MORAVIANS

A Small Church -- A Great Faith

Bishop George G. Higgins

A Moravian Logo

This logo attempts to capture in one visual image events and practices characteristic of the Moravian Church's life and faith.  It is part of an ongoing quest for a logo that is recognizably Moravian.  The graphic design includes a number of symbols and was prepared by Mrs. Sherry Mason Brown.

The circle represents the inclusive nature of the Moravian Unity.   Moravians, who themselves speak in different languages and live in vastly different lands, join in welcoming all who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior to the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  Moravians also accept as valid the Baptisms and Ordinations of other denominations.

The cup recalls that the followers of John Hus re-established the practice of serving the wine as well as the bread to the laity in the celebration of the Lord's Supper.  The practice continued, when the Unitas Fratrum or early Moravian Church was organized in 1457.

The flame symbolizes the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the Moravian refugees on August 13, 1727 at Berthelsdorf, Germany.  This event marked the revival of the Unitas Fratrum and the beginning of the Renewed Moravian Church.

The lamb on the chalice is the symbol of Christ as the Lamb of God.

COMMON PRACTICES OF MORAVIAN CONGREGATIONS

The Moravian Church is known for the innovative ways it worships and serves Christ.

1.  As a part of the pre-reformation Hussite movement in Czechoslovakia in the early 15th century, the Moravian Church believed that Christian people had the right to partake of both elements in the Lord's Supper, both the bread and the wine.  This view was contrary to the current practice of that time in which lay people received only the bread, while the priests received the wine as well.  For this reason, the cup or chalice is an important symbol of the world-wide Moravian Church.

2.  The early Moravians believed that Christians should be able to sing of their faith in "hymns and spiritual songs" written in their own language.  In 1501 therefore, they published the first Protestant hymnal, a hymnal in Czech.

An even more important vehicle for sharing its faith was the Church's gift to the people of Czechoslovakia of a Bible in the Czech language.  The Kralitz Bible appeared in 1593, eighteen years before the King James Version appeared in English.

3.  The Moravians were among the first, if not the first, to publish a daily manual for devotional purposes, called the Daily Texts of the Moravian Church.  Its first printed edition appeared in 1731.  Today approximately one and a quarter million copies are published each year.  In the German language alone, over one million copies are published.

4.  When Czech refugees renewed the Moravian Church in 1727 in Herrnhut, Germany, no other known Protestant denomination had missionaries at work in the world.   Inspired by the story of a young slave from St. Thomas in the Caribbean, the Moravians were convinced that they had to share their faith with him and other unfortunate slaves there.  When Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann arrived on St. Thomas in 1732 to begin their work, the modern Protestant missionary movement had begun.

The makeup of the Moravian Church today reflects this early emphasis on missions.   Of its over six hundred thousand members, over five hundred thousand come from former mission fields. 

5.  The Moravian Church in Germany at the time of its renewal sought ways to make the birth of Christ more meaningful, even to little children.  They symbolized the coming of Christ as the light of the world by giving each worshipper a lighted candle.   In this way, the Christmas Eve candlelight service came into being.  Today Moravians share this type of Christmas service with the larger Christian community.

6.  The Advent Star is a familiar sight on porches and in windows of homes during the Advent and Christmas season.  It speaks in its silent way of the star that led the wisemen to the place where the Christ Child was born.  The star was an invention in a Moravian workshop in Niesky, Germany about 1810.

7.  In 1732 a group of young men in Herrnhut, Germany (members of the Moravian Church) decided that at dawn on Easter Sunday they would go to the cemetery in their village and hold an informal service commemorating the resurrection of Christ from the dead.  Moravians through more than two and a half centuries have continued this practice and it is widely imitated by other denominations.

Chief Doctrines of Moravian Congregations

The statement that follows was written by George G. Higgins, a Bishop of the Moravian Unity.

The Moravian Church regards the chief doctrine of the Christian faith to be the conviction that Jesus Christ is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of the whole world.  The person of Christ and his redeeming love is the central point of our Church's teaching and preaching.

The saving work of Christ is revealed through the Holy Scriptures.  The Old Testament tells us the wonders of creation and the mighty acts of God in bringing into being a chosen people through whom all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.   The New Testament reveals to us the person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.   By his life, death and resurrection sinners are forgiven.

1.  The Moravian Church as a part of the Body of Christ affirms the chief doctrines of our common faith as follows:

a.  The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in whose name we are baptized.

b.  The doctrine of God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

c.  The doctrine that Jesus Christ came in human form and dwelt among us and that he gives to all who believe in him the power to become the children of God.

d.  The doctrine that the Holy Spirit works within us and enables us to know the truth.

e.  The doctrine that God, through Christ, visits and redeems his people; as Jesus himself promised, "I will come again."

2.  The Moravian Church administers the sacrament of baptism for both children and adults.  While it practices baptism by the pouring or sprinkling of water, the Moravian Church does not dispute other forms of baptism as practiced throughout the Church universal.

3.  The Moravian Church invites all baptized Christians to join with it in celebrating the Lord's Supper.  Following instruction, baptized children may receive communion.

4.  The Moravian Church embraces the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, but maintains an ordained ministry of both men and women for administering the sacraments.

5.  The Moravian Church, founded in 1457 and renewed in 1727, believes that it was called into being for the purpose of proclaiming the Good News that God in Christ reconciled the world to himself.

6.  The Moravian Church believes that it should go into all the world, even into the earth's remotest bounds, whenever and wherever its Lord calls and doors are opened.   Today the Moravian Church is found in many lands and among many people of many tongues.

7.  The Moravian Church holds that all believers are brothers and sisters in Christ.

8.  The Moravian Church "awaits the appearing of Jesus Christ, goes forward to meet its Lord with joy, and prays to be found ready when he comes."