Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ)

Five Christian World Communions working together to bring the gospel to contemporary society

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) was a historic agreement signed by Lutherans and Catholics in 1999, effectively resolving one of the key theological conflicts of the Reformation.

Initially a Catholic-Lutheran agreement, it has since been expanded and affirmed by three other Christian World Communions, namely the Methodist, Anglican and Reformed churches.

A 20th anniversary edition of the original document, together with associated statements, has been published in five languages (English, German, French, Spanish and Italian). Representatives of the five Christian communions are working together on a study guide and shared liturgical material to help local parishes engage with the fruits of this process.

NDR Special guests — Ecumenical prayer service at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, United States, marked the opening of a consultation on the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. Photo: Peter Ringenberg/University of Notre Dame

Publications

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

Notre Dame Consultation Statement

Find out more on the JDDJ signatories

Anglican Communion
Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
The Lutheran World Federation
World Communion of Reformed Churches
World Methodist Council

Milestones

October 1999 – After several decades of dialogue, leaders of the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity sign the JDDJ in Augsburg, Germany.
July 2006 – The World Methodist Council, at a conference in Seoul, South Korea, officially joins the JDDJ, adopting a statement which adds related aspects of the theology of sanctification.
April 2016 - October 2017 – The Anglican Consultative Council, at a meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, “welcomes and affirms the substance” of the JDDJ in April 2016. The following year, in October 2017, at a service in London’s Westminster Abbey, marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Justin Welby presents the text of the ACC resolution to LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge.
July 2017 – During a General Council meeting in Wittenberg, Germany, the World Communion of Reformed Churches signs up to the JDDJ, adding its own statement with a strong emphasis on justification and justice.
March 2019 – Leaders of the five world communions adhering to the JDDJ meet at Notre Dame University in the United States to mark the 20th anniversary and issue a statement recommitting themselves to communicating the biblical message of salvation in new ways to contemporary society.

A Visual Journey: Key Moments from the Joint Declaration on Justification

LWF Photos

Lutheran – Anglican dialogue

Anglican-Lutheran dialogue began in 1970 and was one of the success stories of ecumenism over the following decades. There are areas of the world where Anglicans are in full communion with Lutherans. Building on the theological progress, the new Anglican Lutheran International Commission on Unity and Mission (ALICUM) is now focusing on reception and putting shared principles into practice in different regions of the world.

Lutheran – Mennonite dialogue

Official reconciliation between Lutherans and Mennonites began during the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 1980. It led to a process of working through the painful legacy of persecution of Anabaptists, whom Mennonites regard as their predecessors, in the 16th century. Lutherans and Mennonites continue to build on the process of reconciliation that resulted in the 2010 action of Lutherans asking forgiveness for the persecution of Anabaptists by their ancestors in the 16th century.

Lutheran – Orthodox dialogue

High-level visits and discussions between the LWF and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual leadership of the Orthodox world, began in 1967. Plans for a global ecumenical dialogue between the two sides began shortly afterwards and were developed over the following decade. Significant common statements include Salvation: Grace, Justification and Synergy (1998) and Baptism and Chrismation as Sacraments of Initiation into the Church (2004). The topic of the current phase of dialogue, which began in 2019, is focused on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

Lutheran – Pentecostal dialogue

A fruitful first round of international dialogue between Lutherans and Pentecostals concluded in 2022 with the recommendation to initiate a second phase focusing on worship and formation within the two global communions.

Lutheran – Reformed dialogue

Lutherans and Reformed Christians enjoy a “special theological relationship” which has allowed churches in some parts of the world to enter into full communion of ministry and sacraments. In 1968, an ad hoc Lutheran-Reformed Evaluating Committee stated that dialogue should be encouraged and coordinated by the LWF and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). In 2017, the LWF signed the Wittenberg Witness with the WCRC, affirming the call to continued renewal and cooperation and committing “to explore new forms of life together that will more fully express the communion we already have in Christ.”

Lutheran – Roman Catholic dialogue

Lutheran-Catholic dialogue began in the wake of the Second Vatican Council and made a vital step forward with the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999. The Joint Commemoration of the Reformation in 2016, led by Pope Francis and the LWF general secretary and president, also marked a major milestone on the journey towards Christian unity.