Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve. From this, His Church receives its mission and its power for its service, to which each of its members is called. We believe that the Lord has called us particularly to mission service among the peoples of the world. In this, and in all other forms of service both at home and abroad, to which the Lord commits us, He expects us to confess Him and witness to His love in unselfish service.
— The Ground of the Unity
A deep commitment to world mission has characterized the Moravian Church since its earliest days. A small 300–member Moravian community in Herrnhut, Germany sent missionaries to the Danish West Indies in 1732. Since then, God’s call to proclaim the good news of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ has taken hundreds of Moravian missionaries from the mountaintops of Ladakh, India to the savannas of La Mosquitia, Honduras.
Global partnerships and outreach remain a strength of the Moravian Church. Moravian work is found throughout the world. The worldwide Moravian Unity binds together those areas once known as mission fields with the American, British, and Continental (European) provinces. Strong international ties are fostered through the Unity Synod which meets every seven years.
Serving in global missions fulfills the Great Commission, shares God’s love, strengthens the global Church, and fosters spiritual growth. It meets physical and spiritual needs, promotes cultural understanding, and encourages the local church.
And in the nearly 300 years since the refugees on Count Zinzendorf’s estate ventured out to the Caribbean, the Americas, Africa and beyond, mission has continued to be a cornerstone of the Moravian Church. The church has not rested on its laurels — our mission heritage is very much alive and well in today’s Unitas Fratrum.
Please click here for a more detailed history of the mission work of the Moravian Church.
Board of World Mission
The Board of World Mission builds relationships through Mission Outreach and Mission Engagement to be faithful to the Great Commandment and Great Commission. We serve as the mission agency of the North American Moravian Church, representing the Northern, Southern, and Alaska Provinces in our collaborative efforts with partners throughout the Moravian Unity.
Our work is directed by a board of directors, which meets regularly to evaluate our ministries, establish priorities, and shape the trajectory of our future initiatives. Our committed staff carries out the day–to–day work of the BWM.
Each of the Board of World Mission’s projects can be categorized as Mission Outreach or Mission Engagement. Even as mission outreach and mission engagement efforts are distinct, they are also intertwined, each guiding and taking direction from the other.
Mission Outreach refers to our work with long–standing partners and newer mission areas as we seek to assist in growing churches and strengthening communities, as well as developing new leadership to help these areas begin their own mission outreach efforts. We do this work through Moravian Disaster Response (MDR) efforts, mission grants to fund specific project requests, and through support of church development in our global partner areas.
Mission Engagement refers to the ways in which the BWM engages folks in the mission work of the Moravian Church through offering service and volunteer opportunities, educating congregations and individuals about our ongoing projects, and sharing opportunities for financial and prayerful support. We do this work by providing resources, recognizing individuals and congregations through mission service awards, visiting constituent congregations, and supporting interprovincial service efforts like the Moravian Day of Service.
The BWM is about the work of God in the world by walking with individuals, churches, and global partners so that together we may provide opportunities for people to be God’s instruments of grace, peace and justice in the world. Core principles of our mission engagement include building mutual relationships that promote transparency and effective communication; equipping others in discipleship, leadership development, and principles of favored practices in mission involvement; and being good stewards of the resources provided for this work. In all of this we are centered on Christ, who loves us, calls us, and transforms us to be his agents of love and grace in the world.
Stay connected with the Board of World Mission — we currently offer two regular communications. The Mission Message, which is our official quarterly newsletter that shares about our work around the world, and The Ahuas Spotlight, which is compiled by the Ahuas Committee and gives updates on the work of the Ahuas Clinic and other work in La Moskitia. Click here to subscribe to any or all of the Board of World Mission offerings.
To learn more about the Board of World Mission, please visit our website.
Other Global Organizations
Church World Service
Church World Service is a faith–based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster. Church World Service has one goal: building a world where there is enough for all.Our vision is a world where everyone has food, a voice, and a safe place to call home. We’ve been working to make this a reality for more than 75 years, and we know it’s possible. We’ve welcomed thousands of refugees and other new neighbors into our communities, helped countless families put food on the table and lifted the voices of people who have been left out.
