About THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

THE EARLIEST PROTESTANT FAITH

The Moravian Church has spread the gospel throughout the world for more than five centuries. As it collaborated with Christians on every continent and was an outwardly present member of the Church, the Body of Christ, its influence vastly outweighed its numbers. The Moravian Church, a proud heir to its past and steadfast in its faith, serves those in need wherever they may be. The word "Moravian" refers to the historical Bohemia and Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic, where this historic church has its roots. These nations primarily became Christian at the middle of the ninth century thanks to the influence of two Greek Orthodox missionaries named Cyril and Methodius. They established a national church liturgy and translated the Bible into the tongue of the people. Bohemia and Moravia progressively came under the ecclesiastical control of Rome in the centuries that followed, yet some Czechs objected.

John Hus: Leading Czech Reformer and Martyr of the Prague Reformation

John Hus (1369–1415), the most important reformer in the Czech Republic, served as rector of the University of Prague and a professor of philosophy. Hus' Prague sermon venue, the Bethlehem Chapel, served as a focal point for the Czech reformation. He spearheaded a protest movement against various Roman Catholic clergy and hierarchical practices with the help of students and the general populace. Hus was tried for heresy at the Council of Constance, where he endured a protracted trial before being burnt at the stake on July 6, 1415.

ORGANIZED IN 1457

Hus did not bring the spirit of reformation to an end. Hus's disciples assembled in Kunvald, a village in eastern Bohemia, about 100 miles east of Prague, and founded the church. This event gave rise to the Moravian Church, or Unitas Fratrum (Unity of Brethren), as it is known officially since 1457. This occurred 60 years before Martin Luther started his reformation and 100 years before the Anglican Church was founded.

The Moravian Church formed its own ministry by 1467, and the deacon, presbyter, and bishop orders of the ministry were defined in the years that followed.

THE MORAVIAN CHURCH TODAY

The Moravian Church now has more than a million members worldwide. They primarily reside in eastern Africa. The Caribbean region (including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua, Jamaica, Tobago, Surinam, Guyana, St. Kitts, and the Miskito Coast of Honduras and Nicaragua), South Africa, Winston-Salem, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, are other significant centers for the Moravians. The Unity presently consists of 24 provinces.

Despite having a significant impact on colonial American history, there are only about 60,000 Moravians in North America (including Canada, Alaska, and Labrador). Because Moravians believed that their unique calling was to spread the good news of God's unending love to the world's poorest and most hated people, this is one of the reasons why the United States and the rest of the world had different membership structures.