The Surprising Connection Between C.F. Martin Guitar Co. and Revival History
My Martin Story
Recently I was able to purchase a second Martin guitar, an Om-28 Marquis after selling my 20 year old Taylor 414 guitar about a year ago. Buying a new guitar is a big deal to a musician. It sounds crazy but it’s almost like adding a new child to the family. (Interestingly, I sold my old guitar to my dentist who’s practice is a few blocks away and lives nearby. He told me I could come by and play the old guitar if I ever missed it.)
While I explored other guitars, I kept coming back to Martin’s with adirondack spruce tops (the way they used to make them before 1946). Even though I tried several other incredible instruments made by Collings, Larrivee, Bourgeois, and other master guitar builders, nothing had the combination of sound or feel as some of the Martin’s I tried.
Pictured - Cory Asbury with one of his Martin Guitars
A question arose on my heart. “God, what is it about Martin that they are so special? It almost feels like the guitars themselves are blessed?!” I saw many other worship leaders playing Martin’s exclusively, Cory Asbury, Brian Johnson (Bethel Music), Brooke Ligertwood (Hillsong).
I began to do some research that unearthed some very surprising results that links Martin Guitar with the Moravian revival in Hernhutt, Germany and I began to connect the dots.
There is a principle in both Biblical and revival history that when God moves on the Earth, often the friends of God (people unusually close to Him) often have interaction with each other since they have given the strongest “Yes” to partner with what God is doing on the Earth. It should come as no surprise to us that when God is doing something special, He involves people close to His heart.
However in this story it is very surprising that a humble German artisan startup, CF Martin would connect with the same Moravian’s that led John Wesley to salvation and partnered with the “Billy Graham of the 18th century”, George Whitefield. This story would unfold in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the city named after the home of the original Father/Son Nazareth woodworker/carpenter, Joseph and Jesus.
Count von Zinzendorf
The Moravian Revival & It’s Impact on the 13th Colonies
So, how does the Moravian revival relate to Martin Guitar’s? Interestingly, both CF Martin and the Moravian’s story begins in Germany, but they would not meet on German soil but in the 13 colonies of what would become the United States. The Moravian’s story begins with a german nobleman named Count Van Zinzendorf in the early 1700s.
“When Zinzendorf was 27 years old, he took into his home a single Moravian refugee. Before long, Zinzendorf had 300 Moravian refugees living on his estate and he became their spiritual leader. They lived in a village called Hernnhut, Germany. Under Zinzendorf’s leadership, they prayed together, studied God’s Word together, and grew spiritually together.
On August 12, 1727, the Moravians conducted an all-night prayer meeting. The group decided to start a prayer vigil. They designated a place of prayer in the village, and they prayed in groups of two or three for one-hour increments.
There are 168 one-hour time slots in a week. The Moravians filled all 168-hour time slots with two to three people per hour. For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, two to three people were always praying in the place of prayer. This around the clock prayer meeting went on for 110 years!
The Moravians’ hearts began to burn with the things that are on the heart of God. Their hearts began to burn for the unreached peoples of the world. Over a fifteen-year period, this small group of 300 Moravians sent out seventy missionaries who went and lived among unreached people groups, learned their language and culture, then told them about Jesus Christ. - reference.
Among those 70 Moravian missionaries sent out from Germany, some of them came to the United States to evangelize the Naive Americans. Their journey would touch two of the three greatest revivalists in early American history and eventually impact the establishment of Martin Guitar Co. in Nazareth, PA. So a 110 year 24/7 prayer birthed missions and all sorts of wonderful Kingdom things.
The Salvation of John Wesley Through the “Nazareth Moravians”
Before even landing on American soil the very same Moravian group who settled Nazareth, Pennsylvania were a major influence in revival history through impacting the salvation of John Wesley (founder of the Methodist movement and revivalist from England) alone.
