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History of the sect "New Apostolic Church". New Apostolic Church Some features of the New Apostolic Church

Reference

History of origin

The New Apostolic Church (NAC) originates from a peculiar movement within the Roman Catholic Church, which was called “Catholic-Apostolic” and arose in the 30s

XIX century in England. The founders of this movement allegedly received a “revelation” from God that in the very near future, during their lifetime, the “end of the world” would occur. In order to receive salvation and “reign with Christ,” the founders of the new movement taught, it is necessary to abandon all contemporary church institutions that “distorted the pure apostolic faith and way of life of Christians, now no longer corresponding to the ideals of the ancient apostolic Church.” By “revelation” they chose twelve apostles as leaders of the community and among them the main one. All degrees of the priesthood and church offices were abolished. Instead, the ministries of Christians that are mentioned in the New Testament were brought back to life. Among them are, in addition to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, etc.

Some Catholic, Anglican and Protestant clergy joined the movement, not only from England, but also from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

When the first apostles, chosen by “revelation,” died and the expected coming of Christ did not occur, the community decided to submit to the “Judgment of God” and dissolve itself.

But some participants in the movement did not want to put up with the cessation of their activities, primarily the German “apostles”, who separated from the British back in 1863 and founded their own community in Hamburg. Through long disputes and organizational changes, the New Apostolic Church was finally formed in 1867. Through the efforts of successive “chief apostles” with clearly organized work, it not only survived to this day, but also grew stronger and spread so much that today it has followers in 180 countries, and in Germany it ranks third in number - after the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches .

Creed

The 9th point - the most important - speaks of the end of the world and the high destiny of the followers of the NAC. They, prepared to meet Christ and called the souls of brides, will ascend to the Lord. This will be the first Resurrection. In heaven the wedding of these souls with Christ will take place. After which Christ, together with these transformed souls, will return to earth and establish His Kingdom of peace. The New Apostles will reign with Him as kings and priests. After his thousand-year reign, Christ will perform the Last Judgment, at which all those who did not participate in the first resurrection, that is, not the New Apostles, will appear. Everyone will get what they deserve. In place of the old world, God will create a new one, for heaven and earth will disappear. The New Jerusalem will reign on the new earth and will exist forever.

This vision of the end of the world (eschatology) is nothing new. Over the centuries, some Christians read the Apocalypse this way, and the idea of the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth (chiliasm) constantly arose in the minds of people and was constantly condemned by the Church. Chiliasm was first condemned in 225. Then it was revived many times in the teachings of medieval mystics. The same idea continues to be attractive to modern sects. For example, the notorious White Brotherhood also preaches chiliasm. For sectarian thinking, the prospect of confirming one’s chosenness is attractive – precisely with members their communities Christ will reign on earth. The New Apostles often call themselves the “last, consummating Church.”

2. The second source of teaching is the Bible. At the same time, it is emphasized that the Bible cannot replace the apostles of Christ as preachers of His teachings and givers of the sacraments. Only the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, can correctly interpret Scripture, and free reading of the Bible by believers is discouraged.

3. A doctrinal book for ordinary believers is the periodically republished catechism “New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers,” which contains everything a believer needs to know.

4. For clergy there is a book “History of the Kingdom”, which contains a New Apostolic assessment of all traditional Christian Churches, none of which has fulfilled its purpose - to lead people to salvation. The content of the sacraments is revealed, of which there are three in the NAC - Baptism, sealing with the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. There are no more books in circulation in the New Apostolic Church. There are also no theological educational institutions, since the apostolic age was a century of simplicity, and not of theological speculation.

Divine services

1. Divine services are held every Sunday on the model of a simple Reformed service and are accompanied by the singing of the choir. The scheme is as follows: hymn, opening prayer, choir, sermon of the chief apostle on the biblical text, choir, second sermon, Eucharistic liturgy with the prayer “Our Father”, “absolution of sins”, communion, prayer, blessing, choir.

2. During the week there are meetings for private apartments. The contents of these meetings are unknown.

These services for the dead attract many new members who expect that their relatives and loved ones who died in unbelief will have the opportunity to be included in salvation. “Prophetic dreams” also play a role here. Often the New Apostles specifically meet with the relatives of the recently deceased and say: “Your deceased has appeared with us. He appeared in a dream.” After this, contacts are made, which often bring relatives of the deceased to the NAC. There is a lot of evidence that the New Apostles conduct their mission in cemeteries, talking with the relatives of those buried there.

Sacraments

1. Baptism is performed with water in the name of the Holy Trinity. As a rule, children are baptized. Their parents are responsible for their correct upbringing in the spirit of the new apostles.

2. Sealing with the Holy Spirit is a necessary sacrament for full entry into the New Apostolic Church. Baptism is the only necessary sacrament for the reception of the Holy Spirit, taught by sealing, which can only be performed by an apostle

3. The Eucharist is celebrated in memory of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross. Communion is given to believers after repentance, which is not a sacrament - in the form of a wafer and three drops of blood or wine baked into it. The wafers are also sent to believers who do not have the opportunity to visit the temple - to soldiers, the sick, to remote areas.

Structure of the Church.

The highest body of the NAC is the Assembly of Apostles. Since 1971, the official name has been “New Apostolic Church – International Union of Apostles.” But in fact, each community, subordinate to one specific apostle, is quite independent. The unity of the Church is ensured by the unity of the apostles themselves, who, as they claim, achieve mystical unity through prayer. There are now not 12 apostles, but about 200.

The largest associations are the apostolic districts. Since 1991 there have been eighteen of them. The districts are led by the “district apostle.”

All district apostles are united in a collegium, a kind of synod. The chairman of the collegium is the chief apostle. The current chief apostle is the Swiss Richard Fehr. The administrative and spiritual center of the NAC is located in Zurich.

The Chief Apostle has almost absolute power. Members of the NAC consider him the representative of the Lord on Earth. He must “promote new Revelations of the Holy Spirit.” So the ministry of the Chief Apostle is filled with mystical content. It is his “revelations” that determine changes in the doctrine and life of the NAC. This testifies to the unconditional sectarian orientation of the New Apostles.

In addition to the chief and district apostles, bishops and district elders, there are also the ministries of district evangelists, pastors, community evangelists, priests, deacons, and protodeacons.

There is no governing body that includes lay people.

Social activities

The New Apostolic Church only maintains homes for the elderly and sometimes clubs for young people. The New Apostles do not carry out any charitable work.

Finance and property

Each member of the New Apostolic Church is obliged to give a tenth of his income to its needs. Among its members there are many wealthy people who, in addition to tithes, donate large sums for church construction. In many countries, the New Apostles own lands and church buildings, which can always be identified by their emblem: a cross that rises above the rising sun.

Education

It does not have special theological educational institutions, since in principle it rejects theological education.

Monthly magazine "Our Family". Since 1991 it has also been published in Russian. Weekly magazine "Voice of the Guardian". For children and youth - monthly magazines "Good Shepherd" and "Friend of Youth".

The catechism - "New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers" and "History of the Kingdom" - is periodically republished in many languages of the world. There are several Russian-language publications.

Extent of modern distribution

In German-speaking countries, the NAC is one of the strongest and largest. The third largest Church in Germany - after Lutherans and Catholics.

Currently there are about 7,000,000 New Apostles in the world. Of these, 3,400,000 are in Africa and 1,000,000 in Asia. There are a lot of New Apostles in India and Zaire. In Europe - more than 500,000 people.

New Apostolic Church in Russia.

The New Apostolic Church has developed a broad mission in Russia. It began with a missionary trip to the USSR in September 1989 by Presbyter Ulrich Krause - on behalf of the District Apostle of Berlin-Brandenburg Schröder. He visited the cities of Kamyshin, Togliatti, Alekseevka and Krasnoarmeysk. The choice of areas is explained by the fact that there are small settlements of ethnic Germans who, according to the district apostle, would happily accept the new teaching.

As a result of this trip, 23 people were baptized. There are currently 67 communities of New Apostles in Russia. And this is in just seven years of missionary work. Since 1991, the magazine "Our Family" began to be published in Russian. In September 1992, Chief Apostle Richard Fehr visited Moscow. By this time there were already 1,000 New Apostles in Moscow and 20,000 throughout Russia. Moscow was divided into two districts: to the north of the Moscow River - with administration from Australia and Switzerland, to the south - from Germany, and the New Apostles are governed here by two district apostles. In 1991, the Administrative Center of the NAC opened in Moscow. The Chief Apostle's first visit to Russia was marked by a concert in the Great Hall of the Conservatory, in which famous Russian performers took part, including organist Harry Grodberg. At the solemn service for the departed, all those buried at the Kremlin wall, including Tsar Alexander, received holy communion

III , who once expelled the English chief apostle from Russia, who began preaching his teachings.

In Arkhangelsk, the New Apostolic community arose in 1990 through the efforts of a businessman and at the same time a pastor from Germany. All of Russia has already been assigned to one or another district. Thus, the northeast of the country - from the Baltic to the Urals - is under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic District of Saxony-Thuringia.

