Provincial synods exercise legislative authority delegated to them by the component congregations. N.C. The official organs of the two American provinces are The Moravian and The Wachovia Moravian. The Moravians have no specific creed, but their tenets agree in substance with those incorporated in the Apostles' Creed and the Augsburg Confession. The Bible is the only guide to faith and conduct. Infant baptism is practiced, but full church membership requires only a voluntary profession of faith.
Special stress is placed on fellowship and missionary work.
Moravian church music, especially singing, is known worldwide. The Moravian Church in America is noted for its unity. The first Moravians in America settled in Savannah, Georgia, in 1734, but moved to Pennsylvania six years later. About 1740 other Brethren, immigrating in groups, settled Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other Pennsylvania towns. For a full century, residence in Moravian communities was closed to outsiders, but this policy was abandoned after 1856.