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| Moravian Church in North America | |
|---|---|
 First Moravian Church,New York City. | |
| Classification | Proto-Protestant |
| Scripture | Holy Bible |
| Theology | Hussite (Bohemian) withPietistLutheran influences |
| Polity | ModifiedEpiscopal |
| Fellowships | |
| Associations | CCT,CMEP,NCC,WCC |
| Territory | Canada,United States |
| Origin | c. 1740 |
| a.^ Practicallyfull communion in every aspect but name. | |
TheMoravian Church in North America is part of the worldwideMoravian Church Unity. It dates from the arrival of the first Moravian missionaries to theUnited States in 1735, from theirHerrnhut settlement in present-daySaxony,Germany. They came to minister to the scattered German immigrants, to the Native Americans and to enslaved Africans. They founded communities to serve as home bases for these missions. The missionary "messengers" were financially supported by the work of the "laborers" in these settlements.[1] Currently, there are more than 60,000 members.[2]
The first Moravians to come to North America wereAugust Gottlieb Spangenberg and Wenzel Neisser, who accompanied a group of persecutedSchwenkfelders to Pennsylvania in 1735 atZinzendorf's direction. The first, and unsuccessful, attempt to found a Moravian community in North America was inSavannah,Georgia that also began in 1735; it collapsed because of internal discord, and government pressure for Moravians to serve in the militia in defense against Spanish raids from Florida (1740, the so-called "War of Jenkins' Ear").
The beginning of the church's work in North America is usually given as 1740, when BishopAugust Gottlieb Spangenberg sent Christian Henry Rauch to New York City on a mission to preach andconvert native peoples. Eager to learn more, theMahicanchiefsTschoop andShabash invited Rauch to visit their village (in present-dayDutchess County) to teach them. In September 1740, they led him toShekomeko, where he established aMoravian mission. The two Indian chiefs converted to the Christian faith. By summer 1742, Shekomeko was established as the first native Christian congregation in the present-day United States. Over the next two years, the Moravians endeavored to reconcile the ancient Indian traditions with the new ways of the western society. They made a center for missions to the native peoples. Within the next two years, several more missionaries along with their wives began to settle in the area. Among these were Gottlob Buettner and his wife, Anna Margaret Bechtel, daughter of a minister. Meanwhile, European settlers who opposed the Moravians' defense of Native Americans spread rumors that they were secretCatholicJesuits allied with the French, British enemies. Such settlers finally were successful in persuading the colonial governor Clinton to restrict the missionaries' efforts. They were expelled in 1744. Buettner died at Shekomeko early in 1745, and the colony dwindled away soon after.
The Moravians were more successful inPennsylvania, where the charter of the colony provided religious freedom. The towns ofBethlehem,Nazareth,Emmaus, andLititz, Pennsylvania, were founded as Moravian communities. Graceham, Maryland was founded as a Moravian Community on October 8, 1758, organized by Bishop Matthew Hehl.[3] Later, colonies were also founded inNorth Carolina, where Moravians led byBishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg purchased 98,985 acres (400.58 km2) fromJohn Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. This large tract of land was nameddie Wachau, orWachovia, after one of Zinzendorf's ancestral estates on theDanube River inAustria. The towns established in Wachovia includedBethabara (1753),Bethania (1759) andSalem (nowWinston-Salem) (1766).
Bethlehem emerged as the headquarters of the northern church, and Winston-Salem became the headquarters of the southern church. The Moravian denomination continues inAmerica to this day, with congregations in 18 states. The highest concentrations of Moravians exist in Bethlehem and Winston-Salem. The denomination is organized into four provinces in North America: Northern (which includes fiveCanadian congregations), Southern,Alaska, andLabrador.
Rohrer (2001) demonstrates the social history of the community of Wachovia, founded in the North Carolina Piedmont in 1753, illustrates the importance of the beliefs and practices of the Moravians in achieving the integration and acculturation of settlers of different ethnic backgrounds. The Moravian emphasis on openness and tolerance, combined with the conversion experience of new birth, undermined ethnic homogeneity and provided a source of communal cohesion. The primary intermingling and intermarriage was between Germans and English, but 12 nations and territories were represented in the population of Wachovia by the early 19th century.
Fogleman (2003) examines the theological, demographic, and sociological roots of factional clashes between Moravians and their more traditional German Lutheran and Reformed coreligionists, focusing on mid-18th-century communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where these confrontations were frequent and sometimes violent. Moravians' beliefs centered on a feminized Holy Spirit, the right of women to preach, sacralizing the sex act, and metaphorically re-gendering Jesus Christ. These teachings were perceived as threats to more mainstream Christian articles of faith, which stressed the masculinity of the Trinity as the theological cornerstone of the nuclear patriarchal family, the core structure in upholding moral and social order. As Moravian preachers far outnumbered the very few Lutheran or Reformed clergy in the mid-Atlantic colonies during the 1730s–40's and because the Moravians welcomed anyone into their church services, most German Pietists viewed Moravians as more than harmless heretics. Moreover, in the temporal context of a period of intense European immigration to the colonies, the Moravians were seen as challenging the long-term social stability of the colonial community as a whole. Although the Moravians never became a dominant sect in the region, the perception of them as a serious religious and social threat highlights the significant role gendered power issues have played in religious controversy in North America.
Engel (2003) says Moravians in Bethlehem 1753–75 were concerned about the economic prosperity of their settlements, but they were also concerned about the effects that prosperity might have on their religious community. Prosperity was important, as it funded both mission work and more settlements. Moravians valued work highly, but economic ventures had to be carried out in a way morally consistent with their beliefs. To this end, Bethlehem Moravians cooperated in the opening of the Strangers' Store in 1753. The store was the main instrument both in purchasing outside goods for the community and in selling Bethlehem goods to outsiders. Wise management meant the Strangers' Store remained profitable for the rest of the colonial period, funding the growth of Moravian enterprises both in Pennsylvania and back in Germany.
A Moravianarchitecture style has emerged in the United States, predominately in Winston-Salem (Old Salem). Some Moravian churches in the area featurecoppersteeple tops which have oxidized and reached a green patina. The Moravian "Bonnet" or "eyebrow" arch is also an example of the style and is mainly used over building entrances, it is an unsupported half cylinder. Combined Moravian arches were used to form the dome of the Wachovia Center (now called100 North Main Street).
The Moravian Church in America is divided into a Northern and Southern Province.[4][5] Each province is headed by an elders' conference composed of both lay and ordained members.
The Northern Province is subdivided into the Eastern and Western Districts, as well as the Moravian Church in Canada.[5]
The Moravian Church inUnited States is:
The Moravian Church inCanada (part of the Moravian Church Northern Province) is:
Historically the Moravian Church had a significant impact onJohn Wesley and the practices of theMethodist Church.[7]
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There are diverse views regarding social issues in the denomination. The Moravian Church Northern Province has voted in favor of opening up ordination to gay and lesbian ministers.[8] The Northern Province also permits religious ceremonies for same-sex couples, but that decision does not apply to the Southern Province or the Alaska Province.[9] The Southern Province allows gay and lesbian clergy to be married to their same -sex partners and leaves decisions regarding marriage of gay and lesbian individuals to the individual congregations.[10] On reproductive issues, the Northern Province has encouraged conversation, and the Moravian Church in America supports the right to abortion for certain situations.[11][12] Regarding women's rights, the church has ordained women as ministers and bishops.[13]