Kaliningrad became an area of special attention for missionaries. For the New Apostles, this city is still Königsberg, which before the war was home to an entire apostolic district, which included 146 communities organized into nine districts. The district of North Rhine-Westphalia took up the task of reviving the NAC in Kaliningrad. First of all, contacts were established with citizens of the city of German origin, who were invited to visit Germany. The first meetings were held in the House of Culture. Communities were created in many cities of the Kaliningrad region, which the apostles in their magazine “Our Family” call the Russian part of East Prussia. In November 1995, the Chief Apostle visited Kaliningrad. By this time, five communities and seven missionary posts, 15,000 believers had arisen there. “Our Family” describes in detail the history of Königsberg, talks about the hardships of the Germans expelled from there, and reminds again and again that Königsberg was one of the centers of the New Apostolic Church. The temple in Guryevsk was restored.

Communities were created in Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Kamchatka, Yakutsk, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Kirov, Perm, Krasnokamsk. Churches are being built very actively in Kazakhstan, where negotiations with the authorities on the acquisition of plots of land have been successful.

The new church building was built in Murmansk - according to all the New Apostolic canons and is their pride - as the northernmost church of the New Apostles in the world.

In 1997-1998 NAC by deception(under the guise of a commercial building) is building a temple in the center of Kaluga - an interregional missionary center for Kaluga and several neighboring regions. A huge amount of money is being invested in this construction, construction proceeded at an accelerated pace. When the construction was nearing completion, the deceived townspeople suspected something was wrong - the outlines of the building were too similar to a religious building. But the construction was carried out through a front company and the lies continued to spread through the regional media. When the truth finally emerged, the public was outraged and signatures were collected against this construction. Almost all regional newspapers took the side of the sect, talking about poor believers who are persecuted by intolerant fanatics - the Orthodox. However, the public outcry was so strong that the city administration was forced to terminate the construction contract, promising to buy the building and find the New Apostles a place for their church “outside the historical center of the city.” The constructed building is promised to be used for cultural events. Currently, the construction of this building continues very sluggishly, which gives some hope, but persistent rumors are creeping around the city that this is another deception, the building remains with the sect.

Assessment of the activities of the New Apostolic Church

Although the NAC professes belief in the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ as the Son of God, it cannot be considered a traditional Christian Church. There is no consensus among Western religious scholars on whether the NAC should be considered a Christian denomination or a sect. But the majority views it as a sect for the following reasons:

1. The NAC is based on a supposed "new revelation" received from God, similar to other sects, including the Mother of God Center or the Moon sect.

2. Complete submission of believers to the will of the chief apostle and apostles. Doubts about the legality of their actions lead to expulsion from the NAC. The New Apostolic texts even say that “the chief apostle depicts the Most Holy Trinity.”

3. Treating the Bible as something other than the primary source of revelation. It is secondary in relation to the main revelations of the Chief Apostle.

4. The presence of “strange” rituals, such as communion of the dead.

5. Intense anticipation of the end of the world and the conviction of their exclusivity as kings and priests in the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ.

6. Refusal of any contact with traditional Christian Churches, which they consider false.

7. Non-participation in social and any other life of society. Complete self-isolation.

When assessing the missionary work of the NAC in Russia, it is necessary to take into account:

1. New Apostles are seeking the opportunity to speak at universities and schools, taking advantage of the fact that they present their faith as traditional.

2. Among the followers of the NAC in the West there are many businessmen. Through business contacts, they conduct missionary work and involve Russian resources in serving their Church.

3. The New Apostles strive to buy up as much land property as possible for the construction of church buildings and other structures on it. It is necessary to take into account that no matter how many Russians are involved in the activities of the NAC, its center remains in Switzerland, and it is from there that all guidelines will come.

A. Ivanov, set and addition.
© 1997, E. Speranskaya, compilation.

St. Petersburg Evangelical Theological

Academy

Essay

Topic: “New Apostolic Church.”

Subject: “Comparative Theology”

Teacher: Archimandrite Augustine (Nikitin)

Student: Koptyaev Alexey Valentinovich,

3rd year, correspondence department.

Checked by: ______________________ Introduction

In the early 90s, in connection with the new attitude of the state towards religion, several churches of the evangelical movement appeared in Arkhangelsk - mainly of the Pentecostal-charismatic direction. They all began to openly and loudly declare themselves and their faith in Jesus Christ. Often this is precisely what is “blamed” on living, sincere Christians of various denominations by people in our godless, secular society, as well as by many “cold Christians”.

But at the same time, the New Apostolic Church appeared in the city and behaved somewhat strangely, not like other evangelical churches, i.e. they were not engaged in mass evangelism, but behaved somewhat secretly. At first no one paid much attention to them, but over time their quiet behavior began to cause bewilderment and misunderstanding among Christians. They did not communicate and, in general, somehow constantly distanced themselves from everyone. And then we heard rumors that throughout the Christian world there is an ambiguous attitude towards them: some consider them a normal Protestant church, while others consider them a sect. And only when members of our church began to communicate with people from the New Apostolic Church did the question arise: how should we relate to this congregation?

Some features of the New Apostolic Church The Church and its historical development

First, let's look at the very definition and essence of the Church, which some sources give it. Dahl defines this concept in his dictionary as follows:

CHURCH. A society of fellow believers, co-religionists, same confessors, one Christian faith and the very confession, faith. The Church is conciliar, universal, common Christian, before division into confessions. Eastern Church, Greek, Orthodox; - Western, Catholic, Roman.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, in his course of lectures on dogmatic theology, speaks of the Church in the following definitions:

“The Church is fundamentally conciliar and apostolic. O. Sergius Bulgakov liked to say that he draws his theology from the Eucharistic Chalice. Theology is only the revelation of what God reveals to man in spiritual experience. But this revelation is always catholic, like the whole Church, and our life in it must be catholic. This is the basis of our faith in the “conciliar” Church. This word is of Greek origin (katholon) and means integrity, harmony as a whole.”

Priest Oleg Davydenkov in his Catechism says about the Church:

“The word “church (ecclesia)” comes from the verb ekklesio, which means “to gather, to call out.” In ancient Athens, “ekklesia” was a city meeting in which not the entire population of the city took part, but only a select few, that is, those who met certain requirements.

The Church has two sides - visible and invisible, just as the Lord Jesus Christ consists of two natures - the visible human and the invisible Divine. On the visible side, the Church appears as a human association, a society of Christians, and on the invisible side, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the saving grace poured out from Him on all those belonging to the Church.

“The Church is an established society of people from God, united by the Orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the sacraments.”

This catechetical formulation cannot be considered an exhaustive definition of the Church, since it gives only an external description of what the Church is. The Church, even in its earthly aspect, cannot be reduced to a society of believers, because with such a definition it is impossible to understand how the Church differs from other religious organizations, for example, from the Church of the Old Testament. The founder of the Christian Church is the God-man, and He stands in a completely different relationship to His Church than all other founders of religious societies have to the organizations they created. The Church of Christ is created not by the teaching, not by the command of the Lord, and not even by the external action of Divine omnipotence, but is created from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.”

Naturally, all these definitions are subjective and cannot claim any kind of universalism, but they all note one main feature of the Church of Christ - conciliarity, catholicity, unity; despite the fact that often the statements of Orthodox theologians are somewhat exceptional, even “extremist” in nature. And yet, the unity of the Church is the unity of the body of Christ!

And what do representatives of the New Apostolic Church say about this characteristic main feature of the Church of Christ? I'll just quote them:

“The original church was ruled by the Apostles, it was an apostolic church... At the same time, they appointed husbands to help them in various positions. The tasks associated with these positions were limited in scope. So in Acts 8, you can find that the transmission of the Holy Spirit was carried out only by the Apostles. Moreover, the mentioned official tasks could only be performed in complete unity with the Apostles...”

The very view of the early Christian Church as having a developed organizational structure is interesting. One gets the impression of a purely German order. But if we look at the same process from a slightly different point of view, we can see a completely different picture:

“The terminology used to refer to the Christian movement and its followers was not borrowed from either Jewish or Greek religious culture. The main word used to designate the community, zkklesia (town meeting), was a term from the secular sphere. The churches Paul founded were not called “synagogues.” Nor were they called tiasoi, the usual Greek word for cultic and religious gatherings.

Believers simply “gathered together,” mainly in private homes (1 Cor 11:17; 14:23). In fact, the family and home can be considered as the basic unit in the process of establishing Christianity in a particular city.

The church had its own positions - if they can be called that way - in particular, the positions of episcopos (observer, guardian, guardian), presbyteros (senior), diakonos (servant) - all these are secular terms.

But, firstly, these positions were always understood as existing within the community of believers and never as supra-church, independent of the local church or standing above it.

Secondly, it would be a grave mistake to simply identify these terms with the later sacred-legal understanding of church office, title or dignity.

Most “leaders” in the early church were charismatic figures, leaders and leaders by nature, whether male or female.” Yes, how all this contrasts with what was said above.

But we read further: “... in the post-apostolic era, bishops were the highest officials of the church and took upon themselves leadership. They tried, together with other ministers, to preserve the integrity of the parishes and provide guardianship over them... However, because... There were no Apostles, then no one had the right in the name of Jesus to forgive sins, pour out the Holy Spirit or appoint to church positions ... "

“Christianization and the attraction of the people to worship were carried out mainly by force. Therefore, there could be no question of any internal rebirth of those converted to the faith.”

