The 14th edition of the Church of Nigerian, Anglican Communion’s Chancellors, Registrars and Legal Officers Conference began on the 4thof August with the theme “Called as A Watchman. Ezekiel 33:7.”
The Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, in his keynote address, discussed a wide range of topics, calling on the legal professionals to act as “watchmen” for both the church and the nation.
“This conference has become a platform for fellowship, a place of empowerment and refocusing for mission. We give glory to God for the impact of this conference on the church,” he said in his opening remarks.
He highlighted a series of internal achievements while also outlining the church’s significant progress and future projects under the topic, “The Decade of the Reign of God: Progress, Challenges and Prospects.”
Primate Ndukuba celebrated the church’s role as a leading voice in the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) movement, a coalition of orthodox Anglican provinces who are united towards maintaining the truth of the gospel of Christ. He appreciated the GAFCON leaders for their decision to hold mini conferences between the major five-year conference.
The maiden edition of the mini conference took place at Christ Church, Plano, Texas, tagged “G25 Conference” held from 10th to 15th March 2025. About 40 Bishops of the Church of Nigeria participated.
He announced that the Church of Nigeria has been able to contribute $2.5 million to the GAFCON Endowment Fund for the establishment of the new GAFCON provinces. He noted that a separate $2.3 million fund needs to be raised for GAFCON’s work in Nigeria and that work is in progress.
The Primate also reflected on significant church matters, including the lifting of a moratorium on creating new dioceses and the successful election of several bishops and re-election of archbishops.
“The Moratorium on the creation of Dioceses was lifted during the 14thGeneral Synod at Nnewi and clear guidelines and conditions were laid out as a guide for the Creation of a New Diocese,” he said.
“The three Committees of the Supra Regions in the Church of Nigeria, Supra West, Supra North and Supra Nations East, mandated under the leadership of some of our fathers have submitted the reports. The National Validation Team on Creation of Dioceses have also submitted their reports and findings and we are trusting God to lead us unto the next phase of this process. We shall be creating some full-fledged Dioceses and some Missionary Dioceses.”
He commended the work of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Taskforce for its successes in resolving conflicts within dioceses, and praised legal officers who had received elevations to the judiciary and as Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).
The Primate’s address also served as a progress report on his Primacy, now in its sixth year. He lauded the church’s continued focus on mission, evangelism, and discipleship, noting the success of the Joshua Generation International Mission Conference, which saw over 20,000 young people in attendance. A new board and a special fund have been established to sustain this youth-focused mission.
Further demonstrating its commitment to global evangelism, the Church of Nigeria announced a World Mission Congress scheduled for October 1-4, 2025, in Abuja. The event will bring together participants from six mission zones to explore new strategies for global evangelization.
In a firm declaration, Primate Ndukuba reinforced the Church of Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to biblical orthodoxy. He decried the rise of “revisionists” and “heretical teachings” within the Anglican Communion.
He specifically cited the recent appointment of an openly lesbian archbishop, Cherry Vann, as the 15th Archbishop of Wales.
The Primate affirmed that there would be “no turning back” from its stance against homosexuality and other teachings it considers contrary to the authority of the Scriptures. He added that the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has officially cut all ties with the Anglican Church of Wales following the election of Bishop Cherry Vann.
