The ordination of bishops from within the apostolic succession was of major importance to this group, as also was having the church recognized as a lawfully constituted religious denomination.
More recently,[clarification needed] the communion has evolved and grown, at present having 25 provinces in different US states and countries.
From 1956 to 1960, the FPEC was formally affiliated to the movement then led by Hugh George de Willmott Newman (Mar Georgius).
After a schism (circa 1978) in the communion, one of the factions led by Horst Block was renamed "The International Free Protestant Episcopal Church" (TIFPEC).
On 12 February 2008, Block died and Bishop Peter Leers succeeded him as the primus of TIFPEC.
In 2020 a group of bishops mostly from Latin America formally declared their intent to remove Archbishop Palmer.
During the bishops' synod of 2012 in Bolivia, the organization adopted the new name "The Anglican Free Communion".