Moravian Book of Worship

The Moravian Book of Worship offers hymns and liturgies for a new century. It provides a means for unity in our church, one of rich diversity. At the same time this book joins with its predecessors in extending the heritage established when, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Unitas Fratrum published what is considered to be the first Protestant hymnal. Hymns and liturgies in the Moravian Book of Worship have been examined from the perspective of theology, suitability for corporate worship, poetic integrity, clarity of language, and expression of biblical truth. The final test for each text, tune, and liturgy has been this: "Does this enhance the worship experience of a local congregation?" Special attention has been paid to those hymns which come from our Moravian Church heritage. Some Moravian hymns are included with no changes. Others are new translations. Well represented are hymns written and/or composed by contemporary Moravians. Likewise, attention has been paid to those hymns widely used by our ecumenical partners and to those new hymns currently being produced. The Moravian Book of Worship does not slavishly demand one style of tune or text, but attempts to recognize the wide diversity in our congregations' worship patterns. - Preface.