A History of Moravian Missions

Book excerpt: This is an original reprinting of the official Moravian missions history with new maps detailing their numerous missionary journeys. This printing is the first of three volumes, and covers the initial years of Moravian missions. Get beyond the myth and pulpit folklore about the Moravians and see what God really did in using this group of believers to bring the Gospel to unreached people groups around the world in the 17th and 18th centuries. This band of refugees, displaced by Catholic persecutions in their own land, found safety with the benevolent Count Zinzendorf in Herrnhut, Germany. After the group experienced a true Holy Spirit revival, Count Zinzendorf found in them a zealous band of dedicated missionaries that carried the Gospel across the world while those back home maintained an unbroken, 24/7 prayer meeting for a hundred years. Just as remarkable is that the Moravians went out with no steady financial support. They were 'tentmakers' in most places they went to enable the rapid spread of workers without reliance on a large home financial support network. The Moravians are among the most significant, and least known, influencers of the modern missions movement that began in the 1700s and continues to today. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, witnessed the Moravians during his fateful voyage across the Atlantic, later attributing Moravian influence to his own conversion. William Carey, considered the father of modern missions and a pioneer in bringing the Gospel to India, attributed his initial impetus for missions after reading about the activity of the Moravians. How did God use a band of largely uneducated craftsman and farmers to reach the world? You should read this definitive history of the Moravians to find out!