View source for Moravian Church

{{Short description|Protestant Christian denomination dating back to the 15th century}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Redirect|Unitas Fratrum||Unity of the Brethren (disambiguation){{!}}Unity of the Brethren}}{{Cleanup list|date=June 2024}}{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name = Unity of the Brethren
| native_name = {{langx|la|Unitas Fratrum}}
| image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg
| imagewidth = 250px
| caption = A [[stained-glass]] emblem of [[Agnus Dei]] at Trinity Moravian Church in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]
| main_classification = [[Proto-Protestantism|Proto-Protestant]]
| orientation = [[Hussites|Hussite]] ([[Bohemian Reformation|Bohemian]]) with [[Pietism|Pietist]] [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] influences
|associations=[[Christian Churches Together]]| founder = Followers of [[Jan Hus]] and [[Petr Chelčický]]; later renewed by [[Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf]], [[Christian David]] and [[David Nitschmann der Bischof|David Nitschmann]]
| founded_date = {{start date and age|1457|p=yes}}<br>{{start date and age|1722|p=yes}}
| founded_place = [[Bohemia]]<br>[[Herrnhut]]
| congregations = 1,000+<ref name=stats />
| number_of_followers = 1,112,120 <small>(2016)</small><ref name="Membership"/>
| website = {{URL|unitasfratrum.org}}
}}
{{Christianity|expanded=hide}}

The '''Moravian Church''', or the '''Moravian Brethren''', formally the '''{{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum}}''' ([[Latin]]: "Unity of the Brethren"),<ref name="history">{{cite web |title=Moravian History |url=http://www.moravian.org.uk/index.php/the-moravian-church/moravian-history |publisher=Moravian Church of the British Province |access-date=11 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223035154/http://www.moravian.org.uk/index.php/the-moravian-church/moravian-history |archive-date=23 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Unitas Fratrum |url=http://www.unitasfratrum.org |website=Unitasfratrum.org |access-date=12 March 2017 |quote=Unitas Fratrum, the Worldwide Moravian Church consists of Unity Provinces, Mission Provinces, Mission Areas and certain areas of work which are the responsibility of the Moravian Unity as a whole.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Unity of the Brethren |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-13/unity-of-brethren.html |date=1987 |access-date=11 March 2017 |work=Christianity Today}}</ref> is one of the oldest [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christian denomination|denominations]] in [[Christianity]], dating back to the [[Bohemian Reformation]] of the 15th century and the original [[History of the Moravian Church|Unity of the Brethren]] ({{langx|cs|Jednota bratrská|links=no}}) founded in the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], sixty years before [[Martin Luther]]'s [[Reformation]].

The church's heritage can be traced to 1457 and the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown]], which included [[Bohemia]], [[Moravia]], [[Silesia]], and previously the [[Hussite movement]] against several practices and doctrines of the [[Catholic Church]]. Its name is derived from exiles who fled from Moravia to [[Saxony]] in 1722 to escape the [[Counter-Reformation]], establishing the Christian community of [[Herrnhut]]. Hence, it is also known in [[German language|German]] as the {{Sic|{{lang|de|Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine}}|nolink=y}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Herzlich willkommen |trans-title=Warm welcome |url=http://www.ebu.de/startseite/ |access-date=12 March 2017 |website=Ebu.de |publisher=Evangelische Brüder-Unität – Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine |language=de |archive-date=11 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411194015/https://www.ebu.de/startseite/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ("Unity of Brethren of Herrnhut").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moravian church {{!}} Protestant denomination |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moravian-church |access-date=15 September 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>

The modern {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum}} has about one million members worldwide,<ref name="stats" /> continuing their tradition of [[missionary work]], such as in the [[Americas]] and [[Africa]], which is reflected in their broad global distribution.<ref name="Atwood 2012">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Atwood |first=Craig D. |title=Moravian Church |year=2012 |orig-date=2011 |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization |location=[[Chichester, West Sussex]] |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |doi=10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0935 |isbn=9781405157629 |quote=The Moravian Church's impact on Christianity and world culture is disproportionate to its size (about 750,000 members in 2007). In the 18th century, the church engaged in social experiments that challenged patriarchy, racism, and economic exploitation, and pioneered culturally sensitive missions to indigenous peoples in the Americas and Africa. It is also famous for its contributions to Protestant hymnody and liturgy, and its {{lang|de|Losungen}} or daily watchwords remain one of the most popular resources for personal devotions in Germany. The most famous reader of the {{lang|de|Losungen}}, was the theologian [[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]], whose Finkelwalde Seminary was modeled in part on the example of the Moravians.}}</ref> Moravians continue many of the same practices established in the 18th century, including placing a high value on a personal conversion to Christ, called the [[Born again#Moravianism|New Birth]], and [[Piety#Piety and devotion|piety]], [[good works]], [[evangelism]] (including the establishment of missions), [[Christian pacifism|nonresistance]], [[ecumenism]], and [[Christian music|music]].<ref name="Atwood 2012" /><ref name="Atwood1991" />

The Moravian Church's [[emblem]] is the [[Lamb of God]] ({{lang|la|Agnus Dei}}) with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription "{{lang|la|Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur}}" ('Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him').

Apart from the Moravian Church, the more conservative [[Unity of the Brethren (Texas)|Unity of the Brethren]], based in Texas, as well as the [[Czechoslovak Hussite Church]], based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are denominations in the same Hussite-Moravian theological tradition.<ref name="Kurian2017">{{cite book |last1=Kurian |first1=George Thomas |last2=Day |first2=Sarah Claudine |title=The Essential Handbook of Denominations and Ministries |date=14 March 2017 |publisher=Baker Books |isbn=978-1-4934-0640-1 |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main article|History of the Moravian Church}}
=== Jan Hus and the Bohemian Reformation ===
{{see also|Jan Hus|Hussite Wars|Bohemian Reformation}}
[[File:Jan Hus.jpg|thumb|[[Jan Hus]]]]
[[File:Kazani mistra jana husa v kapli betlemske 81x61m.jpg|thumb|''Jan Hus Preaching at [[Bethlehem Chapel]] in Prague'', a 1916 portrait by [[Alfons Mucha]]]]
[[File:Vaclav Brozik - Hus.jpg|thumb|''Jan Hus at the Council of Constance'', a portrait by [[Václav Brožík]]]]
The [[Hussite]] movement that was to become the Moravian Church was started by [[Jan Hus]] ({{langx|en|John Huss}}) in early 15th-century [[Bohemia]], in what is today the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name="history" /> Hus objected to some of the practices and doctrines of the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]]. Specifically, he wanted the [[Mass (liturgy)|liturgy]] to be celebrated in [[Czech language|Czech]], married priests, and eliminating [[indulgences]] and the idea of [[Purgatory]]. Since these actions predate the [[Protestant Reformation]] by a century, some historians claim the Moravian Church was the first [[Protestantism|Protestant]] church.<ref name="Rican1992">{{cite book |last=Rican |first=Rudolf |title=The History of the Unity of Brethren – A Protestant Hussite Church in Bohemia and Moravia |year=1992 |publisher=The Moravian Church in America |isbn=1-878422-05-7}}</ref><ref name="Crews2008">{{cite book |last=Crews |first=C. Daniel |title=Faith, Love, Hope – A History of the Unitas Fratrum |year=2008 |publisher=by Moravian Archives, Winston Salem, N. Carolina |isbn=978-0-9719411-3-7}}</ref>

The movement gained support from the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Crown of Bohemia]]. However, Hus was summoned to attend the [[Council of Constance]], which decided that he was a heretic. Hus was released to the secular authority, which sentenced him to be burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. From 1419 to 1437 were a series of [[Hussite Wars]], initially between various Roman Catholic rulers and the Hussites. Then there was a Hussite civil war, between the more compromising [[Utraquism|Utraquists]] and the radical [[Taborite]]s. In 1434, an army of Utraquists and Roman Catholics defeated the Taborites at the [[Battle of Lipany]]. The Utraquists signed the [[Compacts of Basel]] on 5 July 1436.

