Lutherans have had congregations in England since the 17th century. As a result of the Great Fire of London in 1666, a large number of craftsmen were brought to England for the urgent task of rebuilding the capital. A substantial number came from Hamburg and were Lutherans. The first Lutheran pastor in Britain was Gerhard Martens. He arrived from Germany in 1668 and worked under the supervision of the King of Sweden. He first conducted worship in Covent Garden and at the Swedish legation, serving German and Scandinavian Lutherans.

Plans for Reformation 500

Plans of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain:

• The project "Still Reforming" is taking place on a monthly base in 12 different Churches in London (for further information click the link below)
• Ecumenical Reformation Comemoration Service in Westminster Abbey (Church of England) on 31 October 2017 (attended by representatives of the other denominations in the UK (Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, United Reformed, etc); it will likely be a major State occasion. 
• Theological and practical seminars as study days, less formal evening seminars and Tischreden, culminating in a seminar on 31 October in the morning in/near Westminster Abbey prior to the service.  Themes for these will revolve around increasing ecumenical collaboration (Porvoo process, From Conflict to Communion) and contributions of Lutheranism to UK spiritual life, historically and in the future.
• The National Library of Scotland’s exhibition of Melanchthon/Luther books

Events overview

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