Moravian Church
The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren (Czech: Moravská církev or Moravští bratři), formally the Unitas Fratrum (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"),[3][4][5] is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the Unity of the Brethren (Czech: Jednota bratrská) founded in the Kingdom of Bohemia, sixty years before Luther's Reformation.
"Unitas Fratrum" redirects here. For other uses, see Unity of the Brethren.Unity of the Brethren
Followers of Jan Hus and Petr Chelčický; later renewed by Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, Christian David and David Nitschmann
1457 / 1722
Bohemia / Herrnhut, Saxony
1,000+[1]
1,112,120 (2016)[2]
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 as the [Herrnhuter] Brüdergemeine [sic][6] ("Unity of Brethren [of Herrnhut]").[7]
The modern Unitas Fratrum has about one million members worldwide,[1] continuing their tradition of missionary work, such as in the Americas and Africa, that is reflected in their broad global distribution.[8] 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 New Birth, and piety, good works, evangelism, including the establishment of missions, Christian pacifism, ecumenism, and music.[8][9]
The Moravian Church's emblem is the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription "Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur" ('Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him').
Organization[edit]
Provinces[edit]
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 revivals; non-charismatic minorities formed their own bodies, but both sides remained connected to the international church. The minority communities are listed as "mission provinces".[26]
Orders of ministry[edit]
Ordained ministry in the Moravian Church emphasizes the pastoral role. A candidate for ministry who has been approved by their home province and has completed the prescribed course of study (usually a Master of Divinity degree in the US and Europe) may be ordained a Deacon upon acceptance of a call. Deacons may serve in a pastoral office and administer sacraments. A deacon is normally supervised by a presbyter who serves as mentor. After several years of satisfactory service, the Deacon may be consecrated as a Presbyter. Presbyters function in the local congregation in the same manner as deacons, but may also
serve to mentor deacons and may be assigned to other leadership roles in a particular province.
An acolyte is a layperson who has received approval to assist the pastor in a specific local congregation. The acolyte may assist in the serving of Holy Communion but may not consecrate the elements.
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.[29] The Moravian Church teaches that it has preserved apostolic succession.[30] The Church claims apostolic succession as a legacy of the Unity of the Brethren.
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.[31][32] These three consecrated bishops returned to Litice in Bohemia and then ordained other brothers, thereby preserving the historic episcopate.[31] In Berlin, 1735, the Renewed Unity, i.e. the Moravian Brethren in Herrnhut, received the historic episcopal ordination from the two surviving bishops of the Ancient Unity: Bishop John Amos Comenius' grandson Daniel Ernst Jablonski and Christian Sitkovius. This bishop's consecration continues today.
