sionary Structure of the Congregation' " Concept 3 (1963):1. Acceptance, Individual Response to the Missionary Impact 1550-1950 (London: 29. See Zernov, "The Church and the Confessions," pp. 215-18, for a most Oxford Univ. Press, 1972), pp. 142-51. enlightening perspective on Western individualism. 39. See Mario Rinvolucri, Anatomy of a Church, Creek Orthodoxy Today (Lon­ 30. See, e.g., Serge Bolshakoff, "Orthodox Missions Today," IRM 42 don: Burns & Oates, 1966), pp. 13-44. (1953): 275; Nectarios Hadjimichalis, "Orthodox Monasticism and Ex­ 40. Most of the training these days takes place at the theological faculties ternal Mission," Porefihendes 4 (1962): 13:12-15; and Anastasios Yannou­ of the universities of Athens and Saloniki, though some candidates latos, Monks and Mission in the Eastern Church during the 4th Century have trained at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in Crestwood, (Athens: Porefthendes, 1966). New York, and Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston. 31. "The greatest contribution which the Orthodox Church can make to 41. In Orthodoxy, an autocephalous church is one that selects its own head the African Churches is the Holy Liturgy .... Not only for the Greek and is therefore independent from the control of another church. Orthodox, but also for the African Orthodox, the Liturgy is the stron­ 42. John Meyendorff discusses the attempts at the Hellenization of the gest appeal of the Church" (D. E. Wentink, "The Orthodox Church in Bulgarian Orthodox Church (The Orthodox Church: Its Pastand Its Rolein East Africa," TheEcumenical Review 20 [1968]: 42-43). the World Today, trans. John Chapin [London: Darton, Longman & 32. Anastasios Yannoulatos, "Initial Thoughts toward an Orthodox For­ Todd, 1962], p. 169). Demetrios}. Constantelos maintains that had Hel­ eign Mission," Portfthendes 10 (1968): 19-23; Elias Voulgarakis, "Lan­ lenization been the aim, the Greek church could have used many op­ guage and Mission," Pcrefthendes 4 (1962): 42-43. portunities, especially during the Ottoman period, but chose the path 33. See Glazik, Die russisch-orthodoxe Heidenmission seii Peter dem Crossen (Mun­ of toleration and diversity (Understanding the CreekOrthodox Church [New ster: Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuch Handlung, 1954), passim. York: Seabury Press, 1982], pp. 86-87). 34. Eugene Smirnoff, A Short Account of the Historical Development and Present 43. Anastasios Yannoulatos.TThe Purpose and Motive of Mission," IRM Position of Russian Orthodox Missions (London: Rivingtons, 1903), pp. 30ff. 54 (1965): 281-97. A fuller revision of this article with very complete 35. See, e.g., the story of how John Veniaminov at first declined, as did all notes appears under the same title in Porefthendes 9 (1967): 2-10, 34-36. the other clergy in the diocese, the call to mission work in Alaska (Paul 44. "Can a Church that for centuries now has had no catechumens, but D. Garrett, St. Innocent, Apostle to America [Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladi­ jealously guards the treasure of faith for itself, totally indifferent to mir's Seminary Press, 1979], pp. 32-36. whether other people are being born, breathe, live and die, within the 36. Chrysostomos Konstantinidis, "New Orthodox Insights in Evange­ Lie-which therefore is alien to the feelings of world love and justice­ lism," in Martyria/Mission, pp. 14-15. be really 'Orthodox'?" (Anastasios Yannoulatos, "Orthodox Spiritual­ 37. Serge Bolshakoff, TheForeign Missionsof the Russian Orthodox Church (Lon­ ity and External Mission," IRM 52 [1963]: 300). For a review of recent don: SPCK, 1943), p. 78. mission work, see Alexander Veronis, "Orthodox Concepts of Evange­ 38. See the story of Sergei Seodzi in Martin [arrett-Kerr, Pafferns of Christian lism and Mission," CreekOrthodox Theological Review 27 (1982): 44-57. Pioneers in Mission: Zinzendorf and the Moravians David A. Schattschneider he haphazard attempts of Protestants to undertake cross­ the reformation begun by Luther, who had reformed theology and T cultural missionary activity received their first infusion of church structure. What remained for the Pietists to develop was form and content from Zinzendorf and the Moravians. The milieu the needed emphasis upon religious experience and Christian eth­ in which they affected the formation of Protestant missionary zeal ics. The development of foreign missions was one of the practical was the seventeenth-century movement for reform and renewal, expressions of Christian love that the Pietists favored. Pietism, fathered within German Lutheranism by Philipp Jakob Pietist ideals found expression in several groups led by indi­ Spener. In his 1675 manifesto ". Heartfelt Desire for a God­ viduals, often of very different temperament. No story is more pleasing Reform of the True Evangelical Church ... ," Spener laid dramatic, or more important for the missionary enterprise of the out the program. He called for a renewed emphasis on Bible read­ whole church, than that which unfolded when Zinzendorf gave ing, especially in meetings of small groups, and the establishment what he thought was to be temporary