“The Reformation led to a decisive spiritual disassociation from the papacy and its supporters... The encouraging beginnings of a renewal of religious life resulted in a struggle over religious dogmas, interpretations and for political power.”

To the question, “How should the religious aspirations of many of the religious leaders of the Reformation be assessed?” (brochure “New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers”), the following answer is given: “These aspirations reflected the longing of noble human souls for such faith, a degree of knowledge and spiritual love that are possible only under the influence of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, they remained only the forerunners of the last Church of Christ. No matter how noble their human impulses were, they could not replace the Holy Spirit and the saving powers of Jesus. As a result of the natural limitations of their strength and resources, all the efforts of these religious leaders remained unsuccessful.”

“The purpose of the Reformation was to restore a purely biblical Christianity, but it did not recognize the meaning of the apostolate, which brings redemption and brings the Holy Spirit. Nor was Jesus’ promise that He would return to take His own from Himself preached.”

“In fulfillment of the prayers and requests of seeking Christians, the Lord gave Apostles to the parishes. The first Apostle of the latter-day church was John Bates Cardale of London. He manifested himself as an Apostle of Jesus on October 31 and November 7, 1832 as a result of powerful prophecies. Until the summer of 1835, the Lord called 12 Apostles in the same way. In the prophecies, the Holy Spirit brought clarity about the high tasks of the apostleship. This was God's confirmation that the Apostles, as in the original church:

v They are the first and highest officials in the work of God's deliverance.

v Must appoint other officials.

v Authorized and able, through prayer and the laying on of hands, to pour out the Holy Spirit.”

What explains the break in the activities of the Apostles?

“The reason for the long break in the activities of the Apostles was the attitude of the people of that time towards faith. Jesus warned: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. So, remember from where you fell, and repent, and do the first works; but if not so, I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev.2:4,5). When Jesus spoke of the lampstand, he was referring to a community with an apostolic ministry. The night foretold by Jesus has come: “The night is coming when no one can do anything.” (John 9:4).”

“...Apostle Cardale began as early as December 1832 to appoint the first officials... evangelists, pastors, prophets were appointed... all of them were explained their official tasks. Thus, the parishes had the same organization as in the original church.”

“In 1847, the Apostles in all parishes began to carry out sealings with the Holy Spirit of all souls who were ready for this... To this day, the Heavenly Father has miraculously blessed the work of His Apostles; The work of God’s deliverance will also be completed through His Apostles... Today, side by side with Chief Apostle Richard Fehr, more than 200 Apostles stand throughout the earth to bring to completion the work of God and to seal the last souls with the Holy Spirit as well.”

Theological questions

We simply looked at the official statements of representatives of the New Apostolic Church regarding their own place in the history of the Church and in the spread of the faith. Now let's look at some questions concerning the very subject of faith. On statements of a theological nature.

Here are some strange statements that we will have to weigh later:

To the question, “Who is the Holy Spirit?”, the first half of the answer is purely Christian orthodox - “God is triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit...” But the second half of the answer looks a little strange: “The Holy Spirit is promised by Christ, sent by God Father – the source of all life – is divine power...”

To the question, “How does it become possible in the New Apostolic Church for the departed to participate in the acts of God’s mercy?” The following answer is given: “We know that we can pray for the departed (2 Macc 12:39-46, Rev 6:9-11), so that they too may be redeemed. As they perceive the word of salvation emanating from the altar of mercy, God will lead them with Him, introducing them to His mercy through the living, who in this case act as representatives of the departed. On Sundays, the Apostles celebrate Holy Communion for the departed. Three times a year, special services are held, during which the Sacraments of the Church of Christ are given to souls seeking salvation.”

The main provisions of the New Apostolic Confession are recorded in the Ten Provisions. I will quote three of them:

“The fourth point: I believe that the Lord Jesus rules His church through the living apostles until His Coming, that He sent His apostles and is sending them now with the commission to teach, to forgive sins in His name and to baptize with water and the Holy Spirit.

Fifth: I believe that all ministers of the church of Christ are chosen and elevated to their rank only by apostles, and that from the apostolic ministry of Christ all gifts and powers should come, so that the community endowed with them becomes a readable letter of Christ.

Eighth proposition: I believe that those baptized with water in order to gain sonship with God must receive the Holy Spirit through the apostles, thereby they will be counted as members of the body of Christ.”

“Through the teaching preached by the New Apostolic Church, the Spirit of God prepares believers for the promised Coming of Jesus Christ - the First Resurrection.”

Here are also some strange statements from church and liturgical practice:

“In the event of deliberate and continuing, despite the warning of the District Apostle, actions that are contrary to the purposes of the church or the orders of the District Apostle, the parishioner may be excommunicated from the church without much explanation...”

“The New Apostolic Church does not hold ecumenical wedding services.”

“The rector of the community decides on admission to church membership taking into account attendance at divine services and faith in the teachings of the apostles.”

All these statements lead to serious reflection about what the New Apostolic Church really is? With all this information covered, it would be helpful to look again at the history, doctrine, and structure of the New Apostolic Church. Again take in with your gaze something about which you already have some idea.

History of the New Apostolic Church

Some Catholic, Anglican and Protestant clergy joined the movement, not only from England, but also from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

When the first apostles, chosen by “revelation,” died and the expected coming of Christ did not occur, the community decided to submit to the “Judgment of God” and dissolve itself.

Creed

This vision of the end of the world (eschatology) is nothing new. Over the centuries, some Christians read the Apocalypse this way, and the idea of the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth (chiliasm) constantly arose in the minds of people and was constantly condemned by the Church. Chiliasm was first condemned in 225. Then it was revived many times in the teachings of medieval mystics. The same idea continues to be attractive to modern sects. For example, the notorious White Brotherhood also preaches chiliasm. For sectarian thinking, the prospect of confirming their chosenness is attractive - it is with the members of their community that Christ will reign on earth. The New Apostles often call themselves the “last, consummating Church.”

3. A doctrinal book for ordinary believers is the periodically republished catechism “New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers,” which contains everything a believer needs to know.

4. For clergy there is a book “History of the Kingdom”, which contains the New Apostolic assessment of all traditional Christian Churches, none of which has fulfilled its purpose - to lead people to salvation. The content of the sacraments is revealed, of which there are three in the NAC - Baptism, sealing with the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. There are no more books in circulation in the New Apostolic Church. There are also no theological educational institutions, since the apostolic age was a century of simplicity, and not of theological speculation.

Divine services

There were 1,100 million people of Islam, accounting for 19% of the entire world population. Thus, every fifth person in the modern world is a Muslim. Nevertheless, Islam is almost twice as numerous as Christianity. This world religion is less widespread geographically. Muslims constitute the majority in 35 countries of the world, of which 20 have Islam status...

Erfurt, Wurzburg and Osnabrück. The territorial reorganization of the German world and the new stage of secularization as a result of the Napoleonic wars largely redrew the territorial and structural map of the Catholic Church in Germany. After the emergence of two German states as a result of World War II, centralized administration of the church naturally became impossible. In the early 70s. ...

"and many false prophets will arise,

and will deceive many..."

The New Apostolic Church (NAC) has been studied quite rarely, and not all aspects of its teaching and activities have been analyzed. Of the existing studies, most have been conducted in German-speaking regions of Europe. Although the church operates in many countries and, in particular, after Perestroika it spread widely in the Russian-speaking regions of the former USSR, the world community knows little about it. This may be because the NAC does not engage in aggressive proselytism, and its beliefs do not contrast too sharply with mainstream Christian views.

This work represents the first attempt to describe in detail the New Apostolic Church in Russian. This is not a polemical treatise branding the New Apostolic Church as a sect - the work brought to your attention is intended to trace the historical development of the NAC and analyze its theological beliefs in order to then evaluate them from a biblical point of view. Accordingly, the study will consist of two parts: historical and theological.

The building of the sect "New Apostolic Church" in Murmansk (on the facade there is a characteristic symbol of the sect)

Historical development of the New Apostolic Church

The history of the New Apostolic Church can be correctly understood only if we trace it not from the moment of the creation of the NAC itself, but look even further into the past, remembering the history of the “Catholic Apostolic Community” (CAC). The Catholic Apostolic Community was the movement from which, as a result of the struggle for power and schism, the New Apostolic Church emerged. The New Apostolic Church has preserved some of the basic dogmas of its predecessors, including them in its doctrine, while others have been interpreted in its own way, tightened or expanded. Thus, we will have to consider the history of the KAO not in great detail, but only to the extent necessary to understand the essence of the New Apostolic Church.

Origins of the Catholic Apostolic Community

The Catholic Apostolic Community arose in the first half of the 19th century on the wave of spiritual revival in England and Scotland. During the years of the French Revolution, the religious life of England was on the rise. Apocalyptic sentiments awakened, people increasingly read Revelation and other prophetic books, which they interpreted in relation to their era.

