Moravian History and Heritage
On this day in 1741, an announcement was made around the Moravian world. After an inability to elect a leader for the world-wide Moravian Unity at a Synod in September, Jesus was chosen as the Chief Elder. (See Sept. 16 post.) It was decided to hold the announcement until it could be made simultaneously around the world. The date chosen for the announcement was November 13.

The decision can be seen as simply a theological statement that had little practical impact. Or it can be seen as a theological statement of a core value of the mission-oriented group's life and vision. In its time, it was truly a core value. They had already begun a 24/7 prayer watch that would last 100 years. They had already sent the first Protestant missionaries to many areas of the world, starting in the West Indies. They were about to make a permanent settlement in Pennsylvania that, on Christmas Eve, they would name Bethlehem. They were already writing hymns and music as good as any of their day. They had already had a significant impact on John Wesley, aiding the development of the Methodist movement. They had developed the small group movement in their hometown of Herrnhut that they called Bands from which Wesley would develop his movement.

At the heart of their community was the Savior and his love for all. In fact, they saw what they had as a religion of the heart, not the head alone. They changed the world, starting from a group of refugees and pietistic-leaning Germans in an out of the way part of the world. They didn't seek to be a new denomination, but rather to be a yeast in the whole loaf of Christianity. Political and religious circumstances worked against them and they became a separate denomination, referred to variously as the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), Herrnhutters (no, not Hutterites), the Brudergemiende, Iglesia Morava, the Moravian Church.

The Moravian Church has never been a big church. There are probably nearly 1,000,000 Moravians in the whole world... 800,000 of those are probably in Tanzania. We strugle today in our "western" lands- Germany, Europe in general, US and Canada like our sister mainline denominations. We struggle with the traditional/contemporary; the liberal/conservative; established/renewal.

But we have a rich heritage that is still having impact. Not because of anything we are doing, but because of what God is doing. The 24/7 Prayer Movement, Boiler Rooms, etc in Britain openly trace their heritage to Zinzendorf and the Moravians. The movement Connect Europe met in 2002 in Herrnhut because of the heritage or prayer and mission. World-Wide-Prayer holds to the vision.

I am humbled by being part of a group that has such a deep and powerful heritage. I pray on this day, as we remember that is it all about Jesus, our Savior, that our witness may remain as strong as our heritage and that our history may move us into an expanded witness to Jesus and him crucified.