Nikolaus von Zinzendorf

Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, born 1700, was destined to be a Count but wanted to go into the ministry. Even when he was young he organized his aristocratic friends into a secret society called “The Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed” which existed to inspire Gospel expansion through their economic status. Nikolaus later founded a similar group as an adult whose members included the Archbishop of Canterbury and the King of Denmark.

It seems an experience of looking at a painting solidified his life’s trajectory. The painting was “Behold the Man” by Domenica Feti while touring an art museum. He is most famous for his interaction with the Moravian community who asked to stay on his land. Disunity started sprouting amongst the Moravians and Nikolaus helped restore them together which led to what is called “the Moravian Pentecost”, a strong renewal of the Holy Spirit. This helped start the modern missions movement as we know it as their community would eventually send out over 200 missionaries.

Thankfully, Nikolaus decided to not become a minister, but instead chose to leverage his status and wealth to further God’s Kingdom. – Cody Bingham (this summary of the Count’s life was heavily influenced by the Zinzendorf Article linked above).