The Moravian Church is a mainstream Protestant denomination. Its religious heritage began in late 14th-century Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic). Its official name is Unitas Fratrum^[1] meaning Unity of the Brethren (not to be confused with the small Texan church of the same name). It is also occasionally referred to as the Bohemian Brethren. It places a high premium on Christian unity, personal piety, missions and music.

The church's emblem is a lamb and flag on a disk, surrounded by the Latin inscription: Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur; or in English: Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him.

This page is about the Moravian Church globally. For information about the church in a particular geographic area, use the links at Organisation below.

Origins

Main article: History of the Moravian Church

Early history

The movement that became the Moravian Church was started by Jan Hus (English: John Hus) in the late fourteenth century. Hus objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to return the church in Bohemia and Moravia to the simpler practices of early Christianity: liturgy in the language of the people, having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine), and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory.

The movement gained royal support and a certain independence for a while, but was eventually forced to be subject to the authority of Rome. Hus was tried and burned at the stake.

Within fifty years of Hus's martyrdom, a contingent of his followers had become independently organized as the 'Bohemian Brethren' or Unity of the Brethren, which was founded in Kunvald, Bohemia, in 1457.

These were some of the earliest Protestants, rebelling against Rome more than a hundred years before Martin Luther.

After 1620, due to the Counter Reformation and the Thirty-Years War (1618–1648), and after being abandoned and betrayed by the local nobility which had previously tolerated or supported them, the Brethren were forced to operate underground and eventually dispersed across Northern Europe and as far as the Low Countries, where bishop John Amos Comenius attempted to direct a resurgence.

The largest remaining communities of the Brethren were located in Lissa in Poland, which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and in small, isolated groups in Moravia.

The 18^th century renewal

In 1722, a small group of Bohemian Brethren who had been living as an underground remnant in Moravia for nearly 100 years arrived at the Berthelsdorf estate of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a nobleman who had been brought up in the traditions of Pietism. Out of a personal commitment to helping the poor and needy, he agreed to a request from their leader (Christian David, an itinerant carpenter) that they be allowed to settle on his lands in Oberlausitz in the east of modern-day Germany.

The refugees established a new village called Herrnhut, about 2 miles from Berthelsdorf. The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into warring factions . Then, on 13^th August 1727 the community underwent a dramatic transformation when the inhabitants of Herrnhut "Learned to love one another." following an experience which they attributed to a visitation of the Holy Spirit, similar to that recorded in the Bible on the day of Pentecost.

Herrnhut grew rapidly following this transforming revival and became the centre of a major movement for Christian renewal and mission during the 18th century. Moravian historians identify the main achievements of this period as:

1. Setting a up a watch of continuous prayer which ran uninterrupted, 24 hours a day, for 100 years.
2. The origination of the Daily Watchwords
3. The establishment of over 30 settlements globally on the Herrnhut model, which emphasised a lifestyle of prayer and worship and a form of communal living in which personal property was still held but simplicity of lifestyle and generosity with wealth were considered important spiritual attributes. As a result, divisions between social groups and extremes of wealth and poverty were largely eliminated.
4. The start of missionary work (see next section).
5. The formation of many hundreds of small renewal groups operating within the existing churches of Europe, known as "diaspora societies". These groups encouraged personal prayer and worship, bible study, confession of sins and mutual accountability.

Missions

The Moravian missionaries were the first large scale Protestant missionary movement. The church sent hundreds of Christian missionaries to many parts of the world including the Caribbean, North and South America, the Arctic, Africa, and the Far East. They were also the first to send unordained "lay" people (rather than trained professional clergymen), the first to go to slaves, and the first in many countries of the world.

The first Moravian missionaries were a potter named Leonard Dober and a carpenter named David Nitschmann, who went to the Caribbean island of St Thomas in 1732.

The start of far flung missionary work necessitated the setting up of independently administered Provinces. So from ~1750, the history of the church becomes the history of its Provinces. Articles about some of these (and their history) are linked from Organisation below.

Former mission fields where there is no longer any work include Australia and Greenland.

