The Moravian Church, also known as the Unitas Fratrum or Unity of the Brethren, is a Protestant Christian denomination with roots in the Czech Reformation. The church’s heritage began in 1457 in Bohemia, which is the modern-day Czech Republic. The Moravian Church places emphasis on Christian living, liturgy, missions, music, religious education, spiritual formation and ecumenism.
The Moravian Church emerged out of the teachings and reforms led by Jan Hus in Bohemia in the early 15th century. Hus, a Catholic priest and scholar, called for reform in the Catholic Church and questioned some of its doctrines and practices. He was eventually declared a heretic and burned at the stake in 1415. His followers went on to form the Unitas Fratrum or “Unity of Brethren” in 1457, seeking to return to the simplicity of faith and practice they believed the primitive Christian church exemplified.
Persecution scattered this early Moravian church, with many members fleeing to Saxony in Germany where they were given refuge by Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. He allowed them to settle on his estate in Herrnhut where they established a new community guided by a simple Christian faith. It was out of this community in Herrnhut that the Renewed Moravian Church emerged in 1727. This group would become the nucleus of the modern worldwide Moravian Church.
Some key beliefs and characteristics of the Moravian Church include:
- Emphasis on having a living and active Christian faith, not just subscribing to a set of beliefs.
- Focus on personal piety, daily prayer, and living each moment in God’s presence.
- Strong belief in ecumenism and unity among Christian churches.
- Extensive musical tradition and love of hymns and worship music.
- History of missionary work and evangelism, with Moravians sent out across the globe beginning in 1732.
- Practice of the lovefeast – a simple ceremonial meal shared during certain church festivals.
- Tradition of elaborate Easter sunrise services, Christmas Eve vigils, and other special liturgies.
- Use of the lot to help discern God’s will, such as in selecting ministers.
- Organization into self-governing “provinces” rather than a hierarchical, top-down structure.
- Emphasis on gender equality unusual for its time – women served as elders and deaconesses.
- Commitment to education, with Moravian boarding schools established globally.
Worldwide, there are an estimated 600,000 to 750,000 members of the Moravian Church with churches located in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa. The church headquarters are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Some of the key figures and events in Moravian history include:
- Jan Hus (1369–1415) – Catholic priest whose teachings and criticisms of the church began the Bohemian Reformation and laid the groundwork for the Unitas Fratrum.
- Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760) – Allowed Moravians to settle on his estate at Herrnhut, leading to the renewal of the church in 1727.
- Herrnhut, Germany – Moravian settlement established in 1722 on Zinzendorf’s estate where refugees from Bohemia and Moravia settled. Became the church’s new center.
- 1732 – First Moravian missionaries sent to the West Indies, marking the start of extensive global missionary work.
- 1735 – First Moravian mission in North America established in Savannah, Georgia but failed due to war.
- 1741 – Renewal of Moravian Church at a spiritual revival meeting in Herrnhut, leading to further growth.
- 1753 – Moravians settle Bethlehem, PA which became the church’s first permanent settlement in America.
- 1857 – The Daily Texts published, containing daily Bible verses and prayers still used today.
- 1899 – Unity Synod joins the Bohemian, German and American provinces of the Moravian Church.
- 1957 – The Comenius Institute established for Moravian theological study and training.
- 2014 – Moravian Church approved ordination of gay and lesbian pastors, illustrating continued embrace of progressive policies.
The Moravian Church is organized into self-governing administrative divisions called provinces,Unity Provinces, Mission Provinces, and Mission Areas in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia:
- Congo
- America, Northern (North America)
- America, Southern (North America)
- Guyana (South America)
- Honduras (Central America)
- Tanzania, South (Africa)
- Tanzania, South West (Africa)
- Tanzania, Lake Tanganyika (Africa)
- Tanzania, Rukwa (Africa)
- Tanzania, Western (Africa)
- Zambia (Africa)
- Labrador (North America)
- Czech Republic
- European Continental
- Albania (Europe)
- British (Europe)
- Burundi (Africa)
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Eastern West Indies
- Honduras
- Malawi (Africa)
- Nicaragua
- South Asia
- Suriname
- Tanzania, Central
- Tanzania, Eastern
- Tanzania, North
- Tanzania, Southern Highlands
The Moravian Church is part of the wider Reformed family of Protestant churches. At the same time, it has retained its own unique identity and established traditions over six centuries of history. The church’s emphasis on living out one’s faith through action, missions and sacred music are important parts of its legacy. While its membership numbers are small compared to other denominations, the Moravian Church has had an influence disproportionate to its size through its global missionary work and its model of religious tolerance and ecumenism.
The church’s famous missionary zeal began in 1732 with the first sending out of Moravians across the world. At a time when most Protestant denominations were not engaged in missionary work, the Moravians went to places others would not, from the Arctic to the remotest jungles of Africa. This missionary impulse came out of the church’s emphasis on service and bearing fruit for the Gospel. Count Zinzendorf summarized this passion with the motto, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
Some key aspects of Moravian missions include:
- Emphasis on conversion and new birth in Christ as the aim, not just civilization.
