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

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. Image File history File links MSeal2. ... Image File history File links MSeal2. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... The Unity of the Brethren (Czech: Jednota bratrská, Latin: Unitas Fratrum, also known as Czech or Bohemian Brothers or Brethren) is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415. ...

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

Origins

Main article: History of the Moravian Church

The History of the Moravian Church has two broad phases. ...

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 what he believed were 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. Jan Hus ( ) (IPA: , alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech RepublicCzechia. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is...

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. The Unity of the Brethren (Czech: Jednota bratrská, Latin: Unitas Fratrum, also known as Czech or Bohemian Brothers or Brethren) is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415. ... Kunvald (German: ) is a village in 5 km north of Žamberk in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, in the Pardubice Regionof the Czech Republic. ...

These were some of the earliest Protestants, rebelling against Rome more than a hundred years before Martin Luther. Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, 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. Year 1620 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation[1][2] or Catholic Revival[2]) denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the Thirty Years War, 1648. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ... For a bill proposed in USA in 1998, see Bill 1618. ... 1648 (MDCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... It has been suggested that Regents: Low Countries be merged into this article or section. ... Portrait of Comenius by Rembrandt John Amos Comenius (Czech: ; German: ; Polish: ; latinized: Iohannes Amos Comenius) (March 28, 1592 – November 15, 1670) was a Czech teacher, scientist, educator, and writer. ...

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. Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech RepublicCzechia. ...

The 18^th century renewal

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. 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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 720 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1320 × 1100 pixel, file size: 688 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Zinzendorf preaching to people of Many Nations The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 720 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1320 × 1100 pixel, file size: 688 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Zinzendorf preaching to people of Many Nations The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech RepublicCzechia. ... , Berthelsdorf is a municipality in the district of Löbau-Zittau, in the southeastern part of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. ... Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, (May 26, 1700 – May 9, 1760), German religious and social reformer, was born at Dresden. ... Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th century. ... Lusatia (German: , Upper Sorbian: , Lower Sorbian: , Polish: , Czech: ) is a historical region between the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers and the Elbe river in the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg, south-western Poland (Lower Silesian Voivodeship) and the northern Czech Republic. ...

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 (Sorbian: Ochranow) is a municipality in the district of Löbau-Zittau, in the state of Saxony, Germany. ... Events 1727 to 1800 - Lt. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th century illuminated manuscript. ...

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.

Continual prayer or the 24-7 prayer movement is a practice that dates to biblical times, where congregation members sustain continued prayers in a specific location. ... The the Daily Watchwords or Losungen is an annual, globally distributed publication of the Moravian Church. ...

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. A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ...

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. Nitschmann is a surname that may refer to: Anna Nitschmann (1715-1760), a Moravian Brethren missionary (Missionarin), lyrical poetess, and wife of Nikolaus von Zinzendorf David Nitschmann der Wagner (1676-1758), a Czech-born Moravian missionary and carpenter David Nitschmann der Bischof (1695-1772), a missionary of the Moravian Brethren... Map of U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea, a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. ...

The start of far flung missionary work necessitated the setting up of independently administered Provinces. So from ~1750,^{[citation needed]} the history of the church becomes the history of its Provinces. Articles about some of these (and their history) are linked from Organisation below. A Moravian can be: an ethnic group a Christian denomination This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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

The present

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. 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. Image File history File links USVA_headstone_emb-27. ... Image File history File links USVA_headstone_emb-27. ... A Lovefeast service is a service dedicated to Christian love, and is most famously practiced by, but not limited to, the Moravians. ... Events 1727 to 1800 - Lt. ... Gods Acre is the traditional name given to the graveyards of Congregations of the Moravians. ...

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. Herrnhut (Sorbian: Ochranow) is a municipality in the district of Löbau-Zittau, in the state of Saxony, Germany. ... Moravian College is a private liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. ...

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"

The Latin phrase in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas means in certain things unity; in doubtful things liberty; in all things charity. It is often misattributed to St. ...

Organisation

Provinces

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

Other areas where work is going on, but which are not yet established as Provinces are: The Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity. ... The 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. ...

• 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^[4].
• 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^[4].
• 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 ^{[citation needed]}. For the malady found in the Hebrew Bible, see the article Tzaraath. ...

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:

• The three Ecumenical Creeds: Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian
• The 21 Articles of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
• The Confession of the Unity of the Bohemian Brethren of 1535
• The Barmen Declaration of 1934
• The Shorter Catechism of Martin Luther
• The Synod of Berne of 1532
• The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England
• The Heidelberg Catechism

According to the Ground of the Unity^[6][7] of 1957, fundamental beliefs include but are not limited to: Ecumenical creeds is an umbrella term used in the western church to refer to the Nicene Creed, Apostles Creed and Athanasian Creed. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      The Apostles... Icon depicting the Holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea holding the Nicene Creed. ... The Athanasian Creed (Quicunque vult) is a statement of Christian doctrine traditionally ascribed to St. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Augsburg Confession The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustana from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation. ... The Barmen declaration or The Theological Declaration of Barmen 1934 is a statement of the Confessing Church, re-affirming the focus of the church on Nazism rather than on Christ. ... The Westminster Shorter Catechism (also known simply as the Shorter Catechism, hereinafter referred to as the WSC) was written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... This box:      The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion were established in 1563, and are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine in relation to the controversies of the English Reformation; especially in the relation of Calvinist doctrine and Roman Catholic practices to the nascent Anglican doctrine of the evolving English... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The Heidelberg Catechism is a document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. ...

• 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.This is most clearly seen in Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg's Idea Fidei Fratrum, and in the Easter Morning Litany.

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. This article concerns the holy Trinity of Christianity. ... Look up incarnation, incarnate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Look up Resurrection in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Also refers to the process of gaining Enlightenment and several meditation techniques. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ... August Gottlieb Spangenberg (July 15, 1704 _ September 18, 1792), Count Zinzendorfs successor, and bishop of the Moravian Brethren, was born at Klettenberg, on the south of the Harz Mountains, where his father, Georg Spangenberg, was court preacher and ecclesiastical inspector of the courtship of Hohenstein. ...

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

Hymnals are books of hymns sung by religious congregations. ...

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

A Lovefeast service is a service dedicated to Christian love, and is most famously practiced by, but not limited to, the Moravians. ... A christingle. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Moravian Stars in the Strietzelmarkt in Dresden A Moravian Star (German: ) is an illuminated peice of Advent or Christmas decoration popular in Germany. ... The the Daily Watchwords or Losungen is an annual, globally distributed publication of the Moravian Church. ... Gods Acre is the traditional name given to the graveyards of Congregations of the Moravians. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... Only exsisting copy of Symphony in E by JCF Bach, copied by Moravian composer Johann Friedrich Peter in 1769 The Moravian musical tradition in America began with the earliest Moravian settlers in the first half of the 18th century. ... New Years Eve is a celebration held the day before New Years Day, on December 31, the final day of the year. ...

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^[8].
• 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^[8].

Uniformed and other organisations

• 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

• Bishops
• Missionaries
• Writers

Ecumenical Relations

See also: Full communion Full communion is completeness of that relationship between Christian individuals and groups which is known as 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: Defunct.
• Continental Province Verein für Geschichts- und Gegenwartsfragen der Brüdergemeine

Central Bethlehem This article is about the city in the West Bank. ... Old Salem is a living history museum that operates within the restored Moravian community Salem. ...

Publications

• Moravian History Magazine - Published within the British Province but deals with the work worldwide.

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