Within 50 years of Hus's death, a contingent of his followers had become independently organised as the "Bohemian Brethren" ({{lang|cs|Čeští bratři}}) or [[History of the Moravian Church|Unity of the Brethren]] ({{lang|cs|Jednota bratrská}}), which was founded in [[Kunvald]], Bohemia, in 1457. A brother known as Gregory the Patriarch was very influential in forming the group, as well as the teachings of [[Peter Chelcicky]]. This group held to a strict obedience to the [[Sermon on the Mount]], which included non-swearing of oaths, non-resistance, and not accumulating wealth. Because of this, they considered themselves separate from the majority Hussites that did not hold those teachings. They received [[Bishop|episcopal]] ordination through the [[Waldensians]] in 1467.<ref name=Rican1992 />{{rp|36 ff}}<ref name=Crews2008 />{{rp|107 ff}} 

These were some of the earliest [[Protestant]]s, rebelling against Rome some fifty years before [[Martin Luther]].<ref name=Rican1992 /><ref name=Crews2008 /> By the middle of the 16th century, as many as 90 percent of the subjects of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]] were [[Protestantism|Protestant]].<ref name="Nabozenstvi">{{cite book |title=Náboženství a moderní česká společnost |language=cs |trans-title=Religion and modern Czech society |first=David |last=Václavík |publisher=Grada Publishing a.s. |date=2010 |page=53}}</ref> The majority of the nobility was Protestant, and the schools and printing-shops established by the Moravian Church were flourishing.

Protestantism had a strong influence in the education of the population. Even in the middle of the 16th century there was not a single town without a Protestant school in the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown Lands]]. Many had more than one, mostly with two to six teachers each. In [[Jihlava]], a principal Protestant centre in Moravia, there were five major schools: two German, one Czech, one for girls and one teaching in Latin, which was at the level of a [[gymnasium (school)|high/grammar school]], lecturing on Latin, Greek and Hebrew, Rhetorics, Dialectics, fundamentals of Philosophy and fine arts, as well as religion according to the [[Augsburg Confession|Lutheran Augustana]].<ref name="elvert">{{Cite journal |last=d'Elvert |first=Christian |author-link=Christian d'Elvert |title=Geschichte der Studien-, Schul- und Erziehungs- Anstalten in Mähren und Oesterreichisch Schlesien, insbesondere der olmützer Universität, in den neueren Zeiten |language=de |trans-title=History of study, school and educational institutions in Moravia and Austrian Silesia, especially the University of Olomouc, in modern times |journal=Gesellschaft zur Beförderung des Ackerbaues, der Natur- und Landeskunde |volume=10 |year=1857 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EpwAAAAAcAAJ&q=B%C3%96SENSELLE&pg=PR27 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

===Counter-Reformation===
{{Further|Counter-Reformation}}
With the [[Charles University#Protestant academy .281419.E2.80.931622.29|University of Prague]] also firmly in hands of [[Protestantism|Protestant]]s, the local [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] was unable to compete in the field of education. The Jesuits were invited, with the backing of the Catholic Habsburg rulers, to come to the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown]] and establish a number of Roman Catholic educational institutions. One of these [[Palacký University, Olomouc|was the university]] in the Moravian capital of [[Olomouc]]. In 1582, they forced the closure of local Protestant schools.

In 1617, [[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Matthias]] had his fiercely Roman Catholic brother [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand of Styria]] elected as King of Bohemia. In the year that followed, [[Protestant]] Bohemian noblemen, in fear of losing their religious freedom,<ref name="Polisensky">{{cite book |first=Josef V. |last=Polišenský |title=The Thirty Years War |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |date=1971}}</ref> [[Bohemian Revolt|instigated a revolt]] with the unplanned [[Defenestrations of Prague]]. The Protestants were defeated in 1620 in the [[Battle of White Mountain]] near Prague, known as the first battle in the Thirty Years' War.<ref name=Gould>{{cite journal |last=Gould |first=Stephen Jay |author-link=Stephen Jay Gould |title=This View of Life: The Diet of Worms and the Defenestrations of Prague |journal=[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]] |year=1996 |number=9 |access-date=26 January 2014 |url=https://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/BioNB427/READINGS/Gould1996.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328010647/http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/bionb427/readings/gould1996.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2014 }}</ref> As a consequence, the local Protestant noblemen were either executed or expelled from the country, while the Habsburgs placed Roman Catholic, and mostly German-speaking nobility in their place. The war, plague, and subsequent disruption led to a decline in the population from over 3 million to some 800,000 people. By 1622, the entire education system was in the hands of Jesuits, and all Protestant schools were closed.

The Brethren were forced to go underground, and eventually dispersed across [[Northern Europe]] as far as the [[Low Countries]], where their [[bishop]], [[John Amos Comenius]], attempted to direct a resurgence. The largest remaining communities of the Brethren were located in [[Leszno]] ({{langx|de|Lissa}}) in [[Poland]], which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and small, isolated groups in [[Moravia]]. The latter are referred to as "the Hidden Seed", which John Amos Comenius had prayed would preserve the evangelical faith in the land of the fathers.

In addition to the Renewed {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum|i=n}} or Moravian Church, which preserves the {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum|i=n}}'s three orders of [[Bishop|episcopal]] ordination, the [[Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren]] and the [[Czechoslovak Hussite Church]] also continue the Hussite tradition in the Czech Republic and [[Slovakia]] today, as with the [[Unity of the Brethren (Texas)|Unity of the Brethren]] in the United States; these are denominations in the same Hussite-Moravian theological tradition.<ref name="Kurian2017"/> They only account for [[Religion in the Czech Republic|0.8% of the Czech population]], which is 79.4% non-religious, and 10.4% Catholic.{{cn|date=September 2023}}{{when|date=September 2023}}

=== {{lang|de|Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine}}, 18th-century renewal ===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2019}}
[[File:Haidt Zizendorf.JPG|thumb|[[Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf]] preaching to people from many nations]]
[[File:Herrnhut, Unität.jpg|thumb|{{lang|de|Vogtshof}} in [[Herrnhut]], the administrative centre of the worldwide Moravian Church]]

In 1722, a small group of the Bohemian Brethren, the "Hidden Seed", who had been living in northern [[Moravia]], as an illegal underground remnant surviving in the Catholic setting of the Habsburg Empire for nearly 100 years, arrived at the [[Berthelsdorf]] estate of [[Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf|Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf]] in present-day [[Saxony]] in the eastern part of present-day [[Germany]]. Out of a personal commitment to helping the poor and needy, von Zinzendorf, a nobleman who had been brought up in the traditions of [[Pietism|Pietistic]] [[Lutheranism]], agreed to a request from their leader, [[Christian David]], an itinerant carpenter, that they be allowed to settle on his lands in [[Upper Lusatia]] in Saxony. The Margraviates of Upper and Lower Lusatia were governed in personal union by the [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxon rulers]] and enjoyed great autonomy, especially in religious questions.