In 1926, in England, in the village of Albury Park, more than 30 (according to other sources, more than 50) leaders of religious revival gathered to come to a common opinion and understanding of what was happening through prayer and study of the Word. The topics discussed were very controversial and were viewed from different points of view. They talked about the Second Coming of Christ and how the Church should relate to this event, what its role and responsibility are, and whether it is possible to accurately establish the sequence of events preceding the Coming. These same questions concern Christians today at the beginning of the third millennium. Participants in the historic Albury Park meeting, led by Henry Drummond (1786-1860) and local pastor Hugh MacNeil, sought answers. Subsequently, a monthly newspaper, Morning Watch, was published to further the discussion. After some time, some began to associate hopes with the Albury group for the second outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the associated beginning of a new era, anticipating the imminent coming of Christ. Meanwhile, the Albury group, although with a slightly different composition, came to agreement on some fundamental points. Rostoisher summarizes the agreements reached as follows:

1. The modern Christian era will not, in the end, pass quietly into the Kingdom of God through the ever-increasing growth of the power of the Gospel and its spread, but will end after terrible judgments aimed at the destruction of the modern state and church system, just as the Jewish era once ended.

2. At the end of all the judgments that have befallen Christianity, the Jews will return to their land and will be restored as a people.

3. The trials will begin with that part of the church that previously experienced the greatest favor, and therefore will bear the greatest responsibility.

4. The judgments will be followed by a period of general bliss for the human race, as well as for all creation on earth, which is briefly called the Millennial Kingdom.

5. The coming of Christ will occur either before the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, or just at its onset.

6. The great prophetic age of 1,260 years, which began during the reign of Justinian, was ended by the time of the French Revolution; after it, events will begin that are directly related to the future era of Christ and, obviously, are already very close. Therefore, everyone who shares these beliefs has the responsibility to urgently remind the world of the truth of these fundamental teachings (Rosteuscher 1928, 106).

In addition to Henry Drummond and Hugh MacNeil, other famous preachers of the time belonged to the Albury group. One of the most popular was the London preacher of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, Edward Irving (1792-1834). His relationship with the Alberians is not entirely clear (Eggenberger 1953, 15), but this man, who was loved to listen to but was never appointed an apostle, distributed the information quoted above everywhere and introduced the use of spiritual gifts into his worship services. For this, the Scottish General Synod removed Irving from his post.

At the same time, events developed in the ranks of the Scottish revival movement, where they often asked God for a new outpouring of the Spirit and earnestly prayed for the revival of spiritual gifts. A surge of revival with healing of the sick, speaking in tongues and prophecy occurred in Glasgow. “The essence of the prophecies was the proclamation of the imminent coming of Christ. There was also a call for the restoration of the ministry of the apostles” (Obst 1996, 13). The name of Pastor Campbell, who was also removed from his post by the Synod, is associated with this movement.

The anticipation of Christ's imminent coming grew ever stronger. People felt filled with the Holy Spirit and expected His further outpouring. The miraculous healing of Sister Campbell, who before the healing spoke of the impending outpouring of the Spirit, was perceived as a sign of the beginning of a new time. Prayers for the sending of the Spirit and the apostles to prepare the Bride for the coming Lord began to be fulfilled. This news was brought to England from Scotland by the lawyer John Bate Cardale (1802-1877). Outpourings of the Spirit and manifestations of the gifts of healing and prophecy also began in England. The Albury group, formerly affiliated with the Church of England, separated from it and formed their own communities. Soon there were already 7 communities in London. Central Church was led by Irving. The calls for the restoration of the Chief Apostolic Church grew louder. The congregations considered themselves to be the "end-time Bride-Church of Christ" and expected the restoration of the original, authentic ministries listed in Eph. 4:11 - apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors or teachers (13).

The fulfillment of hopes did not take long to arrive. On October 31, 1832, according to a prophecy received in fervent prayer, Cardale was called to serve as an apostle. It happened like this:

Besides Cardale, Drummond of Albury and many others, as well as strangers, were present at the meeting. As usual, we prayed, read, and interpreted. The soothsayers spoke for instruction, reproof and consolation. Cardale also prayed passionately for the church to be endued with power from on high. While he was still on his knees, carried away by the Spirit, Drummond rose and addressed him with indescribable strength and dignity: "Aren't you an apostle? Why don't you give the Holy Spirit?" After this, he spoke a lot more about the fullness of grace that the Lord bestowed on the office of the apostle, and about the obedient following and fidelity that he demands for it! Hymns of praise in spirit concluded the remarkable meeting (Rosteuscher 1928, 346).

Others were then called to the apostleship through the prophetic word, and in 1835 the full group of 12 apostles was assembled. A leadership structure was also created in the form of a hierarchy, headed by the apostles. Below in this hierarchy were prophets, evangelists and pastors, and behind them vertically were angels or bishops, priests and deacons. As a result of further reflection and revision of the goals and theology of the new movement, Christendom was divided into 12 regions, each assigned to an apostle. Thus the movement spread far beyond England and was quite well received in many places. Protestants and Catholics, ordinary parishioners and theologians joined the movement, despite the resistance of the Church. “Testimony to the spiritual and temporal heads of Christianity” - as the message about the end times, the time of the apostles, was called - was distributed widely (Obst 1996, 14).

Over time, the Catholic Apostolic Community increasingly lost its charismatic inclinations. The Church was created by adopting and interpreting in its own way the rites and customs of the Roman Catholic Church. The service was very close to the Old Church and Catholic liturgy; the symbolism of historical churches was also adopted or modified. In 1847, in addition to baptism, a new sacrament was introduced: the apostolic laying on of hands, the gift of the Holy Spirit - this sacrament later became known as sealing. Only adult members of the community (over 20 years old) could receive baptism and sealing. The number of followers of the movement grew rapidly until the second half of the 19th century. New communities were springing up everywhere. In 1861, in Germany, where the New Apostolic Church was subsequently born, there were already about 30 communities and approximately 3,000 members (15).

The crisis in the KAO began with the death of the first apostles. After all, they were appointed on the basis that the coming of the Lord was expected during their ministry. The question soon arose: Should new apostles be appointed to fill the vacant positions? But the remaining “apostles” believed that there was no biblical basis for choosing new apostles. On February 3, 1901, the last apostle, Francis Valentine Woodhouse, died. The possibility of calling new apostles was irretrievably lost, since only an apostle could ordain to ministry. And in 1970, the last priest ordained by the apostle died. After this, many KAO members returned to the Anglican Church or took up dual church membership: they participated in prayer meetings and Bible studies led by junior deacons and laymen of the KAO, and at the same time belonged to a Lutheran or Anglican church where they received the sacraments (16).

To summarize, we can highlight the following main points in the teaching and life of the Catholic Apostolic Community:

1. The fundamental issue is the apostolic ministry. The 12 apostles were called by God; The Catholic Apostolic Community saw this as a sign of God's special favor. As with the first apostles of Jesus, replacement of dead apostles is not possible. The Apostle bestows the Spirit through the sacrament of sealing, and without him the sacrament is impossible. "apostles" are God's legal surrogates on earth. Thus, the Holy Spirit is manifested in the actions of the apostles.

2. The main motive for the restoration of the apostolic ministry was the expectation of the speedy coming of Christ. The “apostles” were to prepare the Bride for the coming Christ. At first, many specific dates for the possible coming of Christ were named, but then such predictions were declared erroneous. Instead, they began to say that the coming, judging by all the signs, is very close, but the believer does not need to know the hour of the coming, he must always be ready. The resurrection of the dead will be the first sign of the coming.

3. A characteristic feature of the Catholic Apostolic Community was its ecclesiology (teaching about the Church). Great importance was attached to the role of the apostles and the hierarchy of ministries, built in accordance with Eph. 4:11, as well as the additional ministries of angels or bishops, presbyters or elders, also called priests, and deacons. “apostles,” appointed by God himself, ordain people to other ministries. The Catholic Apostolic Community recognizes, with some reservations, the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. However, this number also includes the sealing, which is no longer performed after the death of the apostles.

4. The worship of the Catholic Apostolic Community uses parts of both the Catholic and Protestant liturgy. But the center of worship is not preaching, as with Protestants, but the worship of God. The entire liturgy is subordinated to this goal. The culmination of the service is the Eucharist (communion), which is celebrated with special solemnity, and the unchanged Apostle's Creed.

5. The attitude of the Catholic Apostolic Community towards other faiths is noteworthy. The "apostles" from the very beginning did not want to create a new denomination and hoped that the new understanding they had achieved would penetrate all existing denominations. The ecumenical spirit of openness did not disappear even after the separation of the KAO into an independent community. Church members were encouraged to attend services of other faiths and thus unite Christianity.

The death of the apostles marked the end of the history of the Catholic Apostolic Community. However, it was further developed in the New Apostolic Church, which considers the KAO its predecessor, and itself the successor of what happened in the 19th century in England. The New Apostolic Church separated from the KAO and spread throughout the German-speaking region of Europe. KAO does not consider the New Apostolic Church a continuation of its work. The last of the KAO apostles have already spoken about this. The Catholic Apostolic Community criticizes the NAC for approximately the same thing that Protestant churches condemn it for.

Now, having talked about the origins of the New Apostolic Church, let's move on to its own history.

***

Brief history of the New Apostolic Church

The history of KAO began with the calling of the apostles. In this regard, the New Apostolic Church did not invent anything new. The “prophet” who was called and ordained back in the KAO played an important role here. Heinrich Geier. His actions led to a split in the ranks of the Community, and then to the founding of a new church. Let's get to know this man better.

