The Herrnhut Commissioning (1732)

At three in the morning on August 21, 1732, Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf laid his hands on Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann in Herrnhut, a small Moravian settlement in Saxony. The hour itself reflected the spirit of the community: watchful prayer, simple worship, and readiness to obey Christ without delay. The act was quiet, yet weighty—an outward setting apart of two men for gospel labor among people few were willing to notice, much less serve.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?’ And I said: ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8)

Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann

Dober, known for steadiness and pastoral care, and Nitschmann, marked by zeal and practical skill, went without earthly assurances. Their preparation was not measured in funding or comfort but in prayer, Scripture, and a shared resolve to suffer loss rather than withhold the good news. Accounts emphasize that they were willing—even if it should be required—to accept the lowest status in order to reach enslaved people with Christ. Such willingness was not recklessness, but a sober faith that the Lord’s call is worth more than safety.

“And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:15)

The Danish West Indies Mission Field

From Herrnhut they traveled toward the Danish West Indies, where plantation slavery shaped daily life and cruelty often silenced hope. The Moravians did not arrive as conquerors, but as servants. They sought access to the enslaved, listened to their burdens, and preached Christ crucified and risen with patient love. Their heroism was largely hidden: learning, laboring, enduring suspicion, sickness, and hardship, and refusing to treat souls as projects. In a world that measured people by profit, they insisted that every person bears God’s image and must hear of redemption.

Legacy and Significance

That early-morning commissioning helped ignite a modern missionary movement marked by courage, humility, and endurance. It stands as a testimony that the gospel advances not by worldly power, but by consecrated lives—men and women who trust the Lord to sustain them in hard fields, and who count love for souls a higher calling than comfort.