The refugees established a new village called [[Herrnhut]], about 2 miles (3&nbsp;km) from Berthelsdorf. The town initially grew steadily, but major religious disagreements emerged and by 1727 the community was divided into factions. Count Zinzendorf worked to bring about unity in the town, and the ''Brotherly Agreement'' was adopted by the community on 12 May 1727. This is considered the beginning of the renewal. On 13 August 1727, the community underwent a dramatic transformation when the inhabitants of Herrnhut "learned to love one another", following an experience that 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. The [[bishop|episcopal]] [[ordination]] of the Ancient {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum|i=n}} was transferred in 1735 to the Renewed {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum|i=n}} by the Unity's two surviving bishops, [[Daniel Ernst Jablonski]] and Christian Sitkovius. The carpenter [[David Nitschmann der Bischof|David Nitschmann]] and, later, Count von Zinzendorf, were the first two bishops of the Renewed Unity. In 1756, Zinzendorf founded a Brüdergemeine that still exists today in [[Neuwied]] on the Rhine. Moravian historians identify the main achievements of this period as:

* Setting up a watch of [[continual prayer|continuous prayer]] that ran uninterrupted, 24 hours a day, for 100 years.
* Originating the ''[[Daily Watchwords]]''.
* Establishing more than 30 settlements internationally on the Herrnhut model, which emphasized prayer and worship, and a form of communal living in which simplicity of lifestyle and generosity with wealth were held to be important spiritual attributes. The purpose of these communities was to assist the members resident there in the sanctification of their lives, to provide a meeting place for Christians from different confessional backgrounds, to provide Christian training for their own children and the children of their friends and supporters and to provide support for the Moravian Mission work throughout the world. As a result, although personal property was held, divisions between social groups and extremes of wealth and poverty were largely eliminated.
* Being the first Protestant church body to begin missionary work.
* Forming 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 ===
[[File:Group associated with the Moravian Church by Johann Valentin Haidt.jpg|thumb|A group of Moravian Church members with [[George II of Great Britain|George II]], depicted in a portrait by [[Johann Valentin Haidt]], {{Circa|1752}}–1754]]
[[File:Bishop John Ettwein.png|upright|thumb|In 1772, [[John Ettwein]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memoirs – John Ettwein|url=http://bdhp.moravian.edu/personal_papers/memoirs/jettwein/jettwein.html |access-date=15 October 2020 |website=bdhp.moravian.edu}}</ref> and his group of some 200 [[Lenape]] and [[Mohican]] Christians traveled west along [[Great Shamokin Path|The Great Shamokin Path]] from their village of Friedenshütten (''Cabins of Peace'') near modern [[Wyalusing, Pennsylvania|Wyalusing]] on the [[Susquehanna River|North Branch Susquehanna River]] to their new village of Friedensstadt (''City of Peace'')] on the [[Beaver River (Pennsylvania)|Beaver River]] in southwestern [[Pennsylvania]].]]
Along with the [[Royal Danish Mission College]], the Moravian missionaries were the first large-scale [[Mission (Christian)|Protestant missionary movement]]. They sent out the first missionaries when there were only 300 inhabitants in Herrnhut. Within 30 years, the church sent hundreds of Christian missionaries to many parts of the world, including the [[Caribbean]], [[North America|North]] and [[South America]], the [[Arctic]], [[Africa]], and the [[Far East]]. They were the first to send lay people as missionaries, the first Protestant denomination to minister to slaves, though some communities also owned slaves, and the first Protestant presence in many countries.

Owing to Zinzendorf's personal contacts with their royalty, the first Moravian missions were directed to the [[Denmark-Norway|Dano-Norwegian Empire]]. While attending the coronation of [[Christian VI of Denmark|Christian VI of Denmark-Norway]] in 1730, Zinzendorf was profoundly struck by two [[Kalaallit people|Inuit]] converts of [[Hans Egede]]'s [[Kangeq|mission in Greenland]] and also by an African from the [[West Indies]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Knight |first1=C. |title=The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volumes 15–16 |publisher=C. Knight |year=1839 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pennycyclopaedi01unkngoog/page/n273 269] |url=https://archive.org/details/pennycyclopaedi01unkngoog |access-date=11 August 2013}}</ref> The first Moravian mission was established on the Caribbean island of [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]] in 1732 by a potter named [[Johann Leonhard Dober]] and a carpenter named [[David Nitschmann der Bischof|David Nitschmann]],<ref name="S&H">{{cite book |title=Seedtime and Harvest: A Brief History of the Moravian Church in Jamaica 1754–1979 |first1=S. U. |last1=Hastings |first2=B. L. |last2=MacLeavy |publisher=The Moravian Church Corporation |date=1979}}</ref>{{Rp|7}} who later became the first bishop of the Renewed Unity in 1735. [[Matthias Stach|Matthaeus Stach]] and two others founded the first [[Moravian mission in Greenland]] in 1733 at [[Neu-Herrnhut]] on [[Baal's River]], which became the nucleus of the modern capital [[Nuuk]].

Moravians also founded missions with the [[Mohicans]], an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking tribe in the [[Province of New York|colony of New York]] in the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. In one instance, they founded a mission in 1740 at the Mohican village of ''[[Shekomeko]]'' in present-day [[Dutchess County, New York]]. The converted Mohican people formed the first native Christian congregation in the present-day United States of America. Because of local hostility from New Yorkers to the Mohicans, the Moravian support of the Mohicans led to rumors of them being secret [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]], trying to ally the Mohicans with [[Kingdom of France|France]] in the ongoing [[French and Indian Wars]].