Heinrich Geier was born in 1818 near the city of Göttingen (Germany) in the family of a shoemaker. He was first a court scribe, then became a high school teacher. Having fallen under the influence of Johann Hinrich Wicherns, who is considered the initiator of diaconal ministries among evangelical Christians in Germany, Geier founded the Bethesda orphanage for street children. But he soon became acquainted with the KAO and saw God’s providence in this. When Guyer joined the new movement, he was removed from teaching and other duties, and he devoted himself entirely to work in the structures of the KAO. At first, this service did not bring material well-being to his family. Having three children of their own and two adopted children, the Geyer couple lived in two small, squalid rooms. But Guyer enjoyed the favor of the leaders of the movement and within a few months became a deacon, then a priest, then a prophet-priest and, finally, an angel (bishop). In addition, he constantly accompanied the Apostle of Northern Germany, Thomas Carlyle, on his trips. In addition to the gift of prophecy, Guyer was believed to have the gifts of speaking in tongues and healing the sick (Obst 1996, 18-19).

After the death of Apostle Carlisle, which caused a crisis in the churches of Northern Germany, Guyer was reassigned to the Apostle of Southern Germany, Francis Valentine Woodhouse. Wodehouse was generally wary of prophets and subjected every prophecy to careful scrutiny. But this was not the only problem - the relationship between Wodehouse and Guyer lacked cordiality from the very beginning.

Somehow Guyer managed to get to Albury for the annual conference of prophets. Here chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation were read and studied and prophecies were made. Here Guyer received the call to choose two new apostles. He conveyed it in these words:

Expect apostles instead of those who left their chairs... The Lord will give you two apostles for empty chairs as a pledge, which He and others will fill so that your shoulders will not break: Charles Boehm and William Caird, found by faithful collaborators, He will give in " apostles" (Geyer 1893, quoted in Obst 1996, 20).

In the same speech, he harshly criticized the London congregations for abandoning the method by which the movement was founded - previously, the prophets ordained apostles, but now the ministry of the apostles acquired more weight, and their critical attitude towards the prophets and the desire to subject prophecies to testing humiliated the ministry of the prophets. The most controversial decision was the decision not to choose new apostles. The “apostles” quickly put an end to the amateur enthusiasm of the prophets, and the conference was dissolved. But the conversation continued over tea in the house of the London prophet Taplin. Guyer describes this meeting as follows:

But in the evening of the same day, we, the 12 prophets, as always, gathered for tea with Mr. Taplin, at his invitation. At the same time, we talked about our job responsibilities and, in particular, about the interpretation of the Bible and our experiences. The aged prophet Captain Taylor also spoke, emphasizing the significance of today's event and expressing his joy at the election of the two apostles, with which everyone else immediately agreed.

“Yes,” said the prophet from the central church in Gordon Square, “I may add that during the ordination I had a vision: the sky was opened and I saw four cherubim, they looked down with satisfaction at this action.” We were of course very touched by this message.

Then one of us, I don't remember who, asked Mr. Taplin if any of the living apostles would die again.

We will have to leave this testimony of Guyer without comment for now. The opposing side, i.e. the Catholic Apostolic Community, does not recognize these events and does not agree with this description of what happened at the conference of the prophets. Woodhouse claimed that no such prophecies were made at all, and “that after the call of the apostles in 1835 no attempt was made to ordain a new apostle” (Woodhouse, 19.02.1863, quoted in Obst 1996, 23). But let's see what Guyer said about further events.

The next day I was called to Apostle Woodhouse. He asked me briefly: “Do you think that these two apostles have now become real apostles?” I answered: "The 'apostles' decreed that the prophets should have no opinion of their own about the outcome of their prophecies; only the 'apostles' make such a decision. I only know that it was a word from the Holy Spirit for which I am responsible; the rest I leave apostles." To this Mr. Woodhouse answered me: "The 'apostles' deny the calling of these and all subsequent apostles, since the apostles now existing are sufficient until the coming of Christ."

To this I could not answer anything more and remained silent. With these experiences and feelings I returned to Berlin in the early summer of 1860. Obviously, this did not improve my spiritual condition (Geyer 1893, cited in Obst 1996, 22).

In light of such conflicting evidence, it is impossible to determine what actually happened. What is clear is that the KAO did not ordain any new apostles, that Guyer, as subsequent events show, played a key role in their ordination, and that some events in England - whatever they were - pushed him to such a decision. The situation calmed down for almost two years. In 1861, Apostle Woodhouse and Prophet Guyer went to Konigsberg (Kaliningrad). There, without notifying the apostle, Guyer called to the apostleship a certain Rosohaski, with whom he lived in Konigsberg. He felt fully justified in doing so in light of Acts 13, where the Spirit, without the participation of the apostles, called Barnabas and Paul to the apostleship (Rosteuscher 1928, 167). Rosohuski accepted the ministry and was supported by the Hamburg community and Angel Schwartz. Subsequently, however, he left this position, believing that he had been misled. In November 1862, a dispute arose in the Berlin community over the events of recent times, as a result of which Geier was expelled from the KAO. The topic of the dispute, however, may not have played a major role - the reason, first of all, was that Guyer questioned the authority of the apostles, and therefore all the fundamental principles of the church (Eggenberger 1953, 24.25).

In Hamburg, the excommunicated Geier began, together with Schwarz, to create a new community, which he called the “Common Christian Apostolic Mission.” All attempts by the KAO to return the Hamburg believers to the fold of the mother church were unsuccessful. Moreover, an event took place that Guyer had been seeking for a long time - the ordination of new apostles. He was the first to call priest Preuss to the apostleship, and then, a little later, Schwartz (25). Soon other “apostles” were ordained. New communities arose, and the movement grew before our eyes. The original purpose of the mission was only “to win souls to Christ and induce them to true obedience. Therefore, the members of the group were not prevented from continuing to attend the services of the churches to which they formerly belonged, but, on the contrary, were encouraged to participate more diligently in them and to love their counselors" (Hutten 1982, 471).

Even after becoming an apostle, Preuss was always the second person after Guyer - in the hierarchical ladder of the new movement, the prophets stood, if not higher than the apostles, then, in any case, on an equal footing with them. Guyer continued to appoint apostles and other ministers, and this increasingly increased the tension of the situation. When Preuss died of a heart attack, leadership of the mission remained in the hands of Guyer. New problems also arose, which in 1878 led to an open quarrel during the discussion of certain disagreements that arose during the service. Guyer, along with his followers and appointed ministers, left the worship service and the very next Sunday organized a new church with the same name. Until his death on October 4, 1896, Guyer remained faithful to his mission.

One of the first ministers ordained by Guyer was Schwartz from Amsterdam (since 1863 - Apostle of Holland and Belgium). He tried to rally communities and apostles around him, and soon there were 5 apostles with churches in his region. Zalus writes:

The unity between Schwarz, Menkof, Krebs, Ruf and Obst was not at all the same as it is presented today. Perhaps in Holland and Germany from 1878 to 1895, Schwartz had the highest and final authority. And yet it would be wrong to draw modern conclusions from this fact. In practice, neither Preuss nor Schwartz created a chief apostleship that would unite all the apostles under the auspices of one. However, this concept was not alien to their thinking (quoted in Eggenberger 1953, 29).

Schwartz's influence on the New Apostolic Church, as in his time in the KAO, led to the emergence of more formalized features and a decrease in charismatic features. Here, too, the power of the apostles increased over time. As the apostolic ministry intensified, the ministry of the prophets lost its significance and was eventually absorbed into the apostolic ministry. Thus, the tension and friction between the two ministries - perhaps unconsciously and unintentionally - was destroyed. Only a few steps separated the church from the introduction of the chief apostleship. Hutten rightly describes this period: “From authority came sovereignty” (Hutten 1982, 470-473). We'll talk about how this happened below.

New Apostolic Church under the "Chief Apostles"

During the formation of the New Apostolic Church, all the “apostles” - as before in the KAO - were equal. Of course, some “apostles” enjoyed greater respect and authority than others, but relations between the apostles were built on a collegial principle. Like John Cardale, the leading "apostle" of the KAO, Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz was only one of the apostles in the developing New Apostolic Church. But after Schwartz's death everything changed. The period of formation of the office of chief apostle began. Today, the chief apostolic ministry is closely intertwined with the essence of the New Apostolic Church, and it is as unthinkable without the chief apostle as the Roman Catholic Church is without the Pope (Obst 1996, 36-37).

Friedrich Krebs(1832-1905) appeared on the scene during the formation of the New Apostolic Church as we know it today. If it were not for Krebs, this movement, full of contradictions and discord, would never have gone beyond provincial boundaries. He ensured that the movement under the leadership of the “chief apostle” became a single church. Thus, NAC acquired new potential for external and internal growth. Krebs in the New Apostolic Church is considered the apostle of unity (Neue Apostelgeschichte 1985, 203).