The present

The modern Unitas Fratrum or Moravian Church, with about 825,000 members worldwide, continues to draw on traditions established during the 18th century renewal. In many places it observes the convention of the lovefeast, originally started in 1727, and sometimes continues to use older and traditional music in worship. In addition, in some older congregations, Moravians are buried in a traditional God's Acre, a graveyard organized by gender, age, and marital status rather than family.

The Moravians continue their long tradition of missionary work, for example in the Caribbean. This is reflected in their broad global distribution. The Moravians in Germany, whose central settlement remains at Herrnhut, are highly active in education and social work. The American Moravian Church sponsors Moravian College and Seminary. The largest concentration of Moravians today is in Tanzania.

The motto of the Moravian church is:

(Latin) In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas

(English) "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love"

Organisation

Provinces

The church has work around the globe and so is organised into provinces, each responsible for a particular geographic area:

Alaska America (North): Canada and the Northern States of the USA America (South): Southern States of the USA British: England and Northern Ireland, with a small society in Dublin Congo[2] Costa Rica[3] Czech Republic

Eastern West Indies: Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, and the Virgin Islands including St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and Tortola. European Continental: Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland Guyana[3] Honduras Jamaica Labrador[3] Nicaragua

South Africa Suriname Tanzania (Rukwa) Tanzania (Southern) Tanzania (South Western) Tanzania (Western) Zambia[2]

Other areas where work is going on, but which are not yet established as Provinces are:

• Star Mountain Rehabilitation Centre, Ramallah, Palestine - under the care of the European Continental Province. Work began among people with leprosy in 1867 at the 'Jesus Hilfe' home in Jerusalem, responsibility for which was taken over by the Israeli State. In 1980, the former Leper Home on Star Mountain was converted for use as a home for handicapped children of the Arab population^[2].
• South Asia (India, Ladakh, Nepal, Assam) - under the care of the British Province. Formerly the West Himalayan Province (1853) and designated a Unity Undertaking in 1967^[3].
• Eastern Tanzania and Zanzibar, and Malawi - under the care of the Tanzania South Province.
• Northern Tanzania - under the care of the Tanzania South West Province.

There also seems to be some work beginning in Peru .

Tanzania is divided into 5 provinces because of size of country and the numbers of people in the church. There is an attempt to co-ordinate the work in Tanzania in various ways through "The Moravian Church in Tanzania".

The lists above, except for some details given under 'Other areas' can be found in the Moravian Almanac ^[3].

Each Province is governed by a Synod, made up of representatives from each congregations plus ex officio members.

The Synod elects the Provincial Board (aka Provincial Elders' Conference or PEC^[5]) to be responsible for the work of the Province and its international links between Synods.

Districts

Many of the Provinces are divided into Districts (probably this is not the case everywhere).

District Conferences need a mention.

Congregations

Each Congregation belongs to a District and has spiritual and financial responsibilities for work in its own area and provincially. The Congregation Council (all the members of a congregation) meets usually twice a year and annually elects the Church Committee which acts as an executive.

In some Provinces two or more congregations may be grouped together into circuits, under the care of one minister.

Unity Synod and Board

The Unity Synod meets every 7 years and is attended by...

The Unity Board is made up of one member from each Provincial Board, and acts as an executive committee between Unity Synods. It meets 3 times between Synods but much of its work is done by correspondence and postal voting.

There is no "Head Office". The President of the Unity Board (who is elected by the Board for 2 years and not allowed to serve for more than two terms) works from his/her own Provincial office.

Beliefs

In her Book of Order^[6] the Moravian Unity accepts:

• The three Ecumenical Creeds: Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian
• The 21 Articles of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
• The Second Helvetic Confession
• The Bohemian Confession of 1535
• The Barmen Declaration.

Fundamental beliefs include but are not limited to:

• The Holy Trinity
• The Fatherhood of God
• God's Love for fallen humanity
• The Incarnation of God in the God/Man Jesus Christ
• Jesus's sacrificial death for the sinful rebellion of humanity
• His Resurrection, Ascension and Exaltation to the Right Hand of the Father
• His sending of the Holy Spirit to strengthen, sustain and empower Believers
• His eventual return in majesty to judge the Living and the Dead
• Of His Kingdom there shall be no end
• There is one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
• infants are baptized.

Without defining the mode or method, the "How", Moravians believe that they receive the true Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Communion.