Although supporters defended their work, at the end of 1744, the colonial government based in [[Poughkeepsie, New York]], expelled the Moravians from the [[Province of New York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/town/pineplains/history.html |first=Philip H. |last=Smith |title=Pine Plains |website=General History of Duchess County from 1609 to 1876, inclusive |location=Pawling, NY |date=1877 |access-date=3 March 2010 |archive-date=15 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515111533/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/town/pineplains/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1741, [[David Nitschmann der Bischof|David Nitschmann]] and [[Count Zinzendorf]] led a small community to found a mission in the colony of [[Pennsylvania]]. The mission was established on [[Christmas Eve]], and was named Bethlehem, after the [[Bethlehem|Biblical town in Judea]]. There, they ministered to the Algonquian-speaking [[Lenape Nation|Lenape]]. [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]], is today the seventh-largest city in Pennsylvania, having developed as a major industrial city in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1772, the first European-Native American settlement of what later became [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania]], occurred when Reverend John Ettwein, a Moravian missionary, arrived there with a band of 241 Christianized [[Delaware|Lenape]].<ref name=Guide>{{cite book |title=Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=1940 |author1=[[University of Pennsylvania]] |author2=[[Federal Works Agency]] |page=568}}</ref>

In 1771, Moravians established a settlement at [[Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador|Nain, Labrador]], which became a permanent settlement and the Moravian headquarters in Labrador.<ref name=wtHtL>{{cite book |title=With the Harmony to Labrador |year=1975 |editor=E Wilson}}</ref> The mission stations expanded to [[Okak, Newfoundland and Labrador|Okak]] (1776), [[Hopedale, Newfoundland and Labrador|Hopedale]] (1782), [[Hebron, Newfoundland and Labrador|Hebron]] at [[Kauerdluksoak Bay]] (1830–1959), serving also [[Napartok Bay]] and [[Saeglek Bay]], [[Zoar, Newfoundland and Labrador|Zoar]] (1864–1889), [[Ramah, Newfoundland and Labrador|Ramah]] (1871–1908), [[Makkovik]] (1896), and [[Killiniq, Nunavut|Killiniq]] on [[Cape Chidley]] island (1905–1925).<ref name=wtHtL /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hiller |first1=J.K. |title=The Moravian Church |url=https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/moravian-church.php |publisher=Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador |access-date=30 May 2021 |date=2001}}</ref> Two further stations were added after this period at [[Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador|Happy Valley]] near [[Goose Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Goose Bay]] (1957) and [[North West River]] (1960).<ref name=wtHtL />

Colonies were founded in North Carolina, where Moravians led by [[August Gottlieb Spangenberg|Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg]] purchased {{convert|98985|acre}} from [[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville]]. This large tract of land was named {{lang|de|die [[Wachau]]}}, or [[Wachovia, North Carolina|Wachovia]], after one of Zinzendorf's ancestral estates on the [[Danube River]] in [[Lower Austria]]. Other early settlements included [[Bethabara Historic District|Bethabara]] (1753), [[Bethania, North Carolina|Bethania]] (1759), and Salem, now referred to as [[Old Salem]] (1766) in [[Winston-Salem]], North Carolina.

In 1801, the Moravians established Springplace mission to the [[Cherokee Nation]] in what is now [[Murray County, Georgia|Murray County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. Coinciding with the [[Trail of Tears|forced removal]] of the Cherokees to Oklahoma, this mission was replaced in 1842 by New Springplace in [[Oaks, Oklahoma]]. Due to [[American Civil War|Civil War]]-related violence, New Springplace closed in 1862 and resumed during the 1870s. In 1898, the Moravian Church discontinued their missionary engagement with the Cherokees and New Springplace, now the Oaks Indian Mission, was transferred to the [[Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church]].<ref name="EOHC-Oaks">{{cite web |url=http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=OA003 |title=Rose Stauber "Oaks" |website=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref>

The start of far-flung missionary work necessitated the establishment of independently administered provinces. So, from about 1732,<ref name="S&H"/>{{Rp|7}} the history of the church becomes the history of its provinces.

Eventually, the Moravian missions in [[Australia]] and [[Greenland]] were transferred to the local Presbyterian and Lutheran Churches, respectively.

The first mission station in present-day [[South Africa]] was established by the Moravian Georg Schmidt at [[Genadendal]] in 1738. The mission at [[Wupperthal]], established by the [[Rhenish Missionary Society]], was eventually transferred to the Moravian Church.

The Moravians sought to unify the converts into "one people" living together with the same religious beliefs. Zeisberger, a significant Moravian missionary, implored the converts to remember that they were "one people not two."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Schutt |first=Amy C. |title=Tribal Identity in the Moravian Missions on the Susquehanna |journal=Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies |volume=66 |number=3 |pages=378–398 |date=1999}}</ref>

== Present ==
[[file:Mary Greenwood on gravestones born 1752.jpg|thumb|Mary Greenwoord was buried in [[Gracehill]] in [[County Antrim]] in 1752. Her gravestone is [[God's Acre|identical in style to hundreds of others]] irrespective of their gender or former status]]
[[File:Friedensthal Moravian.jpg|thumb|Friedensthal Moravian Church in [[Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands|Christiansted]] in the [[United States Virgin Islands]], founded in 1755]]
The modern Moravian Church has over 1.1 million members worldwide.<ref name="stats">{{cite web |title=Who are the Moravians? |url=https://rootsmc.org/moravians/ |access-date=9 November 2025 |website=Roots Moravian Church |publisher=Roots Moravian Church}}</ref>

The motto of the Moravian Church is: "[[In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas|In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moravian.org/the-moravian-church/what-moravians-believe-2/ |title=What Moravians Believe « The Moravian Church « Moravian Church of North America |website=Moravian.org |access-date=22 September 2018}}</ref>

== Organization ==
=== Provinces ===
For its global work, the Church is organised into Unity Provinces, Mission Provinces and Mission Areas and four regions of Africa, Caribbean and Latin America, Northern America, and Europe. The categorisation is based on the level of independence of the province. Unity Province implies a total level of independence, Mission Province implies a partial level of supervision from a Unity Province, and Mission Area implies full supervision by a Unity Province. (The links below connect to articles about the history of the church in specific provinces after 1732, where written.)