Called to the priesthood by the "apostle" Preuss, Krebs was subsequently appointed bishop. In May 1881, the prophet Hugo called him to apostolic ministry. This new generation of NATs no longer had any connections with the original source, the KAO. One day they tried to solve old problems and improve relations with the KAO by writing a letter to the “apostle” Woodhouse, who had excommunicated Guyer, but there was no answer, no kind word, or even a blessing. They were all false apostles to Wodehouse.

Having achieved success in the field of founding new churches, the “apostle” Krebs played an increasingly important role in the leadership of the church, but his reforms - complete limitation of the actions of the prophets or the subordination of the college of “apostles” to one leader, the chief apostle - were not accepted without protests. But Krebs' successes reduced the number of opponents and dissenters to a minimum. It is interesting to note that at this time in Germany, Bismarck was engaged in the unification of the lands. Members of the new apostolic movement also expected something similar, helping Krebs move to first place (Obst 1996, 39). The last step towards unification was the introduction of the position of “chief apostle” at one of the services in Berlin. "Apostle" Krebs led a service during which Apostle Niehaus, speaking on the first commandment of Moses, led the audience to a new revelation (although in the past receiving revelations was considered the ministry of the prophets). He declared:

“God wants all hearts and eyes to be directed towards him, the True One, who does not tolerate other gods... Only in this way did the people of Israel, to whom these words were first addressed, become one, one flesh. The only visible head was Moses, the people Israel was a spiritual body... When Israel was this body, this "unity", then this unity reached its climax in the one God... If the body was visible, then the head of the body had to be visible; he was the highest manifestation of the unity of Israel. The unity of Israel was manifested in Moses, the head of the people; he was, so to speak, the representative of the one God, to which he was called by the One who sent him" (Scheibler 1992, 59-60).

Based on this sermon, as well as previous and subsequent events, Scheibler comes to the following conclusion:

“During this service, as in previous meetings, it became more and more clear that the “apostles,” fully aware of the need of the work of God for a leader, voluntarily submitted to the “apostle” Krebs, who was also called the “father of unity.” Thus, this is a festive service Pentecost in Berlin can rightly be called the official birth of the office of “chief apostle,” because here it became clear that all the “apostles” saw in Krebs a leader, recognizing him as the highest authority in the work of God on earth” (60).

Thus, the New Apostolic Church, originally conceived as a charismatic movement, after a few decades turned into a semblance of the papal church. The “Chief Apostle” took on numerous functions, including those previously inherent in the prophets - for example, the calling of the apostles. Obst writes: “As often happened in the history of the church, office here again triumphed over the spirit. The ministry of the prophets was united with the office of the apostles - thus, it no longer had an independent essence, which means it was finally abolished” (Obst 1996 , 41). Ultimately, these changes made the New Apostolic Church what it is today. Rapid quantitative growth began: the church attracted not only the poor, but also the petty bourgeoisie, i.e., the middle class, and became the church of the people and ordinary parishioners. The “Chief Apostle” devoted all his strength to the leadership of the church and took tough measures against the opposition. His unexpected death was a huge loss for the New Apostolic Church. Krebs was succeeded by Hermann Niehaus, who led the church along the same well-worn path (41.42).

It is important to trace how the “chief apostle” became almost a superman through whom salvation is transmitted. This can be seen from Niehaus's words about the late "father of unity" Krebs:

“The wonderful service on Sunday, when dear father stood before us as transformed by the Spirit, filled with fullness, divinity and light, will forever remain in my memory, as well as all the other participants. The speaker before us was no longer a man, it could only be Christ , as Father Krebs said during communion: “This is my body, for I have overcome the world, although I still live in this world.” - So, I say today, I can do everything in him who strengthens me, in the deceased; death - I will be to you poison; hell - I will be a plague to you, your slaves will tremble and tremble, and not one stone will be left on another" (quoted in Eggenberger 1953, 30-31).

Hermann Niehaus(1848-1932) was born in Steinhagen, near Bielefeld, into a Quaker family. He joined the New Apostolic Church with his family. Already in 1869, Apostle Schwartz ordained Niehaus to the ministry of evangelist, and in 1872 in Amsterdam to the ministry of bishop. In 1894, Apostle Krebs once again confirmed this calling. Niehaus soon became a confidant of the “apostle” Krebs, who in 1896 ordained him as an “apostle” of the Bielefeld district. In 1905, Niehaus assumed the position of "chief apostle". It was he who proposed the introduction of this position at Pentecost 1897. Now he received the reins of government and continued the work of his predecessor with great enthusiasm (32). “He always acted in accordance with the words spoken at Krebs’s grave: “So that on his thick skin and iron forehead everything would be broken, and not one stone would be left on another”” (Hutten 1982, 476).

Under Niehaus' leadership, the New Apostolic Church underwent a number of changes. In 1907, a new name for the movement was introduced - “New Apostolic Community”, and then, in 1930, another name, “New Apostolic Church”. This name was taken from the title given to the 2nd chapter of the 4th Book of Ezra in the traditional translation of Luther, which says the following: “... As the New Apostolic church should hold on and do services pleasing to God” (Biblia, Nürnberg 1710, 889). Niehaus actively developed the publishing activities of the New Apostolic Church and further stabilized the church. His pro-monarchist views and loyalty to the line of the “apostle” Krebs led to the full flowering of the church. He tried to once again expand the influence of the New Apostolic Church beyond the German-speaking countries of Europe and Holland and made trips to the USA (Obst 1996, 44-45).

Niehaus' assiduous attempts to join the ranks of the German bourgeoisie were reflected in his behavior during the First World War, when he called for "loyalty to God and the Kaiser" and prophetically predicted the defeat of England (Neuapostolisches Sonntagsblatt, 1908, no. 29). Thus, the New Apostolic Church supported the Kaiser’s troops at the front and in the hospitals with prayer and concrete help. After many members of the New Apostolic Church were drafted into the army, there was a shortage of ministers; at the same time, communion began to be sent out by field mail: “a host soaked in three drops of wine and receiving a blessing” was sent to military personnel and employees at the front (Der Grezte 1928, 120). On Good Friday 1917, this practice was extended to all members of the New Apostolic Church.

After the end of the First World War and the collapse of the monarchy, the chief apostle's selective patronage of the German troops was severely criticized by apostles in other countries, leading to new schisms, including in the German-speaking region. In October 1919, Apostle Karl August Brückner, along with a large group of followers of members of the New Apostolic Church, stated:

Every delusion has a beginning. This begins with the assumption that the end-time men, called apostles, are in all circumstances the authority and sovereignty over the Bible and its teaching. Thus we have the papal false teaching: “What the “apostles” say is infallible. Their interpretation of the Bible and their testimony are authoritative in everything. There is no right to verify. There is only the right to accept and believe” (Aufklarungsschrift No. 1, 10).

This and other opposition groups caused a lot of bloodshed for Niehaus. He crushed them with a hard hand. Many left the New Apostolic Church and went to Pentecostal and other churches. However, the New Apostolic Church soon recovered from the blow and began to grow again with amazing speed. "External success accompanied Hermann Niehaus and his community in the twenties. In 1925, there were 138,000 New Apostolic Christians in Germany. Three years later, the church had 1,528 communities in Europe and 200 communities abroad, i.e. in North America, South Africa, Australia, Java and South America" (Eggenberger 1953, 33). “The New Apostolic Church and future generations rightfully glorified him: the beginning of the church under the leadership of the apostles K.V. Preuss and F.V. Schwartz was insignificant and pitiful; but the tree of God’s work became strong when Chief Apostle Krebs was recalled to eternal rest; under the leadership “Chief Apostle” Niehaus, it acquired unprecedented splendor and flourishing” (Geschichte 1987, 103).

While Niehaus was still alive, his work was continued by the apostle Bischof, appointed by him. After Niehaus fell on the steps of his own home in 1930, the day before the 25th anniversary of his assumption of office as “Chief Apostle,” suffered a very serious injury and became darkened in his mind due to a cerebral hemorrhage, Apostle Bischof accepted the ministry of “Chief Apostle.” . In August 1932, Niehaus was buried. More than 3,000 people took part in the ceremony, including many “apostles” and other spiritual leaders of the New Apostolic Church (Obst 1996, 49).

Johann Gottfried Bischof(1871-1960) was born into a poor family of a Catholic artisan. He himself worked as a shoemaker, then joined the army and rose to the rank of sergeant, but left the service due to illness and opened a small tobacco shop. In 1897 he was sealed, and this began his career in the New Apostolic Church. In the same year he was ordained a priest, then, in 1903, he became a bishop, in 1905 - an assistant "apostle", and in 1906 - an "apostle". At this time, he changed his attitude towards the “chief apostle” and began to support him. In 1920 he was called as assistant to the “chief apostle”, and in 1924 he became Niehaus’s successor. Already in 1930 Bischof had to take over his duties. In order to secure Bischoff's appointment, another possible candidate for "chief apostle", Karl August Brückner, was taken out of the picture early in 1921 (Eggenberger 1953, 34).

Bischof's special role in the history of the New Apostolic Church was manifested primarily in two points: (1) a special attitude towards the Third Reich and hope for Hitler's final victory; and (2) a prophecy that the coming of Christ would take place during Bischoff's earthly life. It is noteworthy that these two circumstances did not harm the New Apostolic Church at all; on the contrary, under the leadership of Bischof the church grew noticeably.

