Noun: a member of a Protestant denomination
arising from a 15th century religious reform movement in Bohemia and Moravia
A Moravian Is: One who claims Jesus Christ
as Chief Elder and seeks to follow Him daily
One who seeks to build
community
One who seeks to worship
God within a community of faith, and also in daily devotion
One who seeks to deepen
their faith through prayer, study, and teaching
One who seeks to joyfully
give back to God with time, talent, and treasure
One who looks upon others
as children of God and seeks to love and respect them despite differences
One who seeks to
compassionately share Christ's love with the world in both word and deed
One who seeks to work in
partnership with all Christians to carry out Christ's mission in the world
The Moravian Denomination, a mainline Protestant Denomination, traces its beginnings to John Hus, a Bohemian Priest, Professor and Theologian who was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.His followers fought the imperial armies and papal crusaders until their defeat in 1434.A small remnant, too insignificant to play a role in politics, devoted all their energy to religion.In 1457 one element formed the "Unity of the Brethren" (Unitas Fratrum).By 1467 they had established their own ministry and in the following years the three orders of ministry; deacon, presbyter and bishop.
Today the worldwide Moravian Churchcomprises of some 425,000 communicant members in 23 provinces and over 1200 congregations.The Northern and Southern Provinces have 33,000 members in 156 congregations in 19 states and provinces.Shepherd of the Prairie, a member of the Western District, is one of four Moravian Churches in ND, all in Cass County.The others are Goshen organized in 1878, Canaan in 1881 and Bethel in 1891.