In 2023, The Moravian Church Northern Province, The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) came together in a full communion partnership. That agreement, called “One Flock, One Shepherd: Lutherans, Anglicans and Moravians: Called to Walk Together in Full Communion,” outlines and acknowledges the shared beliefs of each denomination. It affirms each other’s baptism, celebrations of Holy Communion, lay ministries and “authenticity of the ordained ministries of bishops and presbyters/pastors” existing in each church.
At their first joint gathering, the three churches of the Lutheran-Anglican-Moravian Commission met in November in Edmonton, Alberta, to work on ways to live more fully into the agreement. During the two-day gathering, members of the commission discussed orderly exchange of clergy and ways that they could share ministries in their communities, focusing on places where all three were present — Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto.
To experience each other’s worship expressions, the Moravian members hosted a worship service and Holy Communion in celebration of Christ the Chief Elder at Heimtal Moravian, where 41 people filled the sanctuary with the sounds of song and prayer. They also participated in a Smudging Ceremony led by an Indigenous member of the Standing Stone Circle, midday Eucharist in the Anglican tradition and Holden Evening Prayer led by the Lutherans.
Working together, the Lutheran-Anglican-Moravian Commission also prepared a joint cycle of prayer with recommended petitions for use each Sunday throughout the 2025 calendar year. This prayer cycle, which grew out of a joint liturgy used by the Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada, was extended to include Moravian petitions for the coming year.
“Among Lutherans, Anglicans and Moravians in Canada, we have three similar but different churches, including the ways we worship and pray,” said ELCIC assistant to the bishop Rev. Paul Gehrs, who helped assemble the cycle of prayer document. “The Lutheran-Anglican-Moravian Full Communion Prayer Cycle is a way of praying for each other. It is also a way of getting to get to know each other: where we’re present in Canada, who provides leadership for God’s mission and some of the moments that shape identity. It also serves as a reminder that the diversity of ways to pray is a gift.”
The nine-page document provides prayer direction and leadership for each denomination for the 52 Sundays of 2025. It began with Advent 1 and runs through Reign of Christ Sunday in late November 2025.
“The Moravian Church is a little different from what some Lutherans and Anglicans are used to,” said The Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller, who serves as the ecumenical officer for the Moravian Church Northern Province.
“This new prayer cycle is a lovely witness of what it means to be in full communion: praying for and with each other,” continued Betsy. “And that’s the most exciting part about this for me, just knowing that we’ll be prayed for by some Lutherans and Anglicans for whom this is a normal part of their worship life.”
Those interested in reviewing—and joining in on—the Lutheran Anglican Moravian Full Communion Cycle of Prayer can find it online here.
