Case 7.2: The True Father Of Protestant Mission

Assignment #7.2: The True Father of Protestant Mission

Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was born into a noble and wealthy family in 1700. His father died when he was a child and his mother remarried leaving “him to be reared by “his grandmother and aunt, whose warm evangelical Pietism turned his heart toward spiritual matters” (Turner, 2004, p.100). As a child he was taught by Lutheran Pietist August Hermann Francke. His studied law at Wittenberg but his heart wasn’t calling him to that career. He wanted to serve and minister by spreading Christianity.
He experienced a confirmation of his calling in 1719 while visiting an art gallery where he was touched by Christ’s death and challenged to live for Christ by doing his part in service.
In 1738 Zinzendorf himself visited the work in the Caribbean. Zinzendorf although not exuberant about living the constant daily grind of a missionary himself seems to have been a great leader and organizer of his recruits to the mission field. One of the negative aspects of the commitment to the ministry and missions seems to have been the importance to forsake all family, including wife and children for the sake of the work. Missionaries were encouraged to leave their families or remain single. Zinzendorf would spend thirty-three years overseeing his network of missionaries with much of his time spent from his family. Erdmuth Zinzendorf was the wife of Zinzendorf and although quite capable of running their home affairs on her own, suffered from his constant travels and time away from the home. Erdmuth would pass away and Zinzendorf would marry again. His second wife, Anna Nitchmann seemed to influence Zinzendorf in some practices of mysticism which would prove to be a detriment to his mission work. Some of the mystical practices would have a negative impact on his hard work leading to financial loss and great debt for the