Primates' Meeting

As one of the ‘Instruments’ of the Anglican Communion, the Primates’ Meeting gathers the senior bishops, archbishops, and moderators of the member churches of the Communion every two years. The meetings are planned by the regional primates of the Communion who serve on the Primates’ Standing Committee. 

The meetings include prayer, conversation, Bible study, and fellowship, and provide the primates an opportunity to speak words of encouragement, challenge, and direction to their own churches and to the Communion.  

Since its establishment in 1978 by then-Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan, the Primates’ Meeting has coordinated closely with both the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lambeth Conference.  

There are four ‘Instruments’ of the Anglican Communion that work together to order and articulate the shared life and mission of member churches. They are the Primates’ Meeting, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Lambeth Conference, and The Archbishop of Canterbury.