We know that we can always do more together than we can alone. That’s why our work is for everyone. The CWS family stretches around the world and across the lines that divide us as a single force for good.
Unity Women’s Desk
The Unity Women’s Desk is a ministry of the worldwide Moravian Church. Its purpose is to positively impact the lives of women and girls by coordinating the spiritual, financial, educational, and material resources that exist throughout the Moravian Unity. The most pressing issues facing women and girls today are in the areas of education, health, economics, and violence against women. By raising awareness of these issues, developing solutions, and enlisting help from our worldwide Unity, we hope to improve the lives of women and girls everywhere.
Unity Prayer Day
March 1st is observed as the anniversary of the founding of the founding of the Unitas Fratrum, the Ancient Unity, in 1457. The 1967 Unity Synod decided that the Sunday nearest March 1st should be observed as Unity Prayer Day. The Unity Board set up a schedule of Provinces responsible for preparing the material for Unity Prayer Day.
The Unity Offering
On Unity Prayer Day, a Unity Offering is collected in all congregations of the Unity. The purpose for which the money would be collected is fixed by the Unity Board. The Unity Prayer Day Offering is a significant event for Moravians worldwide, who participate in this offering on the same day to demonstrate their unity and support for the global Moravian Church.
Past Unity Offering collections have been for building a secondary school in Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania; establishing a Nicaraguan Widow’s & Orphans Fund; construction of an archives building in Tanzania; classroom space at the Theological College in D.R. Congo; ministry efforts in Suriname; and youth work within the Unity.
Schoeneck generally celebrates Unity Prayer Day on the first Sunday of March, with the Unity Offering being collected the same day.
This Year’s Unity Offering
The 2025 Unity Offering has been designated for the Moravian Church in North America to support the project “Common Moravian Theological Curriculum in Spanish.”
Since our earliest days, the Unitas Fratrum has placed an emphasis on education, both vocational and theological. Today, there are Moravian seminaries and theological training centers across the world. These institutions are central to our ministry as a Church because they train the leaders of our Unity and give them the knowledge needed to serve our Chief Elder in their respective cultural and political contexts.
Through this Unity Prayer Day Offering, the Board of World Mission (BWM) will work with the Unity Committee on Theology (UCOT) and Moravian leaders and educators worldwide to produce a common theological training curriculum that can be adapted and used throughout the Unity and starting specifically with our Spanish speaking partners. This curriculum will include training in the Bible and Biblical Languages, Theology and Church History, and Pastoral Theology.
Mission Opportunities at Schoeneck
Schoeneck’s mission activities include educational opportunities to help our members learn more about ongoing Moravian mission work, praying and planning for the people and workers in the mission areas, and providing financial support through fundraising activities.
In the past we have supported a girl’s school in Tanzania; participated in a three-year program with Adopt-A-Village; raised enough money to supply 77 desks for the Moravian High School in Bluefields, Nicaragua; helped raise funds for a new roof for Hope Christian Church in Kenya; supported Heifer Project International; raised money for worship space in Peru; raised money for the Music & Worship school in Costa Rica; assembled school kits, healthcare kits, and baby kits for Church World Service; supported earthquake relief in Nepal; and recently raised enough money to supply 20 bicycles for World Bicycle Relief.
In addition, two of our members have participated in mission trips — one to Kenya and one to Cuba.
Schoeneck Moravian Church is currently seeking ways to broaden our work in the world–wide mission field. We want to join God on His mission that extends beyond our borders to share the Gospel and provide aid to those in need globally.
Just like Isaiah, who felt unqualified yet answered God’s call, we too are often hesitant when we hear the word missions. It’s easy to think, “Not me, not now, maybe not ever.” We encourage you to seek God’s guidance in answering the question: Who will go? Our prayer is that each one of us feels spurred on to join the mission of God, in big ways and small ways, all echoing Isaiah’s response: Send me.
We invite your thoughts, ideas, questions, suggestions, and comments — please contact Mission & Outreach.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” — Isaiah 6:8