Anglican-Lutheran: ACNA-LCMS-LCC

The dialogue between the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), the Lutheran Church-Canada (LCC), and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) began in 2010. Meetings generally take place in the United States. The LCC reports that “Over the years, this dialogue has taken on quite a number of topics to see how close theologically LCC and LCMS are to ACNA, and what things still separate us. These discussions are quite frank and honest, but always uplifting as the desire of every participant is to seek theological truth from Holy Scripture.”

In 2016, LCC, LCMS, and ACNA published a document entitled “On Closer Acquaintance” which outlines how the early years of the dialogue progressed. Participants are now endeavouring to produce a new document on how things have transpired since. The next meeting of this dialogue will take place in May 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dialogue sessions have found notable agreement regarding the Trinity, the historical death and resurrection of Christ, justification by grace through faith, and the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. The dialogue has identified specific topics needing more work before full “altar and pulpit fellowship” can be considered:

• The Ordering of Ministry: This is the most prominent point requiring further study. Discussions involve how the office of a bishop functions and how it connects to the Lutheran understanding of the pastoral office.
• Female Ordination: While the LCMS and LCC restrict ordination exclusively to men, ACNA allows dioceses to decide on the ordination of women to the priesthood (though its bishops are strictly male). This ongoing internal discussion within ACNA is tracked closely by the Lutherans.

Meetings continue to take place periodically to foster mutual understanding and evaluate how relations have progressed. The discussions have also expanded to include an international scope with global Lutheran bodies (such as the International Lutheran Council) and Anglican counterparts