Introduction
Guidelines for Celebration of the Sacraments in Settings of Shared Worship
The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America share common theologies, traditions, and commitments to mission.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Episcopal Church recognize in each other the essentials of the one catholic and apostolic faith as it is witnessed in the unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Small Catechism, and The Book of Common Prayer of 1979 (including "Ordination Rites" and "An Outline of the Faith"), and also as it is summarized in part in Implications of the Gospel and "Toward Full Communion" and "Concordat of Agreement," (containing the reports of Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue III, the papers and official conversations of Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue III, and the statements formulated by Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogues I and II. Each church also promises to encourage its people to study each other's basic documents.
– from "Called to Common Mission," paragraph 4
We rejoice in our new full communion agreement between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Niagra Report (1989) describes this common commitment to the essentials of the Christian faith in this way:
"We accept the authority of the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We read the Scriptures liturgically in the course of the church's year.
"We accept the Niceno-Constantinopolitan and Apostles' Creeds and confess the basic Trinitarian and Christological Dogmas to which these creeds testify. That is, we believe that Jesus of Nazareth is true God and true Man, and that God is authentically identified as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
"Anglicans and Lutherans use very similar orders of service for the Eucharist, for the Prayer Offices, for the administration of Baptism, for the rites of Marriage, Burial, and Confession and Absolution. We acknowledge in the liturgy both a celebration of salvation through Christ and a significant factor in forming the consensus fidelium [the consensus of the faithful]. We have many hymns, canticles, and collects in common.
"We believe that baptism with water in the name of the Triune God unites the one baptized with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, initiates into the one holy, catholic and apostolic church, and confers the gracious gift of new life.
"We believe that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, distributed, and received under the forms of bread and wine in the Lord's Supper. We also believe that the grace of divine forgiveness offered in the sacrament is received with the thankful offering of ourselves for God's service.
"We believe and proclaim the gospel, that in Jesus Christ God loves and redeems the world. We share a common understanding of God's justifying grace, i.e. that we are accounted righteous and are made righteous before God only by grace through faith because of the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and not on account of our works or merit. Both our traditions affirm that justification leads and must lead to 'good works'; authentic faith issues in love.
"Anglicans and Lutherans believe that the church is not the creation of individual believers, but that it is constituted and sustained by the Triune God though God's saving action in Word and Sacraments. We believe that the church is sent into the world as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God. But we also recognize that the church stands in constant need of reform and renewal.
"We believe that all members of the church are called to participate in its apostolic mission. They are therefore given various ministries by the Holy Spirit. Within the community of the church the ordained ministry exists to serve the ministry of the whole people of God. We hold the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament to be a gift of God to his church and therefore an office of divine institution
"We believe that a ministry of pastoral oversight (episcopé) exercised in personal, collegial, and communal ways, is necessary to witness to and safeguard the unity and apostolicity of the church.
"We share a common hope in the final consummation of the kingdom of God and believe that we are compelled to work for the establishment of justice and peace. The obligations of the kingdom are to govern our life in the church and our concern for the world. The Christian faith is that God has made peace through Jesus 'by the blood of his cross' (Colossians 1:20) so establishing the one valid center for the unity of the whole human family."
– from "Called to Common Mission," paragraph 5
Because these churches recognize in each other one faith as expressed in the Scriptures and the Creeds, and the authenticity of baptism, eucharist, and ministry, shared worship is appropriate. The following guidelines for shared worship are offered to deepen and strengthen our full communion relationship and to promote the worship of God in ways that enrich and honor both churches.
These guidelines are not designed to be a set of regulations that answer every local situation. They do express, however, agreed-upon principles between our two churches. These guidelines are provided at the direction of the Presiding Bishops of both churches prior to the establishment of the joint coordinating committee described in "Called to Common Mission"
Proclamation of the Word of God is at the heart of our full communion. The clear and strong proclamation of Scripture by public reading is our common heritage. Ample opportunity to read, sing, preach, and hear the Gospel should be included in every experience of shared worship. Proclamation through preaching on biblical texts is at the heart of our shared histories and ought to be apparent whenever we worship together.
The use of a shared lectionary for worship together is an important tool. It builds upon what we share and proclaim Sunday by Sunday in our congregations. The lectionaries in The Book of Common Prayer and in Lutheran Book of Worship are very similar. The Revised Common Lectionary is approved for use in both churches. In shared liturgical settings, the use of this ecumenical lectionary is encouraged.
The singing of hymns is particularly important to our shared tradition. Congregational singing of hymns, the psalms, biblical paraphrases, and liturgical texts enhances our shared witness to the Gospel. Our respective hymnals and the hymnody found in them illustrates this shared tradition.