L-R / The Lutheran - Reformed Joint Commission

L – R

Preliminary Meeting

January 13-14, 1968 – Geneva, Switzerland

“Ad hoc committee evaluated conversations held in Europe and North America; recommendation to set up a permanent Lutheran-Reformed Committee whose main task was to further the theological consensus between Lutheran and Reformed Churches and to seek ways amd means of achieving a closer working relationship between the two world families”

 

FIRST SERIES 1970-1979

 

MEETINGS:

 

1. January 28-29, 1970 – Geneva, Switzerland

“The continuing dialogue between the two World Bodies; ‘Concord’ as Model of Church fellowship: the practical implications of a theological consensus; role of the two World Organizations in the life of the younger Churches” – REPORT — Full-Text

2. February 3-5, 1971 – Geneva, Switzerland

“Present Relationship between Lutheran and Reformed Churches; the Mutual Understanding of the two Confessional Bodies of their Ecumenical Commitment and their Role in the Future Development of the Ecumenical Movement; the Attitude of the two Confessional Bodies towards the Idea of a ‘Universal Council’”

3. November 14-16, 1972 – Basel, Switzerland

“Relationship between the Central Affirmation of the Christ-Event as Justification and Social Commission of the Church; Evaluation of Confessional Approach in the Search for the Unity of the Church”

4. July 17-21, 1973 – Cartigny / Geneva, Switzerland

“Relationship between the Proclamation of the Gospel and Social Task of the Church; the Relationship between Koinonia and Doctrinal Consensus; the Implications of the Leuenberg Agreement; Role and Purpose of Confessional Families” – JOINT STATEMENT COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

CO-CHAIRMEN:

Rt. Rev. Dr. Friedrick Hübner, Kiel, Germany (Lutheran)
Rev. Dr. Jacques Rossel, Basel, Switzerland (Reformed)

CO-SECRETARIES:

Dr. Peter Højen, LWF
Rev. Richmond Smith, WARC

 

March 17-22, 1975 – Strasbourg, France

“New committee named: scope was to examine the theological and ecclesiastical implications of the Leuenberg agreement; to undertake a series of case studies on Lutheran-Reformed relations; to continue studying the idea of a ‘Universal Council’” – REPORT — Full-Text

March 29-30, 1979 -Geneva, Switzerland

“Consultation on the future of the dialogue where the Joint committee was dissolved and an ad hoc working group formed to consider the future of the full L/R Joint Committee”

September 2- 8, 1979 – Geneva, Switzerland

“Decision taken on the future of the dialogue”

August 2-8, 1981 – Wuppertal, Germany

“Report of the Ad hoc committee received by the LWF and the WARC encouraging further bilateral conversations”

 

SECOND SERIES 1985-1988

 

1. December 2-6, 1985 – Geneva, Switzerland.

“Ecumenical relationships at national and regional level”

2. November 30 – December 4, 1986 – Techny-Chicago, USA

“Reports on the relations between Lutheran-Reformed throughout the world, an analysis of the large context of ecumenical dialogue, preliminary observations for communal affirmation of faith”

3. November 28 – December 2, 1987 – Driebergen, Netherlands.

“Preparation of a draft statement which will become the joint commission’s report: a common theological affirmation, a discussion of unity in diversity and recommendations to the sponsoring bodies”

4. November 28 – December 1, 1988 – Budapest, Hungary

“Producing the final draft of an agreed statement, the introduction calls for attention both to the estrangement of the Reformed and Lutherans traditions in the 16th century Reformation subsequent centuries in also to the reformation heritage the two church groups having in common; themes of the report: our common faith, the way to church fellowship, sacraments and ministry, witness and service, language and ethnicity”

Easter 1989 – Geneva, Switzerland

REPORT – Toward Church Fellowship — Full-Text

CO-CHAIRMEN:

Rt Rev. Dr Gyula Nagy, Hungary (Lutheran)
Prof. James B. Torrance, Scotland (Reformed)

CO-SECRETARIES:

The Rev. Dr Eugene L. Brand and Ms Irmhild Reichen Young, LWF
Prof. Dr Alan P. F. Sell (1985-87) and Ms Regina Rueger, WARC

 

LUTHERAN-REFORMED JOINT WORKING GROUP
1999-2001

 

1. November 10, 1999 – Geneva, Switzerland.

“To analyze current relations between Lutheran and Reformed churches in different regions, and give advice on the continued development of global relations between the two partners; to identify other possible forms of practical collaboration; to consider whether it would be helpful to begin a new full round of international Lutheran-Reformed dialogue”

2. November 17-23, 2000 – Campinas, Brazil

“Planning meeting”

3. October 14-17, 2001 – Geneva, Switzerland

REPORT – Called to Communion and Common Witness — Full-Text

CO-CHAIRMEN:

Rt. Rev. Guy Edmiston, USA (Lutheran)
Prof. Dr. Jane Dempsey Douglass, USA (Presbyterian)

CO-SECRETARIES:

Rev. Sven Oppegaard, LWF
Rev. Paraic Réamonn and Rev. Dr. Odair Pedroso Mateus, WARC

 

THIRD PHASE 2006-2012
“Lutheran-Reformed Joint Commission”

 

Preliminary Meeting

February 21-23, 2004 – Geneva, Switzerland

“Approval of new international dialogue commission; 2 tasks: to examen the relations between the ‘structures’ of the Church and communion; to study the history of the Lutheran and Reformed churches with particular attention to their evolution and who influenced positively or negatively the good relations in the two
confessional families”

 

1. July 1-7, 2006 – Utrecht, Netherlands

“Discussed current structures and practces of Lutheran-Reformed relatons; diversity and complementarity of ecclesiological approaches”

2. August 11-17, 2007- Windhoek, Namibia

“The meaning and authority of confessions in Lutheran and Reformed traditions” – COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

3. October 3-9, 2008 – Buenos Aires, Argentina

“The dialogue looked at the meaning of satis est in relationship to the two confessions and the non-existence of churchdividing issues”- COMMUNIQUÉ — Full-Text

4. January 28-February 4, 2010 – Bratislava, Slovakia

“Continue working on the final text”

2012

REPORT – Communion: On Being the Church — Full-Text

 

Signing of the Agreed Statement on the Doctrine of Justification

July 5, 2017 – Wittenberg, Germany

“Wittenberg Witness. A Common Statement of The World Communion of Reformed Churches and The Lutheran World Federation” – COMMON STATEMENT — Full-Text