The heart of Christian formation is the Apostle Paul’s words declaring we “are being transformed” into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). This process of transformation is neither solely an individual project, nor an end in itself. The New Testament vision of transformation is community-based and mission-oriented.
A description of this vision is portrayed in Romans 12. Paul calls for transformation in the opening section of this chapter (v. 2). He then connects transformation with the description that though we are individuals, we are one body in Christ (v. 5). The final section of the chapter (vs. 9-21) provides examples of the way transformation in community should shape our life and interaction with others. This transform of the people of the church is missional in nature as it prescribes a dynamic life that impacts our interactions within the human community.
One of the means God has provided for corporate formation that is rooted in transformation and mission is the receiving and partaking of communion by the body of Christ. Communion signifies numerous theological realities, one of which is Christians have union not only with Christ, but also with one another.
A goal of this union as a corporate body is missional in nature. Part of the identity of the bride of Christ is we are a people sent and commissioned by Christ to proclaim the excellencies of Christ.[1] Participation in communion signifies, celebrates, and renews us to this truth.
A historical example of communion serving as a means of corporate transformation for corporate mission is provided through the Moravian community that settled in Herrnhut, Germany in the 18th Century. The Moravians first arrived in Germany in 1722 when Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf heard of their dire state in neighboring Moravia (located in the modern-day Czech Republic) and offered a portion of his land as a settling place for those facing religious persecution.
Over the next five years refugees fleeing religious persecution trickled in from around Europe until their number totaled 300, about half of which came from Moravia. The first five years in Herrnhut were largely marked by division and disunity as Zinzendorf kept his distance from the day-to-day life of the refugees.
With the community consumed with dissensions and disfunction, Zinzendorf intervened by moving into the living area of the refugees. He preceded to provide spiritual instruction aimed at unifying the group around what came to be called the Brotherly Agreement. This agreement centered around a call to mutual love for one another that would lead to true communion among the group. On May 12, 1727, the agreement was unanimously signed by those inhabiting Herrnhut.
Following the May 12 signing of the Brotherly Agreement, Zinzendorf began arranging for regular small group meetings for prayer, Bible study, and personal testimony that were intended to foster Christian formation. Added to this were what came to be known as Little Societies, where groups of two or more would gather for edification, accountability, and prayer.
The culmination of Zinzendorf’s actions centering around formation led to a communion celebration on August 13. Because of previous improper teaching, the group at Herrnhut had abstained from receiving communion for over a year.[2] On the eve of participating in the Lord’s table, Zinzendorf visited each home to discern their readiness to partake.
What transpired on August 13th as the residents of Herrnhut participated together in receiving from the Lord’s Table is referred to as the birthday of the Renewed Moravian Church by Moravian historians. It is described as a day of “a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation.”[3] The division and disunity that described the residents of Herrnhut from 1722-1727 were replaced by reconciliation and unity.
Over the coming months, this newfound unity centered its focus on a desire to take the gospel to lands and peoples around the world that had little to no access to the gospel. Though it would take until 1732 until the newborn Moravian Church could send its first missionary, the foundation was laid for one of the greatest missions sending movements in the history of the church.
From 1732-1760, under Zinzendorf’s leadership, this poor and ethnically diverse group of refugees from various parts of Europe and different traditions of Christianity banded together to send 226 missionaries and start 13 mission stations around the world from Greenland to Cape Coast and across the Atlantic to the West Indies and Americas.
Moravian historians trace the birth of this missions movement back to the events of 1727, and particularly the participation in the sacrament of communion. The receiving of communion together signified, and some would say sealed, the transformation and building of unity taking place among those present in Herrnhut.
As we consider the relevance of this historical example for us today, we are reminded transformation in the biblical framework and Christian tradition cannot be properly understood or accomplished independent of community and mission. Additionally, though communion is not the only means to formation, it is an essential means provided by God to his people for formation in unity and mission and should be treated accordingly.
This resource is part of the series Made Like Him: Reflections on Formation and Gathered Worship. Click Here to explore more resources from this series.
[1] John 17:18; John 20:21; Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9.
[2] Some credit their disunity to this failure to participate in communion. See The Memorial Days of the Renewed Church. London: Moravian Publication Office, 1895, 83.
[3] Vedder, Henry. Christian Epoch-Makers: The Story of the Great Missionary Eras in the History of the Christianity. Philadelphia: Griffith and Rowland. 1908, 271.
Cory Wilson serves as a pastor at City Church in Cleveland, OH. He is also a co-founder of the Ohio Theological Institute. Cory holds a Ph.D. from Reformed Theological Seminary and is a member of the St. Peter Fellowship of the Center For Pastor Theologians.