In the Czech Republic and Honduras splits occurred within the churches after [[charismatic revival]]s; non-charismatic minorities formed their own bodies, but both sides remained connected to the international church. The minority communities are listed as "mission provinces".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unitasfratrum.org/index.php/unity-board-2012-resolutions/ |title=Unitas Fratrum » Unity Board 2012 Resolutions |website=Unitasfratrum.org |access-date=22 September 2018 |archive-date=10 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510073200/http://www.unitasfratrum.org/index.php/unity-board-2012-resolutions/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Membership ====
{| class="wikitable"
! style="font-weight: bold;" | Provinces (year of foundation) or mission area
! style="font-weight: bold;" | Congregations
! style="font-weight: bold;" | Membership<ref name="Membership">{{cite web |url=http://www.herrnhuter-missionshilfe.de/index.php?id=1922: |title=Herrnhuter Mission aktuell: 31-2016 vom 03.12.2016 |website=Herrnhuter-missionshilfe.de |access-date=22 September 2018 |archive-date=23 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923052257/https://www.herrnhuter-missionshilfe.de/index.php?id=1922: |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| style="font-weight: bold;" | Africa
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 907,830
|-
| Burundi (mission province)
| 
| 40,000
|-
| Tanzania, North (2007)
| 25
| 3,910
|-
| Tanzania, East (2007)
| 56
| 28,510
|-
| Tanzania, Rukwa (1986)
| 60
| 66,410
|-
| Tanzania, South (1891)
| 170
| 203,000
|-
| Tanzania, South West (1978)
| 211
| 300,000
|-
| Tanzania, Lake Tanganyika (2005)
| 30
| 32,100
|-
| Tanzania, West (1897)
| 61
| 104,000
|-
| Zambia (1989)
| 17
| 5,210
|-
| South Africa (1792/1737)
| 87
| 98,000
|-
| Congo/DR Congo (2005)
| 80
| 21,500
|-
| Malawi (2007)
| 10
| 5,190
|-
| style="font-weight: bold;" | Caribbean & Latin America
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 204,980
|-
| Costa Rica (1980/1941)
| 3
| 1,900
|-
| Guyana (1878/1835)
|
| 960
|-
| Honduras (1930)
| 85
| 34,450
|-
| [[Jamaica Province of the Moravian Church|Jamaica]] (1754)
| 65
| 8,100
|-
| Nicaragua (1849)
| 226
| 97,000
|-
| Suriname (1735)
| 67
| 30,000
|-
| Eastern West Indies (1732)<br/><small>Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, and the Virgin Islands including St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, Tortola and Grenada</small>
| 52
| 15,100
|-
| Honduras (Mission Province)
| 
| 16,870
|-
| Cuba (1997) (Mission Province)
| 
| 600
|-
| style="font-weight: bold;" | North America
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 39,150
|-
| Alaska (1885)
| 22
| 1,690
|-
| [[American Provinces of the Moravian Church|America (North)]] (1741/1735)<br/><small> Greenland, Canada and the Northern States of the US</small>
| 89
| 20,530
|-
| [[American Provinces of the Moravian Church|America (South)]] (1753)<br/><small>Southern States of the USA</small>
| 55
| 15,030
|-
| Labrador (1771/1752) (mission province)
| 
| 1,900
|-
| style="font-weight: bold;" | Europe
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 20,180
|-
| {{Interlanguage link multi|Europäisch-Festländische Provinz der Brüderunität|de|3=Europäisch-Festländische Provinz der Brüderunität|lt=European Continental}} (1727)<br/><small>Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Albania, Estonia, Latvia </small>
| 24
| 14,530
|-
| [[British Province of the Moravian Church|British]] (1742)<br/><small> Great Britain and Ireland</small>
| 30
| 1,200
|-
| [[Jednota bratrská|Czech Republic]] (1862/1457)
| 29
| 3,800
|-
| Czech Republic/Herrnhut Seniority (mission province)
| 
| 650
|-
| 
| 
| 
|-
| '''Missions Areas'''<br/><small>Belize, French Guiana, Garifuna, Haiti, Kenya, Northern India & Nepal, Rwanda, Zanzibar, Sierra Leone, Tanzania Kiwele Region, Kivu and Katanga in DR Congo, Tanzania Iringa Region; Tanzania Ruvuma/Njombe Region, Uganda, Peru</small>
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 25,000
|-
| 
| 
| 
|-
| style="font-weight: bold;" | Total
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 
| style="font-weight: bold;" | 1,112,120
|}

Other areas with missions but that 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 [[Hansen House (Jerusalem)|Jesus-Hilfe (Jesus' help) 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.<ref name=Almanac/>
*'''South Asia''' [North India (Ladakh, Dehradun, Delhi), Nepal, Assam, Manipur] – under the care of the British Province. Formerly the West Himalayan Province (1853) and designated a Unity Undertaking in 1967.

[[Tanzania]] is divided into seven provinces because of the size of country and the numbers of people in the church. The "Moravian Church in Tanzania" co-ordinates the work in the nation.

The lists above, except for some details given under 'Other areas', can be found in ''The Moravian Almanac''.<ref name=Almanac>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).</ref>

Each province is governed by a [[synod]], made up of representatives from each congregation plus ''ex officio'' members.

The Synod elects the Provincial Board (aka Provincial Elders' Conference or PEC<ref>In Moravian usage, Elder is a title applicable to the members of any church board (conference) whether at provincial or congregational level. The term refers 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<sup>[7]</sup>.</ref>) to be responsible for the work of the province and its international links between synods.

=== Districts ===
Many, but not all, of the provinces are divided into districts.

=== Congregations ===
[[File:Neudietendorf Bruederkirche-Innen1.jpg|thumb|A Moravian church in [[Neudietendorf]] in [[Thuringia]], Germany]]
Each congregation belongs to a district and has spiritual and financial responsibilities for work in its own area as well as provincially. The Congregation Council (all the members of a congregation) usually meets twice a year and annually elects the Joint Board of Elders and Trustees that acts as an executive.

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

=== Unity Synod ===
The Unity Synod meets every seven years and is attended by delegates from the different Unity Provinces and affiliated Provinces.

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

The '''President''' of the Unity Board (who is elected by the Board for two years and not allowed to serve for more than two terms) works from his/her own Provincial office. The '''Unity Business Administrator''' is an officer appointed by the Unity Board to administer the day-to-day affairs of the Unity through the office of the Unity.

== Orders of ministry ==
The highest order of ministry is that of a [[bishop]]. Bishops are elected by Provincial Synods usually through ecclesiastical ballot without nomination. In the Moravian Church, bishops do not have an administrative role but rather serve as spiritual leaders and pastors to the pastors. Bishops serve the worldwide Unity.<ref>"Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum", 2009, Chapter XIII.</ref> The Moravian Church teaches that it has preserved [[apostolic succession]].<ref name="Melton">{{cite book |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bW3sXBjnokkC&pg=PA91 |access-date=11 November 2012 |date=1 January 2005 |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |isbn=9780816069835 |page=91 |quote=Martin Luther seemed personally indifferent to apostolic succession, but branches of the Lutheran Church most notable the Church of Sweden, preserve episcopal leadership and apostolic succession...Among other Protestants that claim apostolic succession is the Moravian Church. |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> 

In order to preserve the succession, three Bohemian Brethren were consecrated bishops by Bishop Stephen of [[Austria]], a [[Waldensian]] bishop who had been ordained by a Roman Catholic bishop in 1434.<ref name="Stocker1918">{{cite book |last=Stocker |first=Harry Emilius |title=Moravian customs and other matters of interest |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ps9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA20 |access-date=11 November 2012 |year=1918 |publisher=Times publishing co., printers |page=20 |quote=They were extremely solicitous to secure a ministry whose validity the Roman Catholics and others would be compelled to recognise. For this reason they resolved to seek the episcopal succession. At that time a colony of Waldenses lived on the Bohemian border. The synod was satisfied that these people possessed the regular authenticated episcopal succession. Their chief was Stephen. To him the Brethren sent a deputation consisting of three priests or presbyters. These were Michael Bradacius, a priest of the Roman Catholic, and a priest of the Waldensian Church, whose names have not been preserved. They were instructed to inquire into the validity of the Waldensian episcopate. Stephen received the deputies with great kindness, assembled his assistant bishops, and entered into a minute account of the episcopacy which they had. Fully satisfied with what they lad learned the deputies requested to be consecrated bishops. This request Bishop Stephen and his assistants fulfilled in a solemn convocation of the Waldensian Church. The new bishops immediately returned to the barony of Lititz where another synod was convened and three of the brethren were set apart for the work of the ministry, by the laying on of hands. In spite of the terrible persecutions suffered by the Ancient Church, this episcopate was most wonderfully preserved. |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref name="Schaff2007">{{cite book |last=Schaff |first=Philip |title=The Creeds of Christendom: History of the Creeds – Volume I, Part II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbxML0B75ZIC&pg=PA567 |access-date=11 November 2012 |date=30 November 2007 |publisher=Cosimo, Inc. |isbn=9781602068902 |page=567 |quote=they sought regular ordination from a Waldensian bishop, Stephen of Austria, who was reported to have been ordained by a Roman bishop in 1434, and who afterwards suffered martyrdom in Vienna. |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> These three consecrated bishops returned to [[Litice nad Orlicí|Litice]] in Bohemia and then ordained other brothers, thereby preserving the historic episcopate.<ref name="Stocker1918" />

