IASCUFO Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order

The Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) is one of the main places where the Anglican Communion does its theological and ecclesiological reflection.

It is a permanent commission of the Anglican Communion and reports to the Instruments of Communion.

Its brief is to advise the Instruments and member churches on matters of doctrine, ecclesiology, liturgy, canon law, and ecumenical relations.

IASCUFO is a wide-ranging and representative group, involving members from different parts of the Anglican Communion in Africa, Asia, South and North America, Europe, and Australia.

Group 1IASCUFO's mandate is to: 

  • Promote the deepening of Communion between the Churches of the Anglican Communion, and between those Churches and the other churches and traditions of the Christian oikumene
  • Advise the Provinces and the Instruments of Communion on all questions of ecumenical engagement, proposals for national, regional or international ecumenical agreement or schemes of co-operation and unity, as well as on questions touching Anglican Faith and Order
  • Review developments in the areas of faith, order or unity in the Anglican Communion and among ecumenical partners, and to give advice to the Churches of the Anglican Communion or to the Instruments of Communion upon them, with the intention to promote common understanding, consistency, and convergence both in Anglican Communion affairs, and in ecumenical engagement
  • Assist any Province with the assessment of new proposals in the areas of Unity, Faith and Order as requested. 

IASCUFO and ACC-18

At the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-18) in Ghana, in 2023, IASCUFO were commissioned with a renewed exploration of “structure and decision-making to help address our differences in the Anglican Communion.”

This was in response to proposals IASCUFO shared with ACC, to address differences and divisions in the Anglican Communion in a theologically and ecclesiologically faithful way.

Following the commission by ACC-18, a sub-group of IASCUFO was set up to produce draft proposals.

A paper outlining the proposals has now been published, called The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals: Renewing the Instruments of the Anglican Communion.

IASCUFO and Primates Meeting 2024

At the Primates Meeting in 2024, Primates were consulted on the draft work of IASCUFO about the Instruments of the Anglican Communion.

As an ongoing piece of work commissioned by the Anglican Consultative Council in 2023, IASCUFO will carry its paper to the next meeting of the ACC in 2026.

Find out more

Visit the web page about the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals and download the report here.