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The Moravian Seal, as rendered by North Carolina artist Marie Nifong.
The Moravian Seal, as rendered by North Carolina artist Marie Nifong.

The Moravian Church or Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine is a mainline Protestant denomination. for other uses see Mainline (disambiguation The mainline (also sometimes called Mainstream) or mainline Protestant denominations Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Its religious heritage began in Kunvald late 14th century Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). Kunvald (Kunewalde Kunwald is a village in 5 km north of Žamberk in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Its official name is Unitas Fratrum[1] meaning Unity of the Brethren (not to be confused with the small Unity of the Brethren church based in Texas). The Unity of the Brethren ( Czech: Jednota bratrská, Latin: Unitas Fratrum, also known as Czech or Bohemian Brothers 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 the Lamb of God with the flag of victory, 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. This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below

Contents

Origins

Main article: History of the Moravian Church

Early history

The movement that became the Moravian Church was started by Jan Hus (English: John Huss) in the late 14th century. The History of the Moravian Church has two broad phases This article covers the period from the church's origin in the late fourteenth century to the beginning of mission work c1732 Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Hus objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to return the church in Bohemia and Moravia to what he believed were the simpler practices of early Christianity: liturgy in the language of the people (i. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings e. Czech), having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine), and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory. Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the

The movement gained royal support and a certain independence for a while, but was eventually forced to be subject to the authority of Rome. This is a list of rulers of Bohemia. Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Lusatia are territories which are or have Hus was tried by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake (1415). In the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Constance is the 16th Ecumenical council.

Within fifty years of Hus's martyrdom, a contingent of his followers had become independently organized as the "Bohemian Brethren" (Čeští bratři) or Unity of the Brethren (Jednota bratrská), which was founded in Kunvald, Bohemia, in 1457. The Unity of the Brethren ( Czech: Jednota bratrská, Latin: Unitas Fratrum, also known as Czech or Bohemian Brothers Kunvald (Kunewalde Kunwald is a village in 5 km north of Žamberk in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic These were the earliest Protestants, rebelling against Rome more than a hundred years before Martin Luther. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer

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 Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt John Amos Comenius (Jan Amos Komenský Ján Amos Komenský Johann Amos Comenius Jan Amos Komeński Comenius Ámos János latinized: Iohannes Amos Comenius

The largest remaining communities of the Brethren were located in Leszno (German: Lissa) in Poland, which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and in small, isolated groups in Moravia. Leszno ( German Lissa, is a town in central Poland with 71000 habitants (2008 The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands.

Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, 18th century renewal

Zinzendorf preaching to people from many nations
Zinzendorf preaching to people from many nations

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. Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. Berthelsdorf is a municipality in the district of Görlitz in the southeastern part of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, Imperial Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, ( May 26, 1700 &ndash May 9, 1760 Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later 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 the Oberlausitz in the east of modern-day Germany. Upper and Lower Lusatia Upper Lusatia ( Oberlausitz or Hornja Łužica) is today part of the German state of Saxony except for a small part east of Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

The refugees established a new village called Herrnhut, about 2 miles (3 km) from Berthelsdorf. Herrnhut ( Sorbian: Ochranow; Czech: Ochranov) is a municipality in the district of Görlitz in the Free State of Saxony, The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into warring factions. Year 1727 ( MDCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Then, on 13 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. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 1727 ( MDCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the

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 up a watch of continuous prayer which ran uninterrupted, 24 hours a day, for 100 years. The practice of perpetual prayer (Latin laus perennis) was inaugurated by the Archimandrite Alexander (died about 430 the founder of the monastic Acoemetae
  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. The the Daily Watchwords or Losungen is an annual globally distributed publication of the Moravian Church. 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. A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. They were also the first to send unordained "lay" people (rather than trained professional clergymen), the first Protestant denomination 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. David Nitschmann may refer to David Nitschmann der Wagner (1676-1758 a Czech-born Moravian missionary and carpenter David Nitschmann der Bischof Saint Thomas is an Island in the Caribbean Sea, a County and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI an unincorporated

The start of far-flung missionary work necessitated the setting up of independently administered Provinces. So from c1750, 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

Moravian Church
Moravian Church

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. A Lovefeast service is a service dedicated to Christian love and is most famously practiced by but not limited to the Moravians. Year 1727 ( MDCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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. God's Acre is the traditional name given to the graveyards of Congregations of the Moravian Church.

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. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Herrnhut ( Sorbian: Ochranow; Czech: Ochranov) is a municipality in the district of Görlitz in the Free State of Saxony, The American Moravian Church sponsors Moravian College and Seminary. Moravian College & Theological Seminary is a private liberal arts college and Seminary located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States The largest concentration of Moravians today is in Tanzania. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya

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"

Organization

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. In necessariis unitas in dubiis libertas in omnibus caritas is a Latin Phrase commonly translated as "unity in necessary things liberty in doubtful Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity The British Province of the Moravian Church (formally The Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland) is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity 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:

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. [4]

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][7] the Moravian Unity accepts:

According to the Ground of the Unity[6][7] of 1957, fundamental beliefs include but are not limited to:

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

Traditions

Former traditions

Uniformed and other organizations

Prominent Moravians from c1400 to c1750

Ecumenical relations

See also: Full communion

The Moravian Church provinces are members individually of the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential The World Council of Churches ( WCC) is an international Most provinces are also members of their national councils of churches, such as the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) in Germany and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the US. The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is an association of 35 Christian The American Southern Province was instrumental in the founding the North Carolina Council of Churches. The British Province is in the British council of churches and has an interim Communion agreement with the Church of England. The two North American provinces are in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and are in dialogue with the Episcopal Church in the United States about entering full communion with them as well. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago Illinois.

An interesting aspect of Moravian history and work is the so-called "Diaspora" work in Germany and Eastern Europe, seeking to deepen and encourage the Christian life among members of the territorial churches, particularly in Poland and the Baltic, but also throughout the German lands. Count Zinzendorf's ideal was a fellowship of all Christians, regardless of denominational names and the Moravian Brethren sought in the Diaspora not to convert people to the Moravian Church but to awaken the hearts of believers and make them better members of the churches to which they already belonged. At first the objects of a great deal of suspicion, in the course of time the Moravian Diaspora Workers eventually became valued co-workers in the vast expanse of eastern Europe. The Diaspora Work in eastern Europe suffered almost total destruction in World War II, but is still carried on within the territorial churches of Germany. With the independence of the Baltic republics, Estonia and Latvia, it was revealed that much of the Diaspora Work there had been kept alive in spite of Soviet Russian domination and had born fruit.

Historical societies, etc.

Publications

Notes and references

  1. ^ http://www.unitasfratrum.org/
  2. ^ a b Congo and Zambia were added at a Unity Board meeting in May 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Affiliated Province - not a voting member of the Unity Board.
  4. ^ a b c The Moravian Almanac is published annually (October) as a supplement to the devotional book 'Daily Watchwords'. Most Provinces publish their own almanac with details of local congregations and the wider Provinces. Copies may be obtained from the Moravian Church House (office) of any province (for addresses see the provinces pages).
  5. ^ In Moravian usage, Elder is a title applicable to the members of any church board (conference) whether at provincial or congregational level. The term is not relative to age, but to responsible people who, commanding the respect of their fellow members, have been elected, at provincial level by the Synod, and at local level by the Congregation Council. A Board of Elders always acts collegially, not individually[7].
  6. ^ a b Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum, published by order of the Unity Synod.
  7. ^ a b The Ground of the Unity
  8. ^ a b Book of Order, The Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland, 2002.

Bibliography

External links

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