On the boat over to America to the Georgia colony, John Wesley found himself on the same boat as these Moravian missionaries. The Moravian’s fearless worship in a storm on the sea started a domino chain of events that caused John Wesley to be converted. “Many of the English passengers aboard screamed in terror that they would soon be swallowed by the deep. But a group of Moravian missionaries from Germany calmly sang throughout the squall. They were unafraid of death, an astounded John Wesley later recounted in his journal.-reference “
Later on Wesley wrote at a Moravian prayer meeting back in London following his harrowing journey - “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation.” So before even arriving on US soils the Moravian settlers of Nazareth were being used powerfully by God to break Wesley out of a religious relationship with God to a real and personal one.
Those Moravian’s who came over in 1736 first targeted Georgia as a home base, experienced persecution there due to their evangelistic efforts and friendliness towards reaching the Cherokee Indians with the gospel. The other settlers viewed the Native American’s fully as enemies, so the Moravian’s were expelled from Georgia being seen as a security risk to the region. Sadly, politics took a higher value than the gospel. Other early colonist were not as sold out for God as the Moravians. Luckily, God had already orchestrated a “plan B” for them.
The Moravian’s Fortunate Friendship with George Whitefield & Journey to Nazareth, PA
In Germany, the Moravian’s had thrived in a society focused entirely on Jesus and the things of the Kingdom of God. The time they spent in prayer gave them an unusual level of intimacy with God and great passion for Him. They were a people like the Levites in the Old Testament, set apart for a heavenly mission. After the conflict they experienced in Georgia it became clear to them that they needed a place to settle where they could collectively pursue God with the same passion they had in Herrnhut, but this time on US soil. But where could they go? They were not wealthy in earthly terms, having their treasure instead in heaven.
Enter, an unexpected figure. George Whitefield was the greatest evangelist of the 18th century, preaching to crowds of 10,000 people with a voice that boomed audibly without the aid of a microphone. He was also the most famous person in the 13th colonies. Along with Jonathan Edwards, and John & Charles Wesley, he was God’s chosen vessel for starting the first Great Awakening. His final sermon in Boston was to a crowd of 23,000. When he wasn’t evangelizing crowds of thousands Whitefield also helped establish God’s Kingdom in other ways. His private life mirrored his public profession of faith.
Somehow, George Whitefield heard about the plight of the displaced Moravians and in them he saw perhaps God’s hand or recognized God’s calling. Whitefield invited them to come and live on the land he owned in Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1739. Originally, Whitefield’s plan was to form a school to educate the children of former slaves.
The initial Moravian settlers of Nazareth lived in simple log cabins, but when the Whitefield house was completed and they were able to occupy it. Unfortunately, a doctrinal disagreement caused a break with Whitefield, and the Moravians moved nearby to Bethlehem, PA but later purchased the city of Nazareth from Whitefield when he fell on hard times on July 6th, 1741. -ref
Fast forward to 1833, CF Martin the 1st has transferred his guitar business from Germany to the New World to escape the German instrument building monopoly by the violin maker guilds that barred him from building instruments in his home town. They initially set up shop in New York city, but for reasons unknown, either him or Mrs. Martin disliked the New York City and wanted to be somewhere more quiet and heard about Nazareth, PA. The timing of CF’s move is quite interesting.
The Moravian’s begin their 100 years of prayer in 1727 and went to 1837. Just 1 year after they had prayed 24/7 in shifts for 110 years in Hernhutt, Germany and completed their prayer meeting, CF Martin choose to move his operation to the outskirts of Nazareth, PA.
Later on, C.F. Martin became a member of the Moravian church as it was a requirement to live in the town (his Moravian church membership document is still kept in the Martin archives). It is unknown if CF Martin’s conversion or joining the Moravian church/movement was the result of his own personal spiritual awakening or just a savvy business mode, but either way, due to the city’s history and occupants, almost all Martin guitars were initially build by Moravians and now many of their descendants.
