British Province of the Moravian Church

The British Province of the Moravian Church (formally The Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland) is part of the worldwide Moravian Church Unity.

The Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) came to England in the early eighteenth century and was recognised by Act of Parliament (Acta Fratrum 1749) as an ancient Protestant Episcopal Church descended from the Bohemian Brethren of the fifteenth century. Under the leadership of Nicolaus Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf, who in addition to being a German nobleman was a Bishop of the Moravian Church, it took an active part in the great Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century and was a pioneer of modern Protestant missionary work (1732).

Moravian Church House, 5–7 Muswell Hill, London N10 3TJ, England.

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In 1999, there were 2,914 members. (Colin Podmore, Moravian Episcopate: A Personal Response, p. 378).

There exists an informative interactive map.

A Moravian Society is a local body of members and adherents of the Moravian Church, recognised by Synod, which while not forming a congregation, is under the care of a Moravian minister or a duly approved lay worker.

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The diaspora work in the British Province seeks to link non-resident and former members of the Moravian Church with each other and the wider life of the Church.

From the outset, the Moravian Church has placed a strong emphasis on congregational hymn singing as a form of both worship and learning. One of its early Bishops, Luke of Prague (1460–1528), also encouraged the Church to use Hussite and Catholic liturgies to enrich their worship. Zinzendorf, who renewed the church in the 1720s, has been described as the most original liturgist of Protestant Christianity. The Moravian Church in Britain has continued to be a liturgical church while at the same time allowing free worship as the occasion demands.

The Moravian Liturgy 1960 is currently the main authorised book of services. The liturgy of the Word is contained in six Orders of Worship, each one of which produces a service lasting about one hour. The words of introduction consist of texts from Scripture with a response from the congregation. Confession and absolution also follow Scripture closely and in some Orders feature the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Summary of the Law or the Beatitudes. There is provision for the chanting of psalms and canticles such as the Magnificat and the singing of hymns. Among the canticles is a festal doxology from the 1759 Moravian Liturgy. Many prayers are taken from Anglican, Scottish and Free Church texts but some elements are distinctively Moravian. The First Order is grounded in the Litany compiled by Martin Luther and printed in the Brethren's Hymn Book of 1566. The Sixth Order includes the 'Christ Litany' composed by Zinzendorf.

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