PIONEERS OF MISSIONS

[Count Zinzendorf]  

Early Life

Zinzendorf fell in love with the Lord at the tender age of six, Influenced greatly by his grandmother’s devout example.

He continued to grow in Christ throughout his schooling years, engaging in regular times of prayer, Bible reading,

and hymn-singing. Next to the Bible, his favorite book was Martin Luther’s Smaller Catechism. An intelligent and gifted student, Zinzendorf excelled academically. By the age of fifteen, he could read the classics and the New Testament in Greek, and he was fluent in Latin and French. Zinzendorf pursued his university studies at Wittenberg, a stronghold of

Lutheran theology. Upon completing his studies, he embarked on a grand tour of prominent learning centers across Europe, further broadening his horizons.

The Call

In 1720, during his travels, Zinzendorf spent six months in Paris, where he toured Versailles and formed a friendship with Cardinal Louis-Antoine de Noailles, a Roman Catholic clergyman. During this period, Zinzendorf had a life-changing encounter with the Lord at an art museum in Düsseldorf. While viewing Domenico Feti’s painting Ecce Homo, a portrait of the suffering, thorn-crowned Jesus, he read the inscription below it: “I have done this for you, what have you done for me?” Deeply moved, Zinzendorf said to himself, “I have loved Him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for Him. From now on, I will do whatever He leads me to do.”

In May 1721, Zinzendorf purchased his grandmother’s estate in Berthelsdorf, setting the stage for the next phase of his life.

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