Governing the Living Community of Jesus: Johann Friedrich Köber’s Letter on Leadership

Abstract

abstract:This article is a transcription and translation of the letter written by Johann Friedrich Köber to the interim leadership council (“Ratskonferenz”) in Herrnhut on January 16, 1762, advising a decision on the future mode of leadership in the Unity. It is an important document because it sets out the reasons for the subsequent change in leadership and locates the authority of the Moravian Church in a governing body rather than in an individual.