I noticed that the ACNA an NALC are having their first joint conferance https://disciplelife2020.org/ Kind of interesting. Both do have some things in common, recent break aways from larger liberal organizations over similar disputes (women ordination and the marraige debate), both appear to be growing denominations, etc. I guess I am wondering about thoughts on future relations between these two Church bodies, and on the current joint conferance on discipleship
I hope both will advance in becoming truer to the word by ending women's ordination. Then we can actually have some productive conversations with other Lutheran bodies.
I think the main Lutheran body that will be a roadblock on conversations is the ELCA. I grew up on one of the pre-cursor organizations and have been saddened by what has happened. The LCMS and WELC now seem much more inviting to me
Well, no, NALC and (parts of) ACNA both ordain women. If I recall, NALC even had a woman candidate for a bishop (or equivalent) last year. The thing that really draws these two bodies together, I think, is the common struggle with liberalism, and a common lack of clarity as to where to draw the line.
The Lutherans should have learned to be wary of "union" by now, especially considering what happened to the old Evangelical & Reformed Church (hint: it became the United Church of Christ).
Also remember what happened in Prussia with the Prussian Union of Churchs. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Union_of_Churches) Major issues with this, as they tried to force a common liturgy on the Lutheran and Reformed churchs who had been forced into a Union. The other major issue of course was that there is a MAJOR differance between the Lutheran and Reformed theologies and understandings of the Sacraments. Luther and Zwigli had some differances on things, to be polite about it. One of my concerns sometimes with the ACNA, is that sometimes there appears to be a strong Reformed influence, though at the ANCA congregation I occasionally attend, they tend to stray away from that , even though the pastor came from a Presbyterian Church.
As far as I can tell, the ACNA reflects a breadth of Anglicanism that can already be found anywhere else. I've seen some super-pro-Westminster-Confession sorts in the Anglican Communion outside the ACNA as well as within. The fact that we have them as well as a few die-hard Anglo-Catholics and also a bunch of populist charismatics gives us the charism (and disunity) that's already characteristic of global Anglicanism.
I have been told by multiple NALC pastors that women's ordination is not open to discussion in the denomination. It is a fact of that fellowship and it will remain. As Fr. Brench mentioned, they had a female candidate for bishop in last year's election.