Members of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission on Unity and Mission attend choral evensong in Westminster Abbey, London. Photo: Anglican Communion/Neil Vigers
Anglican-Lutheran International Commission on Unity and Mission meets in London to explore missional ecumenism
(LWI) - Communion among Christians of different denominations is “not a static state that is achieved in a certain moment through texts or specific actions,” but rather “a layered process that unfolds over time.” That conviction is what drives the work of Lutheran and Anglican leaders in different countries across the globe who are engaged in the work for full, visible Christian unity through ALICUM, the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission on Unity and Mission.
Members of the ALICUM Steering Group met in the British capital, London, from 4 to 7 March to hear about the work of various pairs of Anglican and Lutheran bishops and to explore how changing perspectives on mission, experienced in the different local contexts, can influence the way churches approach their ecumenical activities and relationships. “An important recognition from this conversation is that relationships of ecclesial communion take different forms in different places,” says a communique released at the close of the meeting.
A new perspective is opened up on the deep connectivity of unity and mission
Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, who serves as co-secretary of the Steering Group, said participants were inspired as they heard from pairs of local church leaders reporting on progress over the past year. “Relationships of ecclesial communion take different forms in different places,” he reiterated, “yet they continually evolve over time. A new perspective is opened up on the deep connectivity of unity and mission, or what one might call missional ecumenism."
The Steering Group met at the offices of the Anglican Communion, sharing together in worship, taking part in Sunday services at local churches, as well as attending choral evensong at Westminster Abbey. During the meeting, members held an online session with ALICUM bishops from Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Finland, the Holy Land, Ireland, Malaysia, Tanzania and the United States of America.
Learning from local country contexts
Steering Group members, who are tasked with planning and accompanying the pairings of church leaders, discussed reports from different country contexts, in particular from Canada, where Anglicans and Lutherans have now been working together in increasingly close relationships, from leadership to grassroots level, for nearly 25 years. They noted that this has raised practical questions, such as issues relating to liturgy, sacraments and governance in the growing numbers (at least 60) of joint Anglican-Lutheran congregations.
Participants also discussed a new 'Augsburg Agreement’, signed in Munich in June 2025, between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and the Episcopal Church in Europe, in which the two churches “recognize in each other the sustained existence of evangelical and historical succession,” forming the basis for full communion, the joint communique notes. The group also looked ahead to upcoming events, including the next meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in June and July this year, as well as preparations for the next LWF Assembly to be held in Augsburg, Germany in 2030.
“We had a very fruitful and encouraging meeting, co-chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Kondoa in Tanzania, Dr Given Gaula and retired Bishop Cindy Halmarson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada,” said Prof. Lange. “We believe that this recognition of the contextual nature of communion enhances the ways in which our ecumenical dialogues, along with bilateral and multilateral communion relationships, are articulated, structured and supported.”
