In 2001 the Anglican Church of Canada's General Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada's National Convention, meeting concurrently in Waterloo, Ontario, agreed to a relationship of Full Communion. Readers will be familiar with the Porvoo Communion and the associated Declaration. The Waterloo Declaration is similar in effect and borrows some wording from the Porvoo Declaration, the key difference being that, in the Canadian context, Anglican and Lutheran churches share the same territory, which provides greater opportunity for day-to-day collaboration.
The two governing bodies next met concurrently in Winnipeg in 2007, sharing a day-long programmatic session. A further step was taken in the relationship in 2013 with a Joint Assembly of the two bodies, meeting in Ottawa 3–7 July. (The General Synod normally meets once every three years, the National Convention once every two years.)
The Joint Assembly was organised along the Lund Principle, with the General Synod and the National Convention doing everything together except what they were required constitutionally to do separately. Thus meals, worship and programmatic sessions were all held together, while legislative business of necessity was conducted separately. The resulting timetable provided for six joint sessions and five separate sessions.
Highlights of the joint sessions included a keynote address by the Revd Dr Christopher Duraisingh and greetings from the General Secretaries of the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion and the Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. (The two American Churches are also in a Full Communion relationship.) Joint programmes focused on affordable housing and responsible resource extraction.Footnote 7
LEGISLATION
Legislation approved by the General Synod included a revision of the Declaration of Principles (the highest constitutional document) to eliminate duplication with the Constitution and a revision of the formula for representation from the 30 dioceses which would reduce the size of the General Synod. A new Canon on indigenous ministry, introduced in skeletal form in 2010, was given flesh; and a new provision for the governance of the Anglican Military Ordinariate, including the election of the Bishop to the Canadian Forces by the military chaplains and lay representatives, was also adopted.
A resolution to continue study of the proposed Anglican Covenant and to monitor continued developments was adopted. A resolution to begin preparing legislation to amend the Canon on marriage to make provision for same-gender marriages was also adopted. It is envisioned that the draft legislation would be brought to the next meeting of the General Synod in 2016, for final adoption in 2019.
Finally, approval was given for the division of the Diocese of Keewatin, which straddles the Ontario and Manitoba border, with the northern part becoming a new diocese populated and governed mainly by aboriginal people.
