SYNOD 2026
Our Synod speaker was the Rev. Dr. Mervyn Eloff; who encouraged us afresh with the gospel; along the theme of “Growing Deep, Reaching Wide,” which was also the subject of our Presiding Bishop’s charge. Such gospel growth is key to achieving our mission of reaching every community with the gospel.
Feedback From Leadership Retreat:
On behalf of the National Executive Committee, Geoff Jacobs began by giving some feedback from our leadership retreat in May. Progress has been made in a number of the issues and challenges raised. Highlighted at this Synod were the following actions:
- Our Presiding Bishop has appointed the Rev. Luke Giles as the “Presiding Bishop’s Chaplain,” to assist him in administrative matters and improving his capacity to serve,
- A standing committee has been formed to update the relevant denominational documents following each Synod,
- The National Executive has appointed a Management Committee to meet monthly, focusingon operations, with the goal of improving response times to our churches and improving the day-to- running of the denomination.
Perhaps the most significant action taken is aimed at addressing the inequalities in our denomination; the new Simunye (‘we are one’) fund. Bishop Martin Morrison has worked with the central office to identify needy clergy within REACH SA whose churches are not currently able to pay them a full salary. This fund has already begun to raise money to support these gospel workers and invest in ministry in township areas.
Initially, individuals donors are being approached to raise a total of 12 million rand; which will make up the salary shortfall for five years. Simultaneously, our National Executive Committee have established a new property company to generate sustainable long-term income for the denomination. Payouts from the Simunye fund will be distributed through our existing structures which already have the necessary accountability and controls built-in, and are planned to begin in January 2027.
Anglican Doctrine of Scripture
At Synod 2025, a motion was passed to have a position paper presented annually at Synod. This year, the inaugural paper was presented on the Anglican doctrine of scripture, prepared by Rev. Dr. Roydon Frost.
It was an encouraging reminder that built into historic Anglicanism is an understanding of the authority of God’s word over all things, its sufficiency for salvation, and freedom it gives us to adapt our ministry of the unchanging gospel to reach the nations. These yearly position papers will be available upon request.
Ministry Reports
Our ministry reports from the regions across South Africa were overwhelmingly stories of gospel growth in the midst of challenges, and throughout Southern Africa, growth amidst massive under-resourcement. There is gospel growth nonetheless: in Mozambique alone there are forty churches and twelve church plants underway!
It was particularly encouraging to hear that our growth across Sub-Saharan Africa has been through local churches reaching out to us, in the words of one report, “because you [REACH] have the treasure of the gospel and are willing to share it.”
REACH Africa has rapidly grown from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Mozambique to include churches from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola. This year and next we are expecting to partner with churches in Kenya, Malawi, Burundi, Madagascar, and Botswana. Each of these national churches is or will be self-governing with its own leadership and synod.
GAFCON
REACH SA has been involved in GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures Conference)—an alliance of confessing Anglicans who have stood firm on the authority of the word of God and taken a stand against liberalism within global Anglicanism—from its beginning. At this year’s gathering in Abuja, Nigeria, four significant areas were clarified:
1. The primacy and authority of Scripture over the global church,
2. True Anglicanism is confessional, based on holding to the Reformed doctrines expressed in the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal; not institutional, based on allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury,
3. Principled disengagement from those churches within Anglicanism that have continued to reject the authority of Scripture despite repeated calls to repentance,
4. The establishment of a “Global Anglican Council” to provide leadership in the place of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This includes both clergy and laity, and our Presiding Bishop, Siegfried Ngubane, represents us on this council.
Synod 2027
For the first time, Synod 2027 will be hosted in the Eastern Cape, at Emmanuel Church in Gqeberha.