. The responsibility given by all bishops at the 1988 and 1998 Lambeth Conferences for the Primates’ Meeting to “exercise an enhanced responsibility in offering guidance on doctrinal, moral and pastoral matters” seems to have been completely set aside.

13.3. The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), the Anglican Communion Standing Committee, and Communion-level commissions such as the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) and the Anglican Communion Liturgical Commission no longer reflect the common mind of the churches of the Communion because many members from the Global South can no longer with good conscience attend these meetings as issues that are aggravating and tearing the fabric of the Communion are being ignored.

14. We have devoted much time to discuss the Anglican Communion Covenant and the Preamble by the Province of South East Asia documenting the historical events leading up to the Covenant and insisting that the Primates should be the proper moral and spiritual authority for the monitoring of the Covenant. The Covenant with the Preamble have been commended to our respective Provinces for further study and decision.

15. We are committed to uphold the apostolic faith and traditions that define us as Anglicans. This commitment compels us to adopt a proactive stance with respect to our common mission and witness.

15.1. We are planning a Missions Consultation with the theme “Decade of Mission and Networking” as proposed in the Fourth South-to-South Encounter, as a unifying vocational platform on which we realize and build up our common life and witness. Orthodox Anglican churches and groups will be invited to join hands with us in missions.

15.2. We commend the initiatives of theological education carried out in some of our provinces to strengthen the theological foundations and deepen theological reflection among future leaders of the Church.

15.3. We are developing economic empowerment strategies and networks to enable churches in the Global South to be more economically self-sustaining using the resources God has blessed each of our nations.

15.4. We are committed to support faithful orthodox Anglican churches and groups in the west which share our historic faith and order.

16. Inspired by the grace of God which we have witnessed in China, and refreshed by our fellowship with one another in Christ, we continue to pray that all who confess the name of Christ may be united in His truth, live together in His love, and reveal His glory in the world. Amen.

The Word of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures unites us.

Signatories:

Most Rev Dr John Chew

Most Rev Henry Luke Orombi

Most Rev Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis

Most Rev Justice Ofei Akrofi

Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi

Most Rev Nicholas Dikeriehi Okoh*

Most Rev Stephen Than Myint Oo

Most Rev Hector Zavala

Most Rev Eliud Wabukala

Most Rev Onesphore Rwaje

Most Rev Albert Chama

9 September 2011

*Note: Abp Okoh left a day earlier before the Communique was finalised

  Group photo of Welcome Banquet at main function room at Beijing Hotel on arrival by Minister Wang Zuoan,
Minister for State Administration for Religious Affairs and Mr Jiang Jianyung, Deputy-Minister.

This Preamble gives an account of the decisions that led to the drawing up of the Anglican Communion Covenant. It also outlines the raison d'être for the Church of the Province of South East Asia’s agreement to sign the Anglican Communion Covenant. The historical events of the past decade which caused the ‘torn fabric of the communion’ set the context in which the Province and the constituent Dioceses see the need for this process. It follows that this Preamble also expresses our expectations that the background which has given rise to the need for this are recognised by the Churches of the Anglican Communion and provides the milieu in which it is signed...

The Province of Southeast Asia has adopted the Anglican Covenant, accompanied by this Preamble to the Letter of Accession. Read the Preamble here

--------