== Beliefs ==
The Moravian Church teaches the necessity of the [[born again#Moravianism|New Birth]], [[Piety#Piety and devotion|piety]], [[evangelism]] (especially missionary work), and doing [[good works]]. As such, the Moravian Brethren hold strongly that Christianity is a religion of the heart.<ref name="Atwood1991"/> It emphasizes the "greatness of Christ" and holds the [[Bible]] to be the "source of all religious truths".<ref name="Atwood1991"/> With regard to the New Birth, the Moravian Church holds that a personal conversion to Christianity is a joyful experience, in which the individual "accepts Christ as Lord" after which faith "daily grows inside the person."<ref name="Atwood1991"/> The Moravian Church, following the teaching of bishop [[Nicolaus Zinzendorf]], holds that "We are sanctified wholly the moment we are justified, and are neither more nor less holy to the day of our death; [[Christian perfection|entire sanctification]] and justification being in one and the same instant."<ref name="McCleery1992">{{cite book |last1=McCleery |first1=Lovedy |title=Remembering Our Heritage |date=1992 |publisher=LWD Publishing |page=13}}</ref>

For Moravians, "Christ lived as a man because he wanted to provide a blueprint for future generations" and "a converted person could attempt to live in his image and daily become more like Jesus."<ref name="Atwood1991">{{cite book |last1=Atwood |first1=Scott Edward |title="An Instrument for Awakening": The Moravian Church and the White River Indian Mission |date=1991 |publisher=[[College of William & Mary]] |pages=7, 14, 20–24 |language=English}}</ref> The Moravian Church historically adheres to the position of [[Christian pacifism]], evidenced in atrocities such as the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]], where the [[Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs]] practiced [[nonresistance]], singing hymns and praying to God until their execution.<ref name="Stoeffler2007">{{cite book |last1=Stoeffler |first1=F. Ernest |title=Continental Pietism and Early American Christianity |date=1 February 2007 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-55635-226-3 |page=156 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer |last2=Arnold |first2=James R. |last3=Wiener |first3=Roberta |title=The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890: A Political, Social, and Military History |date=30 September 2011 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-85109-697-8 |page=331}}</ref><ref name="Schutt2013">{{cite book |last1=Schutt |first1=Amy C. |title=Peoples of the River Valleys: The Odyssey of the Delaware Indians |date=1 March 2013 |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]] |isbn=978-0-8122-0379-0 |page=172 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zrinski |first1=Tara |title=Guest Minister Reminds Moravians of Pacifist Roots |url=https://patch.com/pennsylvania/bethlehem/guest-minister-reminds-moravians-of-pacifist-roots |publisher=Patch |access-date=18 July 2021|date=9 September 2011}}</ref>

In the ''Book of Order''<ref name=UBoO>Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum, published by order of the Unity Synod.</ref><ref name=UBoO-Online>[http://www.unitasfratrum.org/pages/ground_unity.html The Ground of the Unity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122053034/http://www.unitasfratrum.org/pages/ground_unity.html |date=22 November 2007 }}</ref> the several provinces of the Moravian Unity accept:
*The three [[Ecumenical Creeds]]: [[Apostles' Creed|Apostles']], [[Nicene Creed|Nicene]], and [[Athanasian Creed|Athanasian]]
*The first 21 articles of the Unaltered [[Augsburg Confession]]
*The [[Confession of the Unity of the Bohemian Brethren of 1535]]
*The [[Barmen Declaration]] of 1934
*The [[Small Catechism]] of [[Martin Luther]]
*The Synod of Berne (''Berner Synodus'') of 1532
*[[The Thirty-Nine Articles]] of the [[Church of England]]
*The [[Heidelberg Catechism]]

Moravian missions in which missionaries and the believers they ministered to lived together and adhered to Moravian practices, such as the following taught by [[David Zeisberger]], [[John Heckewelder]] and John Ettwein:<ref name="Misencik2020"/>
{{quotation|{{ordered list
|list_style_type=upper-roman
|We will know no other God, but the one only true God, who made us and all creatures, and came into this world in order to save sinners; to Him alone we will pray.
|We will rest from work on the Lord's Day, and attend public service.
|We will honor father and mother, and when they grow old and needy we will do for them what we can.
|No person shall get leave to dwell with us until our teachers have given their consent, and the helpers (native assistants) have examined him.
|We will have nothing to do with thieves, murderers, whoremongers, adulterers, or drunkards.
|We will not take part in dances, sacrifices, heathenish festivals, or games.
|We will use no Tschappish or witchcraft when hunting.
|We renounce and abhor all tricks, lies and deceits of Satan.
|We will be obedient to our teachers and to the helpers who are appointed to order our meetings in the town and fields.
|We will not be idle nor scold, nor beat one another, nor tell lies.
|Whoever injures the property of his neighbor shall make restitution.
|A man shall have but one wife—shall love her and provide her and his children. A woman shall have but one husband, be obedient to him, care for her children, and be cleanly in all things.
|We shall not admit rum, or any other intoxicating liquor into our towns. If strangers or traders bring intoxicating liquors, the helpers shall take it from them and not restore it until the owners are ready to leave the place.
|No one shall contract debts with traders, or receive to sell for traders, unless the helpers give their consent.
|Whoever goes hunting, or on a journey, shall inform the minister or stewards.
|Young persons shall not marry without the consent of their parents, and minister.
|Whenever the stewards or helpers appoint a time to make fences or perform other work for the public good, we will assist and do as we are bid.
|Whenever corn is needed to entertain strangers, or sugar for love-feasts, we will freely contribute from our stores.
|We will not go to war, and will not buy anything of warriors taken in war.<ref name="Misencik2020">{{cite book |last1=Misencik |first1=Paul R. |last2=Misencik |first2=Sally E. |title=American Indians of the Ohio Country in the 18th Century |date=9 January 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-7997-6 |pages=60–61 |language=English}}</ref>}}}}

According to the Ground of the Unity<ref name=UBoO/><ref name=UBoO-Online/> of 1957, fundamental beliefs include but are not limited to:
*The [[Holy Trinity]]: the Father, the Son or Logos/Word, and the Holy Spirit.
*The Fatherhood of God
*God's Love for fallen humanity
*The [[Incarnation]] of God in the God/Man [[Jesus Christ]]
*Jesus' sacrificial death for the sinful rebellion of humanity
*Jesus' [[Resurrection]], [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]] and Exaltation to the Right Hand of the Father
*Jesus' sending of the [[Holy Spirit]] to strengthen, sustain and empower believers
*Jesus' eventual return, in majesty, [[Last Judgment|to judge the living and the dead]]
*The Kingdom of Christ shall never end
*There is one [[Baptism]] for the forgiveness of sins. Rebaptism is not allowed.
*Infants are baptized most commonly, but all forms of baptism are accepted (infant or adult; pouring, sprinkling or immersion).
*Moravian doctrine teaches that the Body and Blood of Christ are present in [[Holy Communion]]. Without seeking to explain the "Mode" or the "How" of the Presence of Jesus' Body and Blood in the Eucharist, they teach a [[sacramental union]] whereby with the Bread and the Wine the Body and Blood are also received. Cf. the "Easter Morning Litany" of the Moravian Church, a statement of faith, in the Moravian Book of Worship, p.&nbsp;85.

