PRESS RELEASE
WINSTON-SALEM, NC February 8, 2003
The Moravian Board of World Mission met in Winston-Salem on February 7 and 8,
2003. Prior to the meeting the Board had received letters of resignation from
many of the staff members and cross-cultural servants (missionaries). The
resignations were accepted with great regret and appreciation for the personal
conviction and integrity that led to their decision. The Board also expressed
deep gratitude for the years of faithful service by these individuals to the
Board and the church.
As members of the Board looked to the future they strongly and
enthusiastically affirmed the current priorities for mission and the foundation
for that mission. That foundation rests on the Great Commission in Scripture
(Matthew 28:18-20) and on The Ground of the Unity, the basic belief statement of
the worldwide Moravian Church. Specifically, they absolutely affirmed the
uniqueness and finality of the person and work of Jesus Christ, as expressed in
the statement: "We believe and confess that God has revealed Himself once
and for all in His son Jesus Christ, that our Lord has redeemed us with the
whole of humanity by His death and His resurrection; and that there is no
salvation apart from Him."
The Board also affirmed its top priority of mission efforts among unreached
people groups, especially the present mission work in Mexico and in Asia. The
Board began to develop new plans for continuing those important ministries. The
resignations stemmed in part from staff members' deep concern over a resolution
by the synod of a sponsoring province concerning homosexuality.
The Board recognized that the Moravian Church, and many other churches, do
not have a consensus on some matters of church policy regarding homosexuality.
However, Board members agreed that the lack of consensus in the broader church
was not an insurmountable barrier to a vital world mission effort. The Board
serves on behalf of the Moravian Church in America, Northern and Southern
Provinces, the Moravian Church in Alaska, and the Unity of Brethren Church in
Texas.