refuge on his land to a group and exercise, by the laity, of their "spiritual priesthood"; true of refugee Protestants from nearby Bohemia and Moravia. Christianity was not knowledge alone, but "Christianity consists rather of practice." Spener insisted that in religious controversy, love should seek to win the heart of the unbeliever rather than The Pietist Count words, which achieve only an intellectual victory. He favored higher standards for theological students and faculty and proposed Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was the model of an eighteenth­ that "sermons be so prepared by all that their purpose (faith and century German Pietist aristocrat-at least in his early years. At its fruits) may be achieved in the hearers to the greatest possible Zinzendorf's baptism on May 26, 1700, Spener became his god­ degree."! father and the electress of Saxony his godmother. His first formal The Pietist movement as led by Spener and later by August schooling, from. 1710 to 1716, was as a boarder at Francke's famous Hermann Francke had a profound and far-reaching effect on Euro­ Paedagogium, in the city of Halle, the veritable nerve center of the pean church life in the eighteenth century. They intended to finish Pietist movement. Here the young count met Bartholomew Zie­ genbalg and Henry Pliitschau,.. two Pietist Lutherans who had been sent from Halle in 1705 to Tranquebar, a small Danish colony on DavidA. Schattschneider is Associate Professor ofHistorical Theology and WorldChris­ the coast of India. At the behest of King Frederick IV they were tianity at Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This article is organizing a mission to the Indians. adapted from his address at theJanuary 1982 "Seminars forSeminary Students, r r heldat In 1716 Zinzendorf transferred to the University of Witten­ the Overseas MinistriesStudy Center in Ventnor, New Jersey. berg to study law. In this center of orthodox Lutheranism, which April 1984 63 was suspicious of the Pietists, the count had his problems. But the societies within established churches, a procedure known within experience was beneficial, as he carne to respect the divergence of the Moravian church as the Diaspora. opion that always seems to exist among dedicated Christians. Zinzendorf completed his formal education with the tradi­ tional year-long Grand Tour, visiting the capitals of European life The Call to Mission and culture. Although the trip was a pleasant experience that gave him lasting friendships, it did not dampen his interest in religious If the founding and development of Herrnhut can be said to have matters. As his biographer John Weinlick suggests, this experience had its surprises, so too can the Moravian call to foreign missions. "was hardly to lead him toward the goal his travels were suppose In 1731 Zinzendorf traveled to Copenhagen for the coronation of to achieve; namely, to round him off as a man of the world."2 King Christian IV and in the course of his visit met Anthony, a His first employment, as a lawyer at the court of Elector Au­ black West Indian slave. What ultimately impressed the count was gust the Strong in Dresden, began in October 1721. Other do­ not royal pomp, but Anthony's plea for Christians to present the mestic arrangements followed; he purchased land from his gospel to his people in the Caribbean islands. Anthony's subse­ grandmother to form his estate. In 1722 he married Countess Erd­ quent visit to Herrnhut gave rise to community prayer and discus­ muth Dorothea Reuss, a young woman of Pietist persuasion. Al­ sion, which culminated, in 1732, in the departure of two Brethren though outwardly conforming to class expectations, the count for the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. The next year oth­ really yearned for some sort of full-time religious service, an idea ers from the community went to Greenland. An unending proces­ opposed by his family. To compensate for this denial, Zinzendorf sion had begun. Zinzendorf himself visited the mission in the planned to follow the example of Francke. The Pietist leader had West Indies (1738-39) and in America (1741-43). By the time of organized a variety of charitable institutions in Halle; schools, dis­ Zinzendorf's death in 1760, the Moravians, after twenty-eight pensaries, a printing house, and an orphanage. Zinzendorf thought years of activity, had sent out 226 missionaries.:' In the year 1760 he could organize similar institutions on his estate northeast of there were forty-nine brothers and seventeen sisters serving in Dresden. thirteen stations in Greenland, North and Central America, and Whatever Zinzendorf's plans were, they were not to be real­ the West Indies, with responsibility for about 6,125 souls. ized. It was just about this time that he had his encounter with the The departure in 1732 of the first Moravian missionaries from group that would become known as the Moravians. In June 1722 a their German homeland for the West Indies marked the first time group of these refugees crossed the border and were given refuge in Protestantism that missionaries went forth with the full support on Zinzendorf's land by its manager.