These tenets of classical Christianity are not unique to the Moravian Church. The emphasis in both the Ancient Unity and the Renewed Unity is on Christian living and the fellowship of believers as a true witness to a vibrant Christian Faith.

=== Spirit of the Moravian Church ===
An account of the ethos of the Moravian Church is given by one of its British bishops, Clarence H. Shawe.<ref>{{cite book |first=C. H. |last=Shawe |date=1977 |title=The Spirit of the Moravian Church |location=London |publisher=The Moravian Book Room}}</ref> In a lecture series delivered at the Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Shawe described the Spirit of the Moravian Church as having five characteristics: simplicity, happiness, unintrusiveness, fellowship, and the ideal of service:

*{{strong|Simplicity}} is a focus on the essentials of faith and a lack of interest in the niceties of doctrinal definition. Shawe quotes Zinzendorf's remark that "The Apostles say: 'We believe we have salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ....' If I can only teach a person that catechism I have made him a divinity scholar for all time" (Shawe, 1977, p.&nbsp;9). From this simplicity flow secondary qualities of genuineness and practicality.
*'''Happiness''' is the natural and spontaneous response to God's free and gracious gift of salvation. Again Shawe quotes Zinzendorf: "There is a difference between a genuine Pietist and a genuine Moravian. The Pietist has his sin in the foreground and looks at the wounds of Jesus; the Moravian has the wounds in the forefront and looks from them upon his sin. The Pietist in his timidity is comforted by the wounds; the Moravian in his happiness is shamed by his sin" (p.&nbsp;13).
*'''Unintrusiveness''' is based on the Moravian belief that God positively wills the existence of a variety of churches to cater for different spiritual needs. There is no need to win converts from other churches. The source of Christian unity is not legal form but everyone's heart-relationship with the Saviour.
*'''Fellowship''' is based on this heart-relationship. Shawe says: "The Moravian ideal has been to gather together kindred hearts... Where there are 'Christian hearts in love united', there fellowship is possible in spite of differences of intellect and intelligence, of thought, opinion, taste and outlook.{{nbsp}}[...] Fellowship [in Zinzendorf's time] meant not only a bridging of theological differences but also of social differences; the artisan and aristocrat were brought together as brothers and sat as equal members on the same committee" (pp.&nbsp;21,22).
*'''The ideal of service''' entails happily having the attitude of a servant. This shows itself partly in faithful service in various roles within congregations but more importantly in service of the world "by the extension of the Kingdom of God". Historically, this has been evident in educational and especially missionary work. Shawe remarks that "none could give themselves more freely to the spread of the gospel than those Moravian emigrants who, by settling in Herrnhut [i.e., on Zinzendorf's estate], had gained release from suppression and persecution" (p.&nbsp;26).

== Worship ==
{{Section citations needed|date=June 2024}}
* [[List of hymnals#Moravian Church|Hymnals]]
* Liturgy
* The Sacrament of the Holy Communion
* The Sacrament of Baptism, Infants and Adults
* Marriage
* Confirmation
* [[Christian Burial]]
* Ordination of Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons
* Consecration of church buildings and facilities

== Traditions ==
[[File:Lovefeast at Bethania Moravian Church.jpg|thumb|A Moravian diener serves bread to fellow members of her congregation during the celebration of a [[lovefeast]].]]{{Section citations needed|date=June 2024}}
* [[Lovefeast]]
* [[Maundy (foot washing)|Feet washing]]
* Settlements
* Cup of Covenant
* [[Christingle]] (object) and Christingle service
* [[Hosanna#Other examples of modern usage|Hosanna Anthem]]
* [[Moravian star|Moravian Advent star]]
* ''[[Daily Watchwords]]'', sometimes called Moravian Daily Texts
* [[Advent]] Wreath and Candles
* Passion Week/ [[Holy Week]] Reading Services
* [[God's Acre]] and [[Easter]] [[sunrise service]]
* [[Sortition|Drawing of lots]]
* [[Moravian music|Music]]
* [[Watch Night]] Service on New Year's Eve
* [[Dead house]]

== Former traditions ==
* The drawing of "lots" in decision making
* 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.<ref name=BBoO>{{cite book |title=Book of Order, The Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland |date=2002}}</ref>
* Wide/Short layout of church interiors
* Separate seating of sexes in churches
* Mission ships (the ''Harmony'' and the ''Snow Irene'')
* Choirs: the word "Choir" has been used in the Moravian tradition since the 18th 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.<ref name="BBoO"/>

== Uniformed and other organizations ==
{{Section citations needed|date=June 2024}}
* [[Boys' Brigade]] / Scouts
* [[Girls' Brigade]] / Guides / Upward & Onward
* Women's Fellowship
* Men's Fellowship
* [[Sunday School]]
* Young People's Missionary Association (YPMA)

== Ecumenical relations ==
{{See also|Full communion}}
The Moravian Church provinces are members individually of the [[World Council of Churches]] and the [[Lutheran World Federation]]. Most provinces are also members of their national councils of churches, such as the [[Evangelical Church in Germany|Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD)]] in Germany and the [[National Council of Churches]] of Christ in the US, the all African Council of Churches, the Caribbean Council of Churches, the Jamaica Council of Churches. The American Southern Province was instrumental in the founding of the North Carolina Council of Churches. The British Province is of the [[Churches Together in Britain and Ireland]] (formerly the [[British Council of Churches]]) and has an interim Communion agreement with the [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_123037_ENG_HTM.htm |title=Episcopal Life Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623001846/http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_123037_ENG_HTM.htm |archive-date=23 June 2010}}</ref> 

The two North American provinces are in full communion with the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] (ELCA). The Northern Province of the Moravian Church voted 18 June 2010 to enter into full communion with the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]]. The Moravian Church's Southern Province voted to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church during its synod in September 2010. Each province can independently enter into full communion relationships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_123037_ENG_HTM.htm |title=Episcopal Life Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623001846/http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_123037_ENG_HTM.htm |archive-date=23 June 2010}}</ref> 

The Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in [[North America]] and the [[Presbyterian Church USA]] agreed to enter covenant partnership with one another. The two churches celebrated their agreement with a national service of worship on 5 June 2016 at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in [[Madison, Wisconsin]]. National leaders from both denominations participated in the service which included sharing the eucharist.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Moravian Church and the PCUSA Enter Full Communion Agreement |url=https://layman.org/moravian-church-pcusa-enter-full-communion-agreement/ |website=The Layman |date=16 May 2016 |access-date=23 April 2023}}</ref> In the 1980s there were discussions in England by which an agreement was created that would have created full communion between the Moravians, [[Presbyterians]], [[Methodists]], and the [[Church of England]]. The Presbyterians and Methodists would have accepted the [[Historic Episcopate]], but since the Moravians already had this, they would have changed nothing. This agreement fell through, because the [[General Synod of the Church of England]] did not give approval.