These tenets of classical Christianity are not unique to the Moravian Church. The Moravian Church has never sought to "invent" doctrines. The emphasis in both the Ancient Unity as well as in the Renewed Unity has been on Christian Living and the Fellowship of Believers as witness to a living Christian Faith.

Worship

• Hymn Books
• Liturgy
• the Sacrament of the Holy Communion
• The Sacrament of Baptism, Infants and Adults
• Marriage
• Confirmation
• Christian Burial
• Ordination Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons
• Consecration of church buildings and facilities

Traditions

• Lovefeast
• Cup of Covenant
• Christingle (object) and Christingle service
• Hosanna Anthem
• Moravian Advent star
• Daily Watchwords, sometimes called Moravian Daily Texts
• Advent Candles
• God's Acre and Easter sunrise service
• Drawing of Lots
• Music
• Watch Night Service

Former traditions

• Settlements (Either under a separate heading or in a main article, list all worldwide & describe usual range of constituent buildings, etc.)
• Single Brethren's and Single Sisters' Houses: In the old original Settlement Congregations of Europe, Britain and the US, there were separate Houses caring for the spiritual and also temporal welfare of the Choirs of Single Brethren, Single Sisters, Widows^[7].
• Wide/Short layout of church interiors
• Separate seating of genders in churches
• Mission ships (the Harmony & the Snow Irene)
• Choirs (age/gender): The word 'Choir' has been used in the Moravian tradition since the eighteenth century to indicate a group of congregation members classified according to age and sex. Formerly there were in several congregations separate Houses caring for the spiritual and also temporal welfare of the Choirs of Single Brethren, Single Sisters, Widows^[7].

Youth and other organisations (Title needs improving)

Should these be by Province?

• Boys Brigade / Scouts
• Girls Brigade / Guides / Upward & Onward
• Women's Fellowship
• Men's Fellowship
• Sunday School
• Young People's Missionary Association (YPMA)

Prominent Moravians from c1400 to c1750

• Others?

Ecumenical Relations

Should this be by province?

See also: Full communion

Historical societies, etc.

• American North: the Moravian Historical Society and Historic Bethlehem
• American South: the Wachovia Historical Society as well as Old Salem
• British
• Continental Province Verein für Geschichts- und Gegenwartsfragen der Brüdergemeine
• Other?

Publications

Books

Magazines

May be province specific. If so move it there.

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Gollin, Gilliam Lindt. Moravians in Two Worlds (1967)
• Langton; Edward. History of the Moravian Church: The Story of the First International Protestant Church (1956).

External links

• The world wide Moravian Church Unity
• The Moravian Church Eastern West Indies Province
• The American Moravian Church
• The British Moravian Church
• The Alaska Moravian Church
• The Moravian Church in Canada
• Moravians in Labrador
• Evangelische Brüdergemeine, Germany
• Evangelische Broedergemeente, Netherlands
• Unitäts-Archiv der Evangelische Brüder-Unität Herrnhut (Moravian Archives)
• Moravian Music Foundation
• "Zinzendorf.com" - Historical site with information on Count Zinzendorf
• "Mustardseedorder.com" - explores Zinzendorf's "order of the mustard seed"
• "24-7 prayer" - a contemporary movement inspired by Moravian 100 year prayer watch
• "Unity of the Brethren" a separately incorporated Moravian Church body in Texas
• Moravian Brethren from the Czech Republic
• The Labrador Inuit Through Moravian Eyes
• The Moravian Heritage Network

•  • [ e] Moravian Church
Provinces	Alaska America (North) America (South) British Congo Costa Rica Czech Republic Eastern West Indies European Continental Guyana Honduras Jamaica Labrador Nicaragua South Africa Suriname Tanzania (Rukwa) Tanzania (Southern) Tanzania (South Western) Tanzania (Western) Zambia
Other work	Star Mountain Rehabilitation Centre
Congregations by province
Educational institutions	Fulneck School Moravian Academy Moravian College & Theological Seminary Ockbrook School
Settlements	Fulneck Ockbrook
Traditions	Christingle Daily Watchwords God's Acre Lovefeast Moravian Advent star Music Spice Cookies (USA)
History	of the Moravian Church
People