- Use of trade and businesses to support mission work financially.
- Focused on taking the Gospel message to the remotest peoples reached by no others.
- Missionaries lived in native fashion, respecting local customs not contrary to the Gospel.
- Translated Scripture into local languages and trained native ministers.
- Established settlements for new converts to be discipled in the faith.
- Included unattached women and married couples as missionaries.
- Founded churches that became self-governing, not missionary ruled.
The Moravians were the first large-scale Protestant missionary movement. They preceded William Carey, often called the father of modern missions, by 65 years. By the mid-18th century, they had sent more missionaries globally than all other Protestant denominations combined. This missionary zeal inspired many other churches to similar work, making the Moravians pioneers of the modern Protestant missionary movement. Their global impact also led to increased scattering and intercultural exchange between native peoples as converts traveled between mission settlements.
The Moravian Church is also known for its love of music, art, and architecture. Moravian music has been acclaimed for its quality and distinct characteristics:
- Prolific hymnody in each native land, translated into local languages.
- Use of trombones plus violins and organ to accompany hymns.
- Composers like F.F. Herschel wrote over 5,000 hymns, many still used today.
- Chorales and brass bands integral part of worship and community.
- Emphasis on congregation participation through hymns.
- Hymns used to teach doctrine as well as praise.
- Many hymns celebrate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
- Elaborate musical worship at festivals like Easter sunrise services.
This musical heritage developed from the church’s Pietistic theology and its communal lifestyle where music was a daily act of worship. Hymn singing also became an important way to share the Gospel with native peoples on the mission field. The church founded schools to train musicians and compose new hymns across denominational and cultural lines. Moravian music strongly influenced Protestant hymnody in America and across the world.
Another area where Moravian influence was felt was in education. As early as the 15th century, the Unity of Brethren established boarding schools to provide strong Christian education. In Germany and then abroad, the church set up schools for both boys and girls with an emphasis on spiritual formation and service. These schools were open to Moravian and non-Moravian students alike. The standard of education was high for the time and stressed religion, science, math, languages, music and the humanities. By educating entire communities beyond just the elite, Moravians made a significant impact in parts of Germany, England and America.
The church also developed unique communal expressions of the Christian life in their specially designed settlements. These tight-knit communities allowed Moravians to live out their faith in their daily work and interactions. Everything was oriented to spiritual objectives. The most famous of these settlements were at Herrnhut, Germany and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. These communes expressed core Moravian values of service, gender equality, religious tolerance, hard work, simplicity and care for all regardless of rank or class.
Settlement features included:
- Uniform, functionally built houses.
- Daily prayer schedules strictly observed.
- Members grouped into “choirs” by age, gender, marital status.
- Emphasis on practical arts and labor, not just preaching.
- Caring for widows, orphans, elderly and disabled.
- Admitted persecuted persons of all faiths seeking shelter.
- Rule by church elders but open discussion allowed.
- Regimented schedules with time allotted for worship and meals.
While some settlements only lasted for a period of time, they became important experiments in applying Christian ideals to everyday community life. Herrnhut, Germany served as the mother church for all Moravian communities. Its influence and organization allowed the small denomination to have an impact all over the world.
The Moravian Church has also been a leader in gender equality since its beginning. Women have been able to serve as elders, deaconesses and missionaries since the 1730s. The Ratio Disciplinae of 1741 affirmed that women should be granted equal access to church offices and ordination based on spiritual gifts, not gender. This stance made the Moravians stand out in their day and they ordained one of the first Protestant female pastors in America: Elizabeth Miller in 1913.
Other key aspects of Moravian ministry roles for women include:
- Women elected to church boards and leadership as early as the 1500s.
- Shared authority with husbands in marriage, family and church affairs.
- Sisters’ houses provided refuge for single women and economic empowerment.
- Deaconesses tended to female spiritual needs and social welfare work.
- Single women encouraged to emigrate and serve abroad as missionaries.
- Married women served jointly with husbands rather than as subordinates.
- Quoted the Galatians 3:28 Bible verse that “there is no male and female.”
This progressive stance made the Moravian Church a vanguard denomination upholding women’s leadership in ministry. This inclusive policy stemmed from the church’s Pietistic theology with its focus on each believer’s spiritual competency rather than gender roles. The Moravians believed the Holy Spirit endowed both women and men with gifts to serve as leaders, teachers and doctors of the faith. Women thus played prominent roles in the church from its renewal in 1727 right up to the present.
In conclusion, the Moravian Church has made a global impact over its nearly 600-year history despite its modest size among Protestant denominations. Its zeal for missions brought the Gospel to diverse cultures in the early modern period through respectful methods unlike other churches at the time. Musically, Moravian hymnody set high standards and greatly influenced sacred music across denominations. Settlement communities like Bethlehem and Salem showed how biblical ideals could permeate daily work and interactions for the common good. The church empowered women in leadership and ordained one of the first female pastors long before other Protestants. Its communal lifestyle inspired alternative expressions of Christian unity and service. And its faithful endurance across centuries through persecution and dispersion testifies to the sustaining power of the Gospel message.