What We Believe:

On the Trinity-

  • God has eternally existed as one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know God as Father, who seeks loving relationships with all whom God has created. We know God as Jesus Christ, the Word who became human and lived among us, full of grace and truth. We know God as the Holy Spirit who is present among us and reveals the truth about God

    -The Moravian Catechism p.15 and Trinity Liturgy p.102-103

On Scripture-

  • The Triune God as revealed in the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments is the only source of our life and salvation; and this Scripture is the sole standard of the doctrine and faith of the Unitas Fratrum (Moravian Church) and therefore shapes our life.

    The Unitas Fratrum recognizes the Word of the Cross as the center of Holy Scripture and of all preaching of the Gospel and it sees its primary mission, and its reason for being, to consist in bearing witness to this joyful message. We ask our Lord for power never to stray from this.

    -The Ground of the Unity

On Unity-

  • We believe in and confess the Unity of the Church given in the one Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour. He died that He might unite the scattered children of God. As the living Lord and Shepherd, He is leading His flock toward such unity.

    -The Ground of the Unity

On Fellowship-

  • The Unitas Fratrum recognizes no distinction between those who are one in the Lord Jesus. We are called to testify that God in Jesus Christ brings His people out of every ethnic origin and language into one body, pardons sinners beneath the Cross and brings them together. We oppose any discrimination in our midst because of ethnic origin, sex or social standing, and we regard it as a commandment of the Lord to bear public witness to this and to demonstrate by word and deed that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

    -The Ground of the Unity

On Service-

  • Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve. From this, His Church receives its mission and its power for its service, to which each of its members is called. We believe that the Lord has called us particularly to mission service among the peoples of the world. In this, and in all other forms of service both at home and abroad, to which the Lord commits us, He expects us to confess Him and witness to His love in unselfish service.

    -The Ground of the Unity

On the Sacraments-

  • We believe Baptism and Holy Communion are gifts from God used to symbolize invisible grace. Baptism is the visible means of entry into the new covenant, a reminder that God’s love precedes any act of faith on our part. Holy Communion reminds us of the assured forgiveness of our sins, our fellowship with Christ, and our unity with other members in the Body of Christ.

  • We maintain an “open communion” welcoming the presence of all who confess Christ as Lord.

    -The Moravian Catechism p.36-37

Attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo, the unofficial motto of the Moravian Church expresses our recognition that unity is not the same as uniformity.

We do not need to agree on everything, nor should we let our differences divide us. Therefore, we should be united in those aspects which are foundational to the Christian faith.

In the non-essentials, like our traditions and the ways we express and worship differently across cultures, regions, and even from church to church, we have liberty.

We also recognize that no division among us is greater than the unconditional love of God. And in our primary calling to follow the example of Christ, in all things, we must love.

The Essentials of Faith

We believe that God’s nature as the Creator of the World, the Saving work of Jesus Christ the Redeemer, and the Sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit are essential and foundational to Christian faith.

Also essential is our duty to respond by living in faith, love, and hope, giving our lives to God in trust, loving because God first loved us, and looking forward to the future with hope, seeking the possibility of good and blessing for all.

-The Moravian Catechism

  • With the whole of Christendom we share faith in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe and confess that God has revealed Himself once and for all in His Son Jesus Christ; that our Lord has redeemed us with the whole of humanity by His death and His resurrection; and that there is no salvation apart from Him. We believe that He is present with us in the Word and the Sacrament; that He directs and unites us through His Spirit and thus forms us into a Church.

    -The Ground of the Unity

  • The Moravian Church is an international church with congregations, fellowships, and mission areas across all major continents except Australia.

    However, The name Moravian identifies the fact that this historic church had its origin in ancient Bohemia and Moravia in what is the present-day Czech Republic.

    Continuing the work of reformer John Hus, the Moravian church was organized in 1457 for people who decided to be guided by the gospel and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    The church experienced renewal in the eighteenth century with the help and patronage of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf. They built the community of Herrnhut, Germany on his estate.

    With his guidance, Moravians became missional and ecumenical in focus, sending out the first missionaries to the West Indies in 1732. The church has remained focused on sharing the Gospel and hearing and meeting the needs of our neighbors around the world.

    -paraphrased from moravian.org

  • A Lovefeast is a simple meal, typically bread and coffee, usually shared in a worship service filled with music and fellowship, celebrating our unity in Christ.

    Lovefeasts are NOT sacramental, but they are a worshipful and unifying tradition and experience, held for many occasions, but most commonly on Christmas Eve.