IMAGE: Jack Lamour (iStockphoto.com) "William Wilberforce sums up the Moravians as being 'a body who have perhaps excelled all mankind in solid and unequivocal proofs of the love of Christ and ardent, active zeal in his service. It is a zeal tempered with prudence, softened with meekness and supported by a courage which no danger can intimidate and a quiet certainty no hardship can exhaust'."

23rd November, 2004

TONY TOWNSEND

 
Origins
The Moravian Movement had its origins in ancient Bohemia and Moravia (present day Czech Republic). In the mid-ninth century there were mass conversions to Christianity, predominately through the agency of two Greek Orthodox missionaries, Cyril and Methodius. Over time these countries fell under Roman church rule which resulted in protests from the Czech people.

Philosopher and rector, John Hus (1369-1415), became the key reformer against Roman jurisdiction, leading a protest movement against Roman Catholic clergy and hierarchy. His church in the modern capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, became the nerve center of the protest movement. Undergirding Hus’ protests was the popular support of students and the common people. However Hus was charged and tried with heresy and was martyred on 6th July, 1415.

Despite his death, the spirit of reformation continued. Adopting the name “The Unitas Fratrum” or Unity of Brethren, the church located itself 100 miles east of Prague, in eastern Bohemia, and by 1467 had established a formalized church structure. By 1517 the Unity of Brethren had grown to about 200,000 with over 400 parishes and had printed its own Bibles in the language of the Bohemian and Moravian.

Persecution of the Moravians broke out almost to the point of their extinction in 1547, driving some members of the church to Poland. By 1557 the church was located in three provinces: Poland, Bohemia and Moravia.

The Thirty Year War brought further persecution to the Brethren Church. Bishop John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) provided key leadership during this turbulent period. He was a man well known for his progressive views on education and referred to the Moravians as the “hidden seed”, hoping the movement would again spring to life.

This “hidden seed” would come to life through the work of Count Zinzendorf. Seeking refuge from persecution, in 1722 the Moravians arrived on the estate of Zinzendorf in Berthesdorf, Germany establishing the community of Herrnhut (The Lord’s Watch). It was through Zinzendorf the church experienced renewal.

Missionary Endeavours
Through Zinzendorf, the Moravian Movement became the first protestant movement to take the Great Commission seriously. In 1732, Moravians Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann  landed on the West Indian island of St. Thomas to make known the Gospel.

The late Colin Grant, former chairman of the Evangelical Missionary Alliance, writes that  “over the next twenty years missionaries were dispatched to Greenland, North American Indian Territories, Surinam, South Africa, and the Samoyedic peoples of the Arctic, Algiers, Sri Lanka, China, Persia, Abyssinia and Labrador. In the first 150 years the Moravians sent out no less than 2,158 of its members overseas”.

In an article on the Moravian church, Grant goes on to highlight the characteristics of the Moravian missionaries, observing that the missionary obedience of the Moravian Brethren was essentially glad and spontaneous; that missionaries had a deep, ongoing passion for and love of Christ and faced the most incredible difficulties and dangers with remarkable courage; and, that they showed a tenacity of purpose that was of a very high order - Moravian missionary David Zeisberger, for example, laboured among the North American Indians for 63 years.

Theologian James DeJong writes that wherever the Moravians took the Gospel it was coupled with a loving spirit, strong faith and resolute commitment, through which numerous people were converted.
 
John Wesley and the Moravians
John Wesley’s encounter with the Moravians on a voyage to Georgia would have a profound and lasting effect on his life. During a violent storm and facing imminent death, the Moravians sang hymns and showed a fearless disposition despite being aware of the danger at hand. Wesley who was governed by a works based faith, never met people who displayed such a powerful faith in God. Wesley would go to experience a heart-felt faith in God as a result of the encounter. Under Wesley, the Methodists would adopt aspects of the Moravian community.

Weaknesses
In their passion and zeal, the Moravians became so focused on evangelism that little attention was given to establishing local churches and the development of leadership. They fell short on proper preparation for their missionaries because of the spontaneity of their obedience. They eventually did establish missionary training college in 1869, 20 miles from Hernhutt.
 
And now?
Today the Moravian Church has congregations in 17 states of the United States and two provinces in Canada and despite remaining relatively small in size, it can boast a powerful influence as an protestant missionary movement.

It adheres to the motto: “In essentials unity, in nonessentials, liberty, in all things love.”

William Wilberforce sums up the Moravians as being “a body who have perhaps excelled all mankind in solid and unequivocal proofs of the love of Christ and ardent, active zeal in his service. It is a zeal tempered with prudence, softened with meekness and supported by a courage which no danger can intimidate and a quiet certainty no hardship can exhaust.”

Sources:
Kuiper B.K. The Church in History: (Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Reprinted 2002)

Latourette K.S. A History of Christianity Vol 2 Reformation to the Present (San Francisco: Harper and Row Publishers 1975)

Grant C.A. “Europe’s Moravians: A Pioneer Missionary Church” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. (Pasadena, California: Published by William Carey Library, 1992.)

De Jong, J.A. “Expansion World-Wide” in The History of Christianity. (Oxford, England: Lion Publishing, 1977) p.466-484

www.moravian.org