Church, United Moravian

UNITED MORAVIAN CHURCH -  The Moravian Church (Latin: Unitas Fratrum, meaning Unity of the Brethren;  is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in the world, with its heritage dating back to the Bohemian Reformation in the fifteenth century.  The Church’s emblem is the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription: Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur (English: "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him").

The modern Moravian Church, with about 750,000 members worldwide, continues to draw on traditions established during the 18th-century renewal. In many places it observes the convention of the love feast, originally started in 1727.  It uses older and traditional music in worship. Brass music, congregational singing and choral music continue to be very important in Moravian congregations.  In addition, in some older congregations, Moravians are buried in a traditional God's Acre, a graveyard with only flat gravestones, signifying the equality of the dead before God and organized by gender, age and marital status rather than family.

The motto of the Moravian Church is: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love".

5 Beliefs That Set Moravians Apart From Other Protestant Christians - The Moravian Church is sometimes confused as its own religion, one that is similar to the Mormon or Amish faiths, but in fact it's not a separate religion. The Moravian Church is a denomination within the Protestant religion and Moravians share the same core beliefs, including that Jesus Christ was born, died, and resurrected. 

1. The Moravian Church has existed for more than 500 years. Moravians originally came from ancient Bohemia and Moravia in what is now called the Czech Republic. Their name comes from the denomination's original birthplace of Moravia.   During the 18th century, Moravians split from the Roman Catholic Church and formed their own communities in Europe to preserve their culture and beliefs. They did not hold the belief that congregations must be formed to spread their church and belief systems like other Protestant denominations.

2. Moravians take a slightly unusual stand on doctrine. They feel because the Holy Scripture does not contain any doctrinal system, that the mystery of Jesus Christ could not be fully comprehended by any human mind. Other Protestant religions regard the biblical doctrine of the covenant to be truth and a living relationship of friendship between the church and God. They believe there is no salvation apart from Christ.

3. The power to ordain within the Moravian church is reserved for the bishops, while other Protestant religions allow ordinary people to ordain, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica

4. Sprinkling holy water on infants during Baptism implies the parents and congregation are responsible for raising the child Moravian. When older children and adults make a profession of faith, they also can be baptized Moravian. Other Protestant religions require full immersion in water as the only appropriate method of baptism, including Southern Baptists.

5. Each Protestant denomination determines its own significance and frequency of communion practices. Moravians believe all baptized adult Christians can partake in communion and it is held several times a year. Other Protestant churches serve communion every Sunday. Music also plays an important part in Moravian services.