International Level
 Anglican - Lutheran International Joint Working Group, Virginia, USA, 2000 |
International bilateral dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans began with conversations held from 1970 until 1972, that led to the so-called Pullach Report, which deals with a number of central ecumenical issues. An Anglican-Lutheran Working Group then met in 1975. In 1981, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) invited the LWF to reconvene in a Joint Working Group.
This invitation was welcomed and accepted by the LWF in 1982. The Joint Working Group met in 1983 and issued the so-called Cold Ash Report, known particularly for its description of "full communion" as an ecumenical goal.
In 1986, the Anglican-Lutheran International Continuation Committee (ALICC) met for the first time and laid plans for a joint consultation on episcope. The consultation took place in 1987, after which ALICC met and produced the so-called "Niagara Report" on Episcope. This report has been of great importance for subsequent regional agreements between Lutherans and Anglicans. The Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) was subsequently established and concluded its work in 1995 with the report "The Diaconate as an Ecumenical Opportunity"(the Hanover Report), presently being studied by the churches.
The Ninth LWF Assembly in 1997 and the Lambeth Conference in 1998 both strongly affirmed further development of Anglican-Lutheran relations and requested continuation. With a three-year mandate from the ACC and LWF, an Anglican-Lutheran International Working Group (ALIWG) began work in 2000 to study relationships between Anglicans and Lutherans worldwide and make recommendations for the future. Its specific aim was to study the compatibility of regional Anglican-Lutheran agreements and their significance for the relationship between the two world communions. The ALIWG Report with its recommendations was published in the spring of 2003 and is being studied by the LWF member churches.
Regional Level
There have been regional dialogues between Anglicans and Lutherans in
- the USA since 1969
- Australia since 1972
- Europe-wide 1980-1982
- Canada since 1983
- Germany-England since 1987
- Northern Europe since 1989
- Africa since 1992
- France-Great Britain since 1994, and
- in Brazil dialogue is presently being established.
Anglicans and Lutherans have entered into various binding forms of regional church fellowship in Europe and North America.
The following two agreements, committing the partners to a high level of church fellowship and close cooperation, have been entered into together with Reformed churches:
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The Meissen Agreement, 1991, between the Church of England and Evangelical Church in Germany
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The Reuilly Common Statement, 1999, between the British and Irish Anglican churches and French Lutheran and Reformed churches
The following three agreements were entered into by Anglican and Lutheran churches. They represent a communion relationship, which includes full sacramental sharing and interchangeability of ministers:
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The Porvoo Common Statement, 1993, between Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches and British and Irish Anglican churches
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Called to Common Mission, 2000, between the Episcopal Church, USA, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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The Waterloo Agreement, 2000, between the Anglican Church of Canada and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The ACC and LWF hold Joint Staff Meetings at regular intervals.
