Ecumenism between Anglicans and Lutherans in Leeds

The last Sunday of October marked a special time for the relationship between St Michael's Headingley and St Luke’s & St Matthew’s Lutheran Church Leeds/Bradford (part of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain – LCiGB).

The association between the two churches began almost by accident with work between their respective clergy – Rev. Josh Peckett, Assistant Curate at St Michael’s, and Rev. Joseph Nelson, Senior Pastor of St Luke’s – but has developed over the last 12 months as the churches’ ministers and musicians have been able to increasingly support each other’s work. Now more and more the two congregations are beginning to encounter each other and build friendships, and this growing relationship was marked by a special day of festivities.

The final Sunday of October is celebrated as Reformation Sunday among Lutherans, and some other Protestants, and often as Bible Sunday in the Church of England. This Sunday is chosen because it falls close to 31st October, the date on which the Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) is reputed to have posted 95 theses (academic propositions for debate) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. The theses were then disseminated in the vernacular across the German lands of the Holy Roman Empire, calling attention to what Luther perceived to be the excess and corruption of the mediaeval Church, both in its theology and practice. As a result, the 31st October is seen as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in Europe, from which both the Lutheran and Anglican churches arose.

After celebrating morning services at our respective churches, the two congregations came together first for a big lunch at a local restaurant and then for a special service of Lutheran Choral Vespers at St Michael’s. The Vespers was traditionally Lutheran but with a few tweaks (such as standing to sing hymns, which is often not the case in Lutheran churches). The service was sung by the Choir of St Michael’s, including a piece by Johann Sebastain Bach, and well-attended. Pastor Joseph led the service and preached on Isaiah 55 and the principles of the Reformation: “Faith is so often reduced to bland doctrine and symbol. And yet, Luther was not articulating so much a doctrine as a love affair. In reading the scriptures, he fell in love with God and realized that God loved him unconditionally. The doctrine of justification by faith through grace, found in the scriptures, can be summed up in one line from the Gospel of John: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’”

We were joined by the Rt. Rev. Walter Jagucki, a former Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, as well as Rev. Emlyn Ott, a Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and an associate professor of Bexley Seabury Seminary.

Bishop Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman, the current Bishop of the LCiGB sent greetings, affirming the importance of ecumenical relations: “The strongest tie between us today is the Porvoo Agreement, which enables us to work closely together and exchange our resources… And we look to each other as siblings for mutual comfort, joy and support.”

Pastor Joseph says: “It has been a great joy to work with Rev. Josh and the people of St Michael’s. Work such as this is what brings our ecumenical agreements to life. True ecumenism begins with friendship and relationships. This is where the real work of Christian unity begins - in the local context as Christians break down the walls that divide us.”

“Ecumenism is a priority. It is more important than ever when churches in the UK are having to adapt to new challenges as well as opportunities in bringing the Gospel to our local communities and nation,” says Rev. Josh. “We can strengthen our resources, find friends, encouragement and support, and new possibilities emerge for mission. I hope that the relationship and understanding between Anglican and Lutheran churches in Headingley, and more widely in Leeds, will continue to grow in the coming years.”