Michael König and Jürgen Marshall examined in great detail, with the use of numerous archival documents, Bischof’s attitude towards the National Socialist Party (NSDAP) and Hitler in their work “The New Apostolic Church during National Socialism and the Consequences for the Present” (Kenig, Marschall, 1994) . All sources given below are based on this research. Realizing that Hitler's seizure of power creates a new political situation, Bischof begins to pursue a pro-Hitler policy. It seems that on Bischoff’s part this was not just a tactical maneuver - partly, this also expressed his convictions. He himself became a member of the National Socialist Party in 1933; no less than thirteen other apostles were also members of this party. Obst writes: “In Hitler’s principle of the leader they saw a secular analogue of the apostolic principle of the leader. “Chief Apostle” Bischoff and the leadership of the church did a lot to outwardly show their sympathies for the National Socialist movement” (Obst 1996, 51).

Bischof and the New Apostolic Church have repeatedly tried to prove that the relationship between the New Apostolic Church and the National Socialist Party existed even earlier, starting in the 1920s, and that sympathy has only increased since then. The "German salute" ("Heil Hitler!") was quickly introduced into the New Apostolic Church; weddings and other ceremonies were open to everyone; They even invited anyone who came in National Socialist uniform to participate in the sacraments.

Every minister and every member of the New Apostolic community, as a result of planned influence on the part of the leadership, was brought up in the National Socialist spirit, so that the majority of the members of the New Apostolic community are members of the National Socialist German Workers' Party or sympathize with it. "Heil Hitler!" Signed: I. G. Bischof (Kenig, Marschall 1994, 17).

The NAC also supported the regime on the Jewish issue. If previously the magazine of the New Apostolic Church was called "Watcherstimmen aus Zion", then from the beginning of 1934 the reprehensible Hebrew word "Zion" was deleted from the title. But one after another, religious communities were banned, and it seemed that this wave would not stop with the New Apostolic Church. The NAC experienced some pressure, but was never banned, unlike most non-state communities and churches. This is explained by the positive attitude of the church and the “chief apostle” towards Hitler and his regime. Thus, the Reichsführer SS spoke about the New Apostolic Church:

“In paragraph 10 of its confession, the New Apostolic community strictly emphasizes loyalty to secular power. After Hitler came to power, it literally loudly declares its National Socialist convictions. The previous views of “Chief Apostle” Bischof, who is responsible for the general political mood of the church, are unknown, for he never took part in politics. Today, however, he puts his sympathies for National Socialism in the foreground and in numerous messages demands from his followers an equally positive attitude towards the state - although often rather clumsily" (6).

More details can be found in the work of Koenig and Marshall. This period of history was difficult for all churches in Germany, and many congregations were carried away by fascist ideas - something that is partly happening today in the context of a revival of national identity. Unfortunately, the New Apostolic Church not only made a mistake, but still refuses to admit it. While other German churches and communities have repented of their inappropriate behavior during the years of the Third Reich, the NAC, on the contrary, is trying to hush up, conceal or distort historical facts. Bischoff's behavior is explained as follows:

Often great wisdom was required from "Chief Apostle" Bischoff to guide the boat of the Church of Christ safely and securely through dangerous reefs, and most of God's children hardly noticed it. Never before has there been such a danger that, as a result of a single poorly thought-out action, the continued existence of the church would be in doubt (Geschichte 1987, 125f.).

The result of the pro-Hitler policy of the NAC during National Socialism was its rapid growth. Here's how the history textbook says it:

Thanks to the decisions made before the outbreak of war in 1939, everything was so well adjusted that the difficult time of trial that befell the church at that moment could not do too much damage to the work of God. Despite difficulties and obstacles, the church grew both internally and externally at a rate hitherto unprecedented. In many places new communities were created, the number of members continued to grow, and in almost all important cities the communities had their own premises, purchased or newly built. If such progress was noticeable even in the external appearance of the church, then to an even greater extent this applied to the internal state of the communities. Knowledge of God's will deepened, counseling bore fruit, and the unity of doctrine was preserved and strengthened. Thus equipped, God's people could withstand the approaching storms with calm hope and confidence that nothing would happen without God's permission (Geschichte 1987, 124f.).

“Chief Apostle” Bischof gave the leadership of the communities an order, in case of doubts about the loyalty of applicants for membership in the NAC to Hitler, to check them through the NSDAP channels, and before becoming members of the New Apostolic Church, these people - and there is evidence of this - had to receive confirmation of their trustworthiness from the party. Considering how many candidates were eliminated at this stage, the quantitative growth of the church is impressive (Kenig, Marschall 1994, 29). In fact, during the years of the Third Reich alone, the New Apostolic Church grew by no less than 100 thousand members. After the fall of the Third Reich, the leadership of the New Apostolic Church was hit by a wave of criticism - primarily from foreign communities, some of which subsequently left the NAC. But even in the post-war years, the New Apostolic Church experienced noticeable growth (Obst 1996, 54-56).

The second feature of the reign of “Chief Apostle” Bischoff was his prophecy that the coming of Christ would take place during his earthly life. Coolen, who, at the insistence of the college of apostles, was appointed successor to the elderly chief apostle, quotes the words of Bischof: “I recently told the Swiss apostles and I repeat to you today: “I will not die!” This statement dates from November 1950 (Erinnerungen 1983,19). The chief apostle’s confidence in his rightness increased:

I am personally convinced that the preparation of the royal priesthood will take place during my lifetime, and that the work of the Kingdom of God in the Lord's vineyard will be completed by me.

In another case it is expressed even more specifically:

“When the time came and Father Niehaus could no longer serve, I had to take over the leadership, but not in order to work for many more decades in preparing the royal priesthood or to prepare the continuation of this work for the next centuries - this is out of the question. I am the last. The Lord will come during my lifetime" (Unsere Familie 1952, 101-102).

Since these words were spoken by an 80-year-old man, the coming would take place within a few years. Bischoff was believed, most of the apostles supported and spread this prophecy, and in a sense it even became part of the NAC confession. The April 1955 New Apostolic Watch Voices magazine related how Bischoff received his prophecy:

"...it was not through a dream that [Chief Apostle Bischoff] received this message, but at a meeting with the Son of God himself. The Son of God stood before the “chief apostle,” as He once stood before Saul, with the only difference that the chief apostle, the greatest and the most faithful servant of God of our time, not only heard His voice, but also saw Him.”

The news spread throughout the New Apostolic Church and beyond. The “Chief Apostle” did not set up anything and did not try to deceive anyone - he himself was absolutely sure that this would be the case. Even a few days before his approaching death, Bischoff adamantly believed in and testified about the imminent coming of Christ. The disappointment turned out to be even greater afterwards. After Bischoff's death, the college of the apostles chose Walter Schmidt as his successor, although Bischoff himself - contrary to long-standing tradition - did not appoint a successor for himself. On July 10, 1960, church members were informed of the death of the former chief apostle and the election of a new one:

We all deeply believed and hoped that the Lord, according to the prophecy given to the Chief Apostle, would take His own to Himself during his lifetime. The Chief Apostle himself unshakably believed in this, and until the last hour of his life he testified to this to those around him. And he himself, and we, and all the brothers and sisters deeply attached to him, never doubted that the Lord would fulfill the promise given to him at the time appointed by Him. So we stand before the unsearchable ways of our God and ask ourselves why He changed His will. The Chief Apostle, who brought the saving work of the Lord to the highest degree of perfection and, thus, attracted the children of God in unshakable faith in His Word, could not be mistaken, because the Word of God for him was always the measure of all actions. Consequently, he never told us anything except what was put into his spirit by the Lord himself (Reimer 1993, 9f.).

Despite these two problematic and controversial aspects of Bischoff's chief apostolic ministry, which caused many schisms and disagreements, the New Apostolic Church grew at an unprecedented rate. The church led by Bischof was one of the fastest growing churches in the German-speaking region. After World War II, the NAC, under the leadership of subsequent chief apostles, expanded beyond these territories. Bischof attached great importance to church offices and clearly organized their order. The hierarchical ladder of the NAC is as follows (Eggenberger 1953, 36):

The last two each cover several (4-7) district elders.

Area of responsibility		Job title
New Apostolic Church		Chief Apostle
Own apostolic or episcopal district		District Apostle
Apostolic District		Apostle
Episcopal district	Bishop
Presbyteral district Covers multiple communities	Primate of the district	District presbyter circuit evangelist
Community	Primate of the community	Pastor Evangelist Priest

Walter Schmidt(1891-1981) was born into a New Apostolic family, was sealed by "Chief Apostle" Niehaus, married the priest's daughter, Louise Piepenstock, and began his career in the New Apostolic Church after World War II. In 1923 he became a junior deacon, in 1944 a district elder, and in 1948 a district apostle. He was devoted to Chief Apostle Bischoff and fully supported him in anticipation of the soon coming of Christ. He became the "chief apostle" without the blessing of his predecessor; he was elected democratically - by a majority vote. The day after his new appointment, Schmidt had to lead a funeral ceremony in Frankfurt in honor of Bischoff, the chief apostle who had no intention of dying. Denying that the "chief apostle" had made such a dramatic mistake and that it was a tragedy for the church, Schmidt tried to help the New Apostolic Church survive the crisis. And he succeeded quite well. The expected collapse of the church did not occur. Of course, there were problems, but only a few left the church. Subsequently, the NAC never recognized Bischoff’s prophecy as a mistake.

