National Bishop Telmor Sartison of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Anglican Church of Canada Primate Michael Peers are all smiles during the Lutherans' national convention where full communion was approved. The Anglican General Synod adopted an identical resolution in June 1998. The decision at that time will be based on a revised version of a document know as the Waterloo Declaration, outlining theological agreement on matters of faith and order, including the episcopate, which enabled the interim sharing of altar fellowship now taking place.
Clergy can minister and members can worship across denominational boundaries.
The denomination was formed in 1986 by a merger of the Lutheran Church in America - Canada Section and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. The Anglican Church of Canada has about 800,000 members. The only real opposition at the Regina convention came when a speaker alleged that public statements by Bishop Michael Ingham of the Diocese of New Westminster on issues of religious pluralism and same-sex relationships raised questions about Anglican theological orthodoxy. Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America had earlier commended the Canadians for their ecumenical efforts, especially between Anglicans and Lutherans and said the ELCA was watching developments closely. Canadian Anglicans and Lutherans will probably notice little change in their churches.