If you think about this it means the hands that built early CF Martin guitars were hands of prayer, hands of faith, hands of saints or levites set apart who had spent 110 years of prayer. The guitars later on were built of the descendents of these same men and women of great faith, who had come to the United States as missionaries, who indirectly helped cause the Great Awakening.
The Martin Factory along with the entire city of Nazareth is built on land previously owned by the great revivalist George Whitefield.
Multi-Generational Carpenter Families from Nazareth
What’s fascinating about the Martin factory’s location is that in the Bible, Nazareth, Israel is mentioned as the location where Joseph/Jesus family carpentry business was located. It was a multi-generational father/son woodworking establishment just like Martin Guitar Co.in Nazareth, PA. We don’t know how many generations back the family of Joseph in the Bible goes back, but the Martin Guitar Co. is now 6 generations deep in guitar making and further back in woodworking.
"One hundred and ninety years ago, on November 6th, my great, great, great grandfather and grandmother and their two children arrived in New York City from Germany. They came to America seeking opportunity and freedom. They initially settled at 196 Hudson Street and opened the first Martin Guitar workshop in the New World.
- C.F. Martin IV
Jesus, Joseph and Mary at the Nazareth Woodworking Studio
Before Jesus began his miracle ministry he was in Nazareth doing carpentry work with Joseph, his adopted earthly dad. We don’t often view craftsmanship or woodworking as a holy occupation but actually the very first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the Bible was a craftsman, Bezalel who fashioned the ark of the covenant from gopher wood.
Matthew 2:23 - and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Mark 6:2- 3 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter?
This picture imagines Bezalel carving the cherubim wings of the ark. The tabernacle of David’s design from Moses showed that worship should not just be functional but also beautiful.
Exodus 31:1-5 - Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
Supernatural Craftsmanship or Just a Honing of Skill Over Generations?
The original C.F. Martin invented the X brace around 1850 which is credited as the major breakthrough differentiating modern steel string guitars or American guitars versus the earlier Spanish guitars.
“I think one of the most interesting features of an early guitar theme C. F. Sr. built is the adjustable neck guitar, built around 1834. The development of the now universal X-brace was, we believe, developed over time as a way to create enough structure to hold the top together and produce a very pleasant tone while replacing the traditional fan bracing to accommodate a bridge with bridge pins.” - CF Martin IV - ref
We don’t have any record of how the X-brace and other innovations were made or know how CF Martin went from making Stauffer type traditional European guitars to the Martin guitars we recognize today, but it is very possible that some of the design ideas came from divine revelation like Bezalel in the Old Testament, but we cannot rule out just simple trial and error and generational momentum of craftsman trying new things.
However, the Moravians were people of prayer and since a very great number of Martin employees throughout the years were Moravians and their descendents (including the Martin family by conversion) it is very possible when they faced obstacles of design that they followed the example of the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and prayed to God for heavenly solutions.
What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer! - Joseph Scrivener
Blessed or Sacred Instruments?
There are so many supernatural interventions that led the Moravians to Nazareth, Pennsylvania that I personally believe God was up to something. We don’t know why Whitefield or some other faith-filled person named the town Nazareth, but the name of the Jewish carpenter but whoever did prophesied the future of the city into a town of expert and inspired instrument making.
When the Moravians came to Pennsylvania and even when CF Martin began making guitars and relocated there, the guitar was not an instrument of worship but a folk instrument. Churches were filled with choral music, organs, perhaps pianos while guitars were not considered sacred instruments.
Organ from the 1800s - The primary worship instrument of the era
Both Whitefield and Wesley took the church outside of the building to reach people pioneering open air preaching (where it would have been impossible to bring organs or pianos). Likely they just sang a cappella hymns but if it had been in vogue, having guitars accompany them would have been powerful.
Is it just a coincidence that soon after the 110 years of 24/7 prayer finished, Moravian’s hosted the guitar maker who would build the instruments which would be used for the Jesus People revival 130 years in 1967 and the next 24/7 prayer movement 162 years later in 1999 and the modern worship movement that has continued from the 1960s to today?