One aspect of Moravian history and mission is the 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 states]] and throughout [[German language|German]]-speaking 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 object of suspicion, in the course of time the Moravian Diaspora workers became valued co-workers in eastern Europe. This Diaspora work suffered almost total destruction in World War II, but is still carried on within the territorial churches of Germany. With the restored independence of [[Estonia]] and [[Latvia]], it was revealed that much of the Diaspora Work there had been kept alive in spite of occupation and annexation by the [[Soviet Union]], which had held to the doctrine of [[state atheism]].

== Historical societies ==
{{Section citations needed|date=June 2024}}
* American North: ''the [https://www.moravianhistory.org/ Moravian Historical Society]'' and Historic Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)
* American South: ''the Wachovia Historical Society'' as well as [[Old Salem]]
* British: Moravian Church House, London
* Continental Province {{lang|de|Verein für Geschichts- und Gegenwartsfragen der Brüdergemeine}}
* „Via exulantis", Suchdol nad Odrou (Zauchtenthal or Zauchtel), The Moravian Brethren's Museum. The permanent exposition of the exile of 280 inhabitants from Suchdol nad Odrou to Herrnhut in Saxony in the 18th century, where they renewed the Unity of the Brethren and then established missionary establishments in all parts of the world.

== Goals of the Moravian Missions ==
* Moravians sought to unify the converts into "one people."
* {{lang|de|Herrnhuter Bote}} (former title: {{lang|de|der Brüderbote}}), the periodical of the Continental Province
* {{lang|la|Unitas Fratrum}}, the publication of the Continental Province's historical society
* The ''Moravian Magazine'', the publication of the North American Provinces
* The Moravian Voice, a publication of the Moravian Church in Jamaica
* The ''Moravian Messenger'', periodical of the British Province
* ''Moravian History Magazine'' – published within the British Province but deals with the work worldwide.
* ''Journal of Moravian History''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moravianchurcharchives.org/jmh.php |title=Journal of Moravian History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516221351/http://www.moravianchurcharchives.org/jmh.php |archive-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> – scholarly journal, published by the Moravian Archives<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moravianchurcharchives.org |title=Moravian Archives |access-date=5 March 2015}}</ref> in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Moravian Historical Society<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moravianhistoricalsociety.org |title=Welcome to Moravian Historical Society, Your family's place to discover history |access-date=5 March 2015}}</ref> in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* [[English Covenant]]
* [[Minor Party (Unity of the Brethren)]]
* [[Old Salem]]
* [[Ronneburg, Hesse]]
* [[Schwarzenau Brethren]], an Anabaptist denomination in the tradition of Radical Pietism 
* [[University of Olomouc]], established in 1573 as Jesuit University in order to re-Catholicize the population of the March of [[Moravia]].
* [[Gracehill]], a Moravian village in [[Northern Ireland]] which was awarded [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage]] status in 2024.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== General and cited references ==
* Church of England & the Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland, ''Anglican-Moravian Conversations: The Fetter Lane Common Statement with Essays in Moravian and Anglican History'' (1996)
* Engel, Katherine Carte. ''Religion and Profit: Moravians in Early America'' (2010)
* Fogleman, Aaron Spencer. ''Jesus Is Female: Moravians and the Challenge of Radical Religion in Early America'' (2007)
* Freeman, Arthur J. ''An Ecumenical Theology of the Heart: The Theology of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf'' (1998)
* Fries, Adelaide. ''Records of the Moravians in North Carolina'' (1917)
* Fries, Adelaide. ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/570 The Moravians in Georgia, 1735–1740]'' at [[Project Gutenberg]]
* Gollin, Gilliam Lindt. ''Moravians in Two Worlds'' (1967)
* Hamilton, J. Taylor, and Hamilton, Kenneth G. ''History of the Moravian Church: The Renewed Unitas Fratrum 1722–1957'' (1967)
* [http://yoel.info/sitemap.htm#Books_and_Articles Hutton, J. E. ''A History of the Moravian Church'' (1909)]
* Hutton, J. E. ''A History of the Moravian Missions'' (1922)
* Jarvis, Dale Gilbert. "[https://www.academia.edu/4173523/The_Moravian_Dead_Houses_of_Labrador_Canada The Moravian Dead Houses of Labrador, Canada]", ''Communal Societies'' 21 (2001): 61–77.
* Langton; Edward. ''History of the Moravian Church: The Story of the First International Protestant Church'' (1956)
* Lewis, A. J. ''Zinzendorf the Ecumenical Pioneer'' (1962)
* Linyard, Fred, and Tovey, Phillip. ''Moravian Worship'' (Grove Worship Series No 129, UK), 1994
* Peucker, Paul. ''A Time of Sifting: Mystical Marriage and the Crisis of Moravian Piety in the Eighteenth Century''. University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2015.
* Podmore, Colin. ''The Moravian Church in England 1728–1760'' (1998)
* Rican, Rudolf. ''The History of the Unity of the Brethren'' (trans. by C. Daniel Crews) (1992)
* Shawe, C. H. ''The Spirit of the Moravian Church'' (1977)
* [[Mikulas Teich|Teich, Mikulas]], ed., ''Bohemia in History'', Cambridge University Press, 1998, p.&nbsp;384
* Tillman, Benjamin; ''Imprints on Native Lands: The Miskito-Moravian Settlement Landscape in Honduras;'' Tucson 2011 (University of Arizona Press)
* Weber, Julie Tomberlin (trans.) and Atwood, Craig D. (ed.) ''A Collection of Sermons from Zinzendorf's Pennsylvania Journey'' (1741-2; 2001)
* Weinlick, John R. ''Count Zinzendorf: The Story of his Life and Leadership in the Renewed Moravian Church'' (1984)
* Zinzendorf, Nicholaus Ludwig. ''Nine Public Lectures on Important Subjects in Religion'' (1746; translated and edited by George W. Forell 1973)

== External links ==
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* [https://www.moravian.org/ Official website of the Moravian Church in North America]
* [http://www.moravian.org.uk Official website of the Moravian Church in the United Kingdom]
* [http://www.unitasfratrum.org/ Unitas Fratrum: An international organisation of Moravians]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080325171858/http://www.archiv.ebu.de/index_e.html Moravian Archives]
* [http://www.moravianmusic.org Moravian Music Foundation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723173722/http://kulikauskas.net/moravianheritage/ Moravian Heritage Network]

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