The Moravian Church has historically been a church dedicated to bringing people to our Lord and to sharing Christ’s love and Word throughout the world, and the call to our church today is no different, even though how we do that may be very different. Through our mission the church participates in God’s action within the world.
As declared in John 20:21, we are sent as Jesus was sent. Our lives are modeled on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, who crossed political boundaries, reached out in compassion, challenged the status quo, shared the good news and brought transformative life and grace to all he met. In Christ we are bringers of this life to others, both locally and globally. This is the mission to which we are called.
We carry out this call in a variety of ways:
- We are sending people in mission through Antioch, which provides opportunities for North Americans to share their gifts in service as they broaden their own understanding of the issues that face our brothers and sisters throughout the world.
- We are serving people through our Moravian Volunteer Response—continuing to provide disaster relief, as well as work crews for specific projects.
- We are working with our Partner Provinces to promote leadership development and sustainable churches that continue to share the gospel to the unreached.
- We are collaborating in Mission Partnerships with cross-cultural servants, with our ecumenical colleagues, and with our constituent congregations and members in order to reach out in mission.
- We are working toward capacity building through our Likewise Ministry, strengthening communities in Tanzania to better provide for the needs of families and children, especially those impacted by HIV and AIDS.
- We are exploring areas of New Work within the worldwide Moravian Unity, with a focus on outreach in Sierra Leone, Cuba, and Peru.
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.