God knew even before CF Martin came to the USA that in the future the guitar would become a sacred instrument and perhaps He wanted it to be built by people of prayer. Part of the decline of Christianity in certain places was that it became a dead religion or lofty theology disconnected from the human heart and experience. Worshiping God with an instrument of current culture like the guitar vs one of a previous culture like the organ is one way to counteract this tendency and connect with new generations.
I don’t think it is far fetched to think that the 110 years of prayer of the Moravian’s and the anointed craftsmanship could impart something special into the design and the instruments themselves. While of course musicians who both love God and are ideologically opposed to him have used Martin guitars over the years, as any tool it can be used for good and evil.
For protestants the idea of “blessed objects” seems strange, but in the Old Testament and for most of the history of the church it is assumed that God’s glory can impact physical objects. The candles, vessels, and other things used in the Old Testament temple were placed on the altar to be blessed and set apart for a holy service. While in the New Testament, prayer was used to transform normal every day objects such as oil (James 5), handkerchiefs (Acts 19), water or mud into agents of healings, and many other things for a heavenly purpose.
In the Old Testament cities where God did something extraordinary the ground or place became blessed and in some cases even received a new name. God is not the gnostic god who refuses to engage with sinful physical matter, and is only spiritual things are good. He is rather the God who formed Adam and Eve with his own hands in the dirt. He is the Jesus who touched and made well those whose physical bodies were damaged by the sickness induced by the Fall. Were the chairs made by Jesus and Joseph carpentry business blessed in some way? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the best chairs and tables in Nazareth.
The Moravian Idea of 24/7 Prayer Returns Along with Stringed Instruments in the 1960s and 1999
Today in 2023, guitars are the main voice and sound of worship on the Earth today and we can see a different Nazareth carpenter as the inventor of these designs. Is it a coincidence that King David invented the idea of 24/7 prayer with the tabernacle and the shifts of thousands of musicians who worshiped the Lord with “stringed instruments”? In the time of the Moravian’s worship with guitars or stringed instruments had fallen out of favor for over 1000 years. The only instruments we see in heaven are angels with harps (stringed instruments).
King David worshipping the Lord with a harp (stringed instrument)
King David wrote - ”Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. - Psalm 150:4”
Hippies pioneering worship with guitars in 1960s
In the 1960s with the Jesus People Movement guitars brought back the stringed instruments into the church, replaced organs for worship as the instrument of the people/culture displaced organs. While not all Martin guitars they were American made guitars, influenced by Martin and X-braced steel string instruments.
Later, in 1999 the torch of the Moravian’s was grabbed hold of once again as the Lord began re-inspiring 24/7 prayer through three separate movements, International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Pete Grieg in England, and 24-7 prayer movement in the Roman Catholic church. -ref
Those prayer movements as well as the modern worship movement are centered around praying scripture but also worship with guitar. So, in conclusion, the Moravian’s legacy and the legacy of CF Martin Guitars, modern worship, 24-7 prayer and revival history remain intertwined to this day.
When I play my Martin guitars, I think about the revival history connected with the Moravians in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. I think about John Wesley on the boat and George Whitefield’s house in Pennsylvania and CF Martin joining as a member of the Moravian church. I think about Bezalel getting supernatural downloads about how to carve the cherubim wings and wonder if CF Martin got similar revelation about carving those X-braces. I think about descendents of those same Moravian’s building guitars in the Martin factory to this day.
I write this article a few weeks before Christmas. I see the vague dots of something God was up to nearly 200 years ago and I can’t fully fill in all the blanks but that’s okay.
There were a lot of strange and mysterious events around the birth of Jesus. Part of worship is wonder and mystery. I just know that when I play my Martin guitars there is something special about them. A lot of other worship leaders agree. You’ve heard some of the history. What do you think?
Brian Johnson from Bethel leading worship with his Martin guitar
