COUNT NIKOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF (The Founder of The Moravian Community) (Part 17)

Global Expansion of the Moravian Mission

Zinzendorf’s mission with the Moravians continued to expand, reaching places like India, Greenland, and the Caribbean. August Gottlieb Spangenberg played a key role in this expansion, securing land in Georgia for the Moravians. However, their refusal to take up arms against Spanish invaders led to their expulsion. Providentially, George Whitefield invited them to Pennsylvania, where they flourished.

John Wesley and the Moravian Influence

During this time, John Wesley, an Anglican pastor, traveled with Moravian missionaries. Their deep faith challenged him, leading to a spiritual crisis. After studying with Moravian leader Peter Boehler, Wesley finally experienced assurance of salvation at a meeting on Aldersgate Street in 1738. This encounter ignited the First Great Awakening alongside George Whitefield.

Communal Life in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, Zinzendorf helped Spangenberg establish Bethlehem and Nazareth, where Moravians lived communally to support missionaries worldwide. Their motto was: “Together we pray, together we labor, together we suffer, together we rejoice.”

Sifting Time

After years of strong leadership, Zinzendorf entered a period of fanaticism known as the “Sifting Time.” He obsessively preached about childlike faith, forming “The Order of the Little Fools,” where Moravians engaged in childish behavior. He also referred to Jesus as “our little Lamby” and the Holy Spirit as “our Mother.” Spangenberg and others warned him, but he refused to listen. Eventually, a nobleman convinced him to repent, but the damage was done many Moravian communities suffered, and Herrnhaag was disbanded.

Loss, Repentance, and Return from Exile

After repenting, Zinzendorf focused on rebuilding. By this time, Moravian missions had grown significantly, with thousands of converts in the Americas and the Caribbean. In 1747, after years in exile, he was allowed to return to Saxony. But tragedy struck when his only surviving son, Christian Renatus, died of tuberculosis in 1752 at age 24. The loss devastated both Zinzendorf and his wife, Erdmuthe, who never recovered.

The Missionary Spirit Lives On

Despite financial struggles, the Moravians continued expanding, founding Salem, North Carolina, in 1753. However, Erdmuthe died in 1756, and Zinzendorf later married missionary leader Anna Nitschmann. They continued spreading the Moravian mission until Anna fell ill in 1760.

Final Words and Lasting Legacy

That same year, Zinzendorf suffered a fatal heart attack. Surrounded by family, his last words reflected his faith: “Now, my dear friend, I am going to the Savior… There is nothing to hinder me now.”
Thousands gathered at his funeral to honor him, and his legacy as a missionary pioneer endured long after his passing.

The End

Tale Tuesday 120

Date: 11th MARCH, 2025
Title: :  COUNT NIKOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF (The Founder of The Moravian Community) (Part 17)
Source:  God’s generals- The Missionaries
Author: Roberts Liardon