What We Believe

The Moravian Church has stood for basic religious principles for more than 550 years. Through these years the church has often put into written form the precepts of its faith and practice in what is known as the Covenant for Christian Living.

Moravians recognize the example of Christ’s life and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. Living the Christian life depends not only on our own effort, but upon God our Father, who in Jesus Christ accepts us as heirs of God and strengthens and sustains us.

Moravian Church Southern Province

A brief history of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) describes the 565 year history of this small but revolutionary denomination. Moravians seek to follow Jesus faithfully, focusing more on how we treat one another than on points of doctrine.

Orthopraxy vs Orthodoxy

The Moravian Church is not known for being overly doctrinal or adhering to strict rules. What Moravians are known for is
what we believe and just as important how we live.

The Moravian Church has been more concerned with right living (Orthopraxy) more than with right belief (Orthodoxy).

Theology is important, but for Moravians, the practical aspects of Christianity have had priority over academic debates.
This is reflected in Moravian doctrinal statements, especially compared to other churches. (Mike Riess, Moravain Magazine)

Doctrine of the The Moravian Church

We are called into a Christian fellowship by the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the eternal purpose of God the Father (Ephesians 3:11) by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:18-21), and as members of Christ’s Body, the Church, to serve all people by proclaiming the Gospel and witnessing to our faith by word and deed.

Moravians follow the life and teachings of Christ and Scripture is the sole standard of the doctrine and faith of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) and therefore shapes our lives.

The following three documents help guide our faith to live our lives as Christians, and to establish the structure of the Church in which we thrive as disciples of Christ.

Moravian: Covenant for Christian Living

The Moravian Covenant for Christian Living is an attempt to state in clear arrangement and contemporary form a document which has long served the Moravian Church. The Church today has need of a clear statement of its faith and life through which each member may become aware of the nature of his/her Christian commitment. Such a document can become an invaluable aid in the instruction of both new and present members and a meaningful guide in the expression of the Christian life. That such a revision of the Agreement should have been made is entirely in harmony with the spirit of the early Moravian Church which believed that all forms should be updated and made relevant to the present life of the Church.

The Covenant for Christian Living is available for download.

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Moravian: The Ground of the Unity

The Ground of the Unity is a statement of faith of the worldwide Moravian Church. The Southern Province of the Moravian Church is small but a very important part of a larger whole – the Unitas Fratrum, a worldwide church whose roots trace back to the mid-1400s. One of the central underpinnings of this worldwide church is the Ground of the Unity, a doctrinal statement that was adopted by the Unity Synod (the governing body) of the Unitas Fratrum/Moravian Church in 1995.

The Ground of the Unity

A doctrinal statement adopted by
the Unity Synod of the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church,
held at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, August 13 to 25, 1995

The Lord Jesus Christ calls His Church into being so that it may serve Him on earth until He comes. The Unitas Fratrum is, therefore, aware of its being called in faith to serve humanity by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It recognizes this call to be the source of its being and the inspiration of its service. As is the source, so is the aim and end of its being based upon the will of its Lord.

The Ground of the Unity is available for download.

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Book of Order - Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

The Book of Order of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

As the title states, The Book of Order of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province provides structure and guidance for the churches and fellowships of the Province. Because of this, local entities have a larger role in governance and discipline.

God's Word and Doctrine

The Moravian Church (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 Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) takes part in the continual search for sound doctrine. In interpreting Scripture and in the communication of doctrine in the Church, we look to two millennia of ecumenical Christian tradition and the wisdom of our Moravian forebears in the faith to guide us as we pray for fuller understanding and ever clearer proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But just as the Holy Scripture does not contain any doctrinal system, so the Unitas Fratrum also has not developed any of its own because it knows that the mystery of Jesus Christ which is attested to in the Bible, cannot be comprehended completely by any human mind or expressed completely in any human statement. Also it is true that through the Holy Spirit the recognition of God's will for salvation in the Bible is revealed completely and clearly.

The Book of Order of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

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What We Believe

Orthopraxy vs Orthodoxy

Doctrine of the The Moravian Church

The Moravian Chruch