Since its beginning, world mission has been at the forefront of the Anglican Communion…to the point that today a new chapter in our story is being written.

There was a time when people associated Anglicans almost exclusively with the West, but that’s no longer the case. Although it started in England, Anglicanism has become one of the world’s most multicultural and multi-ethnic churches, having grown into a worldwide body.

There are more than 80 million Anglicans from 165 countries, making it the third largest body of Christians in the world. We speak numerous languages and hail from many ethnicities and cultures, united by our love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and use of the Book of Common Prayer.

If trends continue, according to some missiologists, by 2050 the global total of Anglicans will be approaching 150 million of whom only a tiny minority will be of European descent.

The Global South—the continents of Asia, Africa, and South America—represent by far the greatest growth in the Anglican Communion. And today it’s the churches of the Global South who are largely leading the future direction of the Communion.

This Sunday we’ll give some focus to the global mission of our Church.