Lutheran and Anglican Churches Recognize the Signing of the Waterloo Declaration on July 6, 2001 that Brought the Two Denominations into Full Communion

~ from a post dated June 29, 2026 on the In Full Communion: Anglicans and Lutherans Working Together in Canada website

“We are ready to be co-workers with God in whatever tasks of mission serve the Gospel. We give glory to God for the gift of unity already ours in Christ, and we pray for the fuller realization of this gift in the entire Church.”

With these concluding words of the Waterloo Declaration, read aloud on July 6, 2001, Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada committed themselves to a shared future in full communion. They chose to treat differences in areas such as church order, faith expression and liturgical style as gifts that can strengthen unity. They chose partnership, mutual responsibility and a reconciled future over inherited division. Through common discernment, joint witness, shared ministry and so much more, we have learned again and again that unity in Christ is not merely an institutional arrangement, but a gift of grace that strengthens the Church for joining God’s mission in the world.

This 25th anniversary of our partnership comes at a time of great political, economic and ecological uncertainty, and of growing distrust among nations, communities and institutions. Our churches are also navigating significant structural and leadership transitions, trying to adapt to different capacities and resource levels, and seeking new ways to proclaim and embody the Gospel in rapidly changing contexts. In such a moment, the witness of full communion matters more than ever. When churches choose cooperation over competition and shared life over isolation, they offer a small glimpse of God’s healing and reconciling vision for all.

As we give thanks for the blessings of full communion over the last quarter century, we know the call to widen the circle of communion with all who follow the way of Jesus is ongoing. Recently, we extended mutual recognition of our respective agreements with our Churches Beyond Borders partners across the Canada-USA divide, and both our churches now share full communion with the Moravian Church in North America. As Christian ministry presence in Canada continues to evolve, we believe the years ahead will require us to embrace deeper collaboration with many other churches and communities of faith with whom we already share substantial common ground.

As we mark this milestone, let us then renew once more the vocation God has entrusted to us. May Lutherans and Anglicans across Canada continue to learn from one another, pray with one another and serve alongside one another. May our shared commitment deepen our service to the common good and equip the next generation to inherit the structures of full communion and extend its promise with fresh imagination and courage.

With gratitude for the past and confidence in God’s leading for the future, we commend our congregations, ministries and leaders to God’s grace, trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead us forward.

We also invite Anglican and Lutheran churches across Canada to lift up our 25th anniversary in prayer by including the following petition in Sunday worship on July 5, 2026, or at other suitable occasions near the anniversary date:

God of unity and grace, you have bound us together in the body of your Son Jesus Christ and strengthened us through the gifts we share with one another. We thank you for 25 years of full communion between Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada. By your Holy Spirit, deepen our fellowship, renew our common witness, and lead us into ever greater partnership in your mission. And in all these things, may they be for the life of the world. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer
National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada