The Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf lived from 1700 until 1760. Due to the death of his father and re-marriage of his mother at an early age, Zinzendorf was raised by his grandmother and aunt. Zinzendorf was formally educated in Halle under August Hermann Francke. It was here that he would be a part of his first ‘missions’ work as he joined with some of his peers to form an evangelical group called the “Order of the Great Mustard Seed” (Tucker, 2004). He is remembered primarily for his work on the mission field, however he was also a talented theologian and hymnist.
In 1725 Count Zinzendorf opened a settlement at Herrnhut to religious refugees from Morovia of all sorts of differing views. All the settlers did agree on salvation through Jesus Christ, but this was not enough to keep peace (Kübler, 1865). About five years after the settlement begun, the camp underwent a spiritual revival where the settlers began to see their need for dependance on God as the utmost importance (Tucker, 2004). This was the beginning of the Brethren church at Herrnhut, often referred to simply as the Morovian church (Kübler, 1865). As the head of the Brethren church, Zinzendorf instilled much of his own theology into the often morbid practices and beliefs of the church. The Morovian church became obsessed with the death of Christ and meditated intently on their own depravity which made Christ’s sacrifice necessary (Tucker, 2004).
Zinzendorf’s views on human depravity no doubt were foundational to his zealousness for missions. He was called to the mission field after meeting with Christians from Greenland and the West Indies during the coronation of Danish King Christian VI. They plead with Zinzendorf to send missionaries to these areas to spread the gospel message. Zinzendorf was so moved by the pleas of these men that the Morovians sent out more missionaries during this period than all other protestants combined (Tucker, 2004).
Beginning in 1738, Zinzendorf went to the Caribbean and to the Americas (to the American Indians) as a missionary and revamped a lot of the work that was being done in these areas. Zinzendorf oversaw a worldwide network of missionaries for thirty-three years. As the overseer, he sent out missionaries who were trained in evangelism and not theology. He believed this to be the best method of evangelism since it allowed the missionaries to focus on evangelism, avoiding political and other controversial matters (Tucker, 2004).
Zinzendorf had two major distinguishing elements of his theology which cam through in volumes in his over 2000 published hymns. The first is his focus on human depravity and the second is his passion for doing God’s work while here on earth. He saw all the work which he has been called to as standing in the way of heaven. In his hymns, Zinzendorf was true to doctrine and theology. His son as well as his first wife were also fairly accomplished hymnists (Kübler, 1865)
Zinzendorf left a legacy behind him which can be seen in modern times in many ways. His hymns are still sung today in various different languages. The Morovian church also still exists today, crediting Zinzendorf with the revival of the Morovian church in the 1700′s (Morovian Church, 2010). Above all, Zinzendorf is recognized as a major contributor to modern missions. His impact on modern protestant denominations as a whole has been immeasurable.
References
Kübler, T. (1865). Historical Notes to the Lyra Germanica. (T. Kübler, Trans.). London: Spottiswoode and Co.
(2010). Morovian church in North America: Our history. Retrieved from http://www.moravian.org/history/
Tucker, R.A. (2004). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and the Morovian Church
