Who (or What) is an Evangelical? - Part 8

Some trace the roots of modern Evangelicalism, in part, to the work of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760) and the community he founded at Herrenhut (in Saxony, Germany).  He established this community in a corner of his estate as a  refuge for Moravians (from Czech lands), Reformed (Protestants), and Catholics, seeking refuge from various persecutions.  He hoped to forge this group into a force to promote renewal in the Church.  He gave them the name "Herrenhut," which means "the Lord's watch," based on a passage from Isaiah (62:1 & 6-7).

However, for 3 years after its founding (in 1724), the factions in the community quarreled as much as the churches they came from, and the community almost dissolved.  In response, Zinzendorf established a round the clock prayer watch for revival of the Church - which wound up lasting for a hundred years.  The community wound up experiencing a "baptism of the Holy Spirit," which fused the community in unity.

Seal of Moravian Church

 Zinzendorf followed this by organizing small groups (cells - prayer bands) where lay people were encouraged to confess their sins to each other, give counsel to each other, and support each other in prayer, which helped to further unite the community.

Soon thereafter, Zinzendorf began to send out missionary teams from the community.  Some were sent out to take the gospel where it had never been heard.  Some even took the gospel to slaves, and became slaves themselves in order to spread the gospel.  However, he sent others to churches to spread the message of regeneration and renewal.  Some of these missionaries reached the Wesley brothers (John & Charles) and deeply impacted them.  The Wesley brothers influenced and participated in the Great Awakenings both in England and America where Christians from different denominations, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, united to spread the gospel among the lost, and to renew the faith among Christians, in ways that transformed  society.

The Herrenhut community eventually became the Moravian Church, whose motto is, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty, and in all things love."

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