Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pa. This Month in Moravian History

Issue 63 April 2011

Moravian East/West Synod Meets in the Midst of the Cold War, 1986

More than forty years after the end of the For one week delegates met in the Second World War a Synod of the European Herrnhut church and debated the new Book Continental was able to meet of Order. Some of the technology, such as in Herrnhut, East . Delegates from the Xerox machine, had to be brought in both East and West came together despite the from West Germany. But when the copier political divisions caused by the Cold War. For broke down because of the excessive those present but also for the entire church, this amount of copying so typical of synods, the was an important and historically significant repairman had to come from West event. because no East German technician had When Germany was divided by the Allied experience with these machines. Forces after World War II, the Moravian Today the significance of this combined Church in Germany faced a difficult situation synod may be hard to imagine, now that the with congregations on both sides of the end of the Cold War occurred more than dividing line. Herrnhut, traditionally the twenty years ago. But in 1986 German administrative center of the European unification seemed nearly impossible to Continental Province, lay in the Eastern most Europeans. The American Moravian zone occupied by the Soviets. For that magazine wrote: “The most important reason, several members of the Provincial affairs; however, resolutions affecting the achievement of the whole week was that Board went to the West in 1945 to secure Province as a whole (such as changes to the the Moravian Church was able to prove that Moravian interests in the West. In Bad Boll, Book of Order) had to be passed by both the fellowship among Christians is much a small Moravian-owned spa resort near synods. stronger and more powerful than any kind Stuttgart, they established an administrative By the 1980s church and society had of division in this world, be it different center to oversee Moravian congregations changed so much that a revision of the Book cultures or different ideologies. This is our in West Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, of Order seemed necessary. Both districts Moravian heritage, and this must be our the Netherlands, and Sweden. The churches began preparing for a new Book of Order witness for the future.” In 1989 the East in continued to fall under and a draft proposal was read at each German regime collapsed. Germany Herrnhut’s jurisdiction. Very soon it became District Synod. However, there was a strong reunited and so did the Continental obvious that the division of Germany was desire to pass the final version not Province: in 1992 the two districts, in not going to end in the foreseeable future. separately but by a combined, Provincial existence since World War II, were The European Continental Province of the Synod. Because of heavy travel restrictions combined once again into one province. The Moravian Church was now divided into two imposed by the communist regime, East existence of a common Book of Order, districts: District Herrnhut in the East and German citizens were not allowed to travel approved in 1986 when the vision of a District Bad Boll in the West, each with its to the West, so this synod had to be held in unified Province seemed so far away, proved own Synod and Provincial Board. Despite the East. Fortunately, Moravian leaders fortunate. this factual separation into two districts, succeeded in getting permission from the European Moravians held on to their ideal of East German government to host this unity; formally the European Continental meeting in Herrnhut. Sources

Province continued to exist with a common So when Synod delegates from the West Image: The church in Herrnhut ca. 1985. Artiicles Book of Order for both districts. Practically, traveled to Herrnhut at the end of March in Der Brüderbote, no. 443 (1986); The North the districts had a great degree of 1986 they received unusually polite and American Moravian, (June-July 1986). independence. Each district held their own courteous treatment by border patrol, separate synods to regulate their own normally reserved for diplomatic travelers. www.moravianchurcharchives.org