ABSTRACT
This article examines early Moravian mission, relating it to the spirituality of the Moravian community. The Moravian refugees, who had been given refuge in Germany by Count Zinzendorf, experienced a time of communal renewal in 1727. Out of this came prayer and world mission. The article argues that Moravian spirituality and missionary vision were closely connected. The community, Herrnhut, sent out the first missionaries in 1732, to the West Indies. This region became the focus of much of the early Moravian missionary endeavour, and this article examines some of the important aspects of Moravian spiritual experience, which translated into mission in the West Indies. The main features were an evangelical emphasis, openness to God's guidance, a stress on the Holy Spirit as Mother, teaching on the sacraments, and a life centred on Christ. Especially in the context of the West Indies, where the Moravians met mostly slaves, mission was associated with suffering. The Moravians sought to be alongside the slaves, and to speak about a suffering Christ who loved them. The last section of the article argues that the message was an empowering one.
