While reading Schilling's biography of Luther, one thing that was new to me (and never taught at my conservative American German Lutheran seminary), Schilling does note that Europe-wide (it eventually extended beyond there), Lutherans and Reformed came to an agreement in 1973 in Leuenberg, Switzerland. The semi wingnut Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod doesn't discuss this, nor does the full wingnut Wisconsin Synod Nor, seemingly, does the ELCA in detail. It led to a United Protestant Church in France and was 13 years in the making. It covered other doctrinal issues as well, and led to a Fellowship of Lutheran, Reformed, and Prussian Union type Churches in much of Europe, which also included … Waldensians!

Besides the Eucharist, other areas of discussion and eventual agreement included Christology [remember the old “the finite is not capable of the infinite”?], predestination and justification. European, including British, Methodist churches joined in 1997. Interestingly, though it has spread to the New World, with America's UMC, among others, and even to Lutheranism and Reformed in Argentina, no Lutheran body in either Canada or the US has signed on to the Leuenberg agreement.

The header is the off the top of my head reason why I can draw such a conclusion in the header. Even that, though is weird. The ELCA is in "altar and pulpit fellowship" with the Reformed Presbyterian Church USA and the Reformed-derived, now quasi-Unitarian United Church of Christ, and with the United Methodist Church. The Moravian Church, which is one fellowship worldwide, including US churches, is a member of Leuenberg.

Of course, it cuts both ways. The PCUSA and other US churches aren't there either. Ditto for Canadians.

It's true that, per the member churches website, plus the Wiki page, that the agreement's members are referred to as "The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe." (Interesting that English is the language.)

But, again, there's those Argentinian churches.

And, it's not like this undercuts the World Council of Churches or something. In fact, per the Wayback Machine, the history of Leuenberg negotiations says the WCC encouraged the whole process.

About two-thirds down, the piece speaks to non-European ramifications, and references the ELCA's fellowship agreement with the three other churches.

Part of why none of these churches may have jumped on Leuenberg is mentioned by the author of that timeline:

As we have seen, the Lutheran-Reformed conversations are among the few bilateral dialogues where church fellowship has not only been proposed but actually ratified. Why has this result not had more far-reaching consequences? The explanation is to be found in the ecumenical movement itself. The early seventies were probably the last moment at which the Lutheran-Reformed conversations could still be brought to a successful conclusion. A few years later an agreement between the churches of the Reformation would have encountered far stronger opposition. A strange development took place in those years. There was a growing fascination with new relations with the Roman Catholic Church. In the Lutheran World Federation in particular, priority was being given almost exclusively to the dialogue with Rome. The fellowship among the churches of the Reformation was of course still basically welcomed, but at the same time it was felt to be a complication. If the dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church was to be conducted on the basis of Lutheran confessional criteria, the challenge of the Leuenberg Agreement had to be kept within limits. Warnings were reiterated about unacceptable bloc-building in the Protestant camp. A strange kind of "ecumenically justified immobility" has resulted. Again and again the realization of fellowship with Reformation partners is postponed in the name of a supposedly wider ecumenical fellowship. Instead of putting into practice the fellowship possible here and now among the Protestant churches, the status quo is left in place in the name of an as yet unattainable fellowship.

Interesting indeed.

I wonder if this is still the case, as it was 20-something years ago.

I mean, Rome under late-term JPII and Benedict XVI enlightened not one bit on a married priesthood or women as priests or even as lay ministers.

The author offers an update on this and other issues at the end.

He notes that attempts were made to move Leuenberg beyond Europe, but in part because of the siren song of Rome, they didn't gain much traction. Plus, Leuenberg member churches have to decide whether to view other fellowship efforts either through the lens of Leuenberg or through that of their confessional tradition.

Finally, he notes, where do union churches fall, within the WCC, the Lutheran World Federation or the World Alliance of Reformed Churches?

One thing Vischer does not address is that of greater fellowship with Orthodoxy. As with Rome, the question of how Leuenberg churches pursue such fellowship — what framework they use — seemingly looms large.

This gets much more into the weeds of inter-Christian issues than is normal for here, but ... I scratched an itch!