Schmidt tried to re-strengthen and stabilize the church. But he managed to do much more. In fact, under his leadership the church became international, worldwide. “When he took office, the New Apostolic Church was represented in 60 countries; when he left office, there were already 120 such countries” (Obst 1996, 71). Schmidt's efforts to develop various church ministries - for example, work with children - and expand the territorial boundaries of the church led to sharp quantitative growth. “During his leadership, the number of members doubled, from approximately 500 thousand to 1 million” (71).

Due to a significant deterioration in his health, Schmidt resigned from his ministry and, in accordance with long-standing tradition, appointed a new chief apostle, giving him his blessing. But fate played a sad joke on him - he outlived his successor and died only in May 1979, at the age of 90.

Purpose Ernst Strekeisen(1905-1978) "chief apostle" of the New Apostolic Church continued the international orientation of the church. This is already evidenced by the fact that after so many years of the predominance of Germans in leadership positions, a citizen of Switzerland became the “Chief Apostle.” The leadership is still German-speaking, but the move of headquarters to neutral Switzerland during the Cold War was a very positive sign for the New Apostolic Church, which was growing in many countries. In other respects, Strekeisen's career is not much different from that of any other important figure in the church. He was born into a poor family, and his early widowed mother found refuge in the New Apostolic Church. Strekeisen joined the faith and was sealed in 1910. He then married the daughter of an evangelist of the New Apostolic Church and soon moved up the hierarchy (junior deacon in 1927, deacon and priest in 1930, district evangelist in 1933, district elder in 1941, bishop in 1951), reaching the position of apostle ( 1952), and then the district “apostle” (1953). Strekeisen was a faithful follower of the "Chief Apostle" Bischoff. "History of the New Apostolic Church" reports:

“For us, the apostles, the course is very clear: we are walking in the wake of the chief apostle, for this is the most reliable thing. His faith is our faith, his hope is our hope, nothing should weaken our closest connection. And thus we move towards that day, when the Son of God takes His own" (Geschichte 1987, 141).

Having become the “chief apostle,” Strekeisen continues the course of stabilization and internationalization of the church begun by his predecessor. He is the first of the chief apostles to go on a trip to the former GDR, flies to South America, and then to South Africa, where he becomes seriously ill and dies in a Cape Town hospital. A year before his death, he held a meeting of the apostles in Canada, which brought together “all 57 apostles of the planet.” The provisions of the church charter were discussed and approved, which was to determine the tasks of the NAC:

The Union of Apostles sets itself the task of uniting all the apostles of the New Apostolic Church in all countries of the world under the leadership of a single chief apostle (president of the union of apostles), preserving their spiritual unity between themselves and the “chief apostle,” as well as protecting and strengthening the unity of the entire church (Statuten 1977, § 2.1. ).

As a result of the unexpected death of Strekeisen, the New Apostolic Church again did not have a successor appointed and blessed by the “chief apostle.” The College of Apostles again had to choose a chief apostle from among itself, and the choice fell on Hans Urwiler. To sum up the period of Strekeisen's chief apostleship, we can say that he did not add anything to the formation of the NAC, but contributed greatly to the growth of the church.

Hans Urwiler(1925-1994) came from a family of New Apostolic believers, in which his grandfather held the position of bishop. Like his predecessors, Urwiler went through all the levels of the New Apostolic hierarchy, and in 1976, Chief Apostle Strekeisen appointed him district apostle. Two years later, after the sudden death of “Chief Apostle” Strekeisen, he was elected “Chief Apostle” in the second round of voting, since he did not receive enough votes in the first. One might have expected that the “apostle” Rockenfelder, who accompanied Streckeisen to South America, would be elected, or that a little more attention would be paid to the age and experience of the candidates, but be that as it may, Urwiler was elected, ordained and began work in November 1978 . This time, too, the stake was placed on Swiss neutrality and on the international development of the New Apostolic Church (Siegel 1995, 125).

The choice turned out to be unexpectedly successful for the NAC. Urwiler tirelessly continued the ministry of his predecessors, “made 28 trips overseas, established a Sunday school for preschoolers and established uniform rules for participation in Holy Communion” (Unsere Familie, 1995, No. 1, p. 7). However, the hard work of the “chief apostle” was not in vain, and he, like his predecessor, fell ill during a trip to Africa in July 1987, returned to Switzerland and there suffered a severe apoplexy, from which he never recovered. Urwiler retired and appointed Richard Fehr in his place, who is the “Chief Apostle” of the NAC to this day. Hans Urwiler died after another stroke in November 1994. “During his leadership, the number of church members increased from 2.5 to 4 million” (Obst 1996, 74.75).

Richard Fehr(b. 1939) was also born into a family of New Apostolic believers and had an ordinary career. In 1980 he was appointed "apostle" and in 1981 district apostle of Switzerland. He continued the Swiss line and on May 3, 1988, was appointed “chief apostle.” He is also trying to expand the NAC through internationalization and is very effectively using the fall of the Iron Curtain to evangelize Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The influx of new members from the East once again provides significant growth for the New Apostolic Church. But other regions are also developing.

Fehr is among those who are trying to “modernize” the New Apostolic Church and create a new image for it. The use of new, innovative technologies, a freer and more open structure of worship, and less strict rules (for example, in terms of dress) are just some of the changes Fehr initiated. But the traditional dogmas of the church are fundamental for him too - they are simply presented in a more modern form. Church members continue to be encouraged to be prudent and remember the soon coming of Christ. “The most difficult challenge for the modern chief apostle may be the rapid growth and worldwide spread of the New Apostolic Church,” which will keep him, like his predecessors, in constant flux (Obst 1996, 77-78).

History of origin

The New Apostolic Church (NAC) originates from a peculiar movement within the Roman Catholic Church, which was called “Catholic-Apostolic” and arose in the 30s of the 19th century in England. The founders of this movement allegedly received a “revelation” from God that in the very near future, during their lifetime, the “end of the world” would occur. In order to receive salvation and “reign with Christ,” the founders of the new movement taught, it is necessary to abandon all contemporary church institutions that “distorted the pure apostolic faith and way of life of Christians, now no longer corresponding to the ideals of the ancient apostolic Church.” By “revelation” they chose twelve apostles as leaders of the community and among them the chief. All degrees of the priesthood and church offices were abolished. Instead, the ministries of Christians that are mentioned in the New Testament were brought back to life. Among them are, in addition to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, etc.
Some Catholic, Anglican and Protestant clergy joined the movement, not only from England, but also from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
When the first apostles, chosen by “revelation,” died and the expected coming of Christ did not occur, the community decided to submit to the “Judgment of God” and dissolve itself.
But some participants in the movement did not want to put up with the cessation of their activities, primarily the German “apostles”, who separated from the British back in 1863 and founded their own community in Hamburg. Through long disputes and organizational changes, the New Apostolic Church was finally formed in 1867. Through the efforts of successive “chief apostles” with clearly organized work, it not only survived to this day, but also grew stronger and spread so much that today it has followers in 180 countries, and in Germany it ranks third in number - after the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches .

Creed

1. The main provisions of the doctrine are contained in ten articles of the New Apostolic Creed. The first three affirm faith in the Holy Trinity, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, in the holy one Apostolic Church, in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life. With some assumptions, these articles look quite traditional. But with Article 4, new provisions are introduced that cannot in any way be recognized by traditional Christian churches. Thus, it is stated that “the Lord Jesus rules His Church through the living apostles... whom He sent and is still sending.” That is, all the fullness of spiritual power is assigned to the leaders of the New Apostolic Church - the council of twelve apostles and the chief apostle. And further, in the fifth paragraph it is confirmed that “all ministers in the Church of Christ are chosen only by the apostles.”
The 9th point - the most important - speaks of the end of the world and the high destiny of the followers of the NAC. They, prepared to meet Christ and called the souls of brides, will ascend to the Lord. This will be the first Resurrection. In heaven the wedding of these souls with Christ will take place. After which Christ, together with these transformed souls, will return to earth and establish His Kingdom of peace. The New Apostles will reign with Him as kings and priests. After his thousand-year reign, Christ will perform the Last Judgment, at which all those who did not participate in the first resurrection, that is, not the New Apostles, will appear. Everyone will get what they deserve. In place of the old world, God will create a new one, for heaven and earth will disappear. The New Jerusalem will reign on the new earth and will exist forever.
This vision of the end of the world (eschatology) is nothing new. Over the centuries, some Christians read the Apocalypse this way, and the idea of the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth (chiliasm) constantly arose in the minds of people and was constantly condemned by the Church. Chiliasm was first condemned in 225. Then it was revived many times in the teachings of medieval mystics. The same idea continues to be attractive to modern sects. For example, the notorious White Brotherhood also preaches chiliasm. For sectarian thinking, the prospect of confirming their chosenness is attractive - it is with the members of their community that Christ will reign on earth. The New Apostles often call themselves the “last, consummating Church.”

3. A doctrinal book for ordinary believers is the periodically republished catechism “New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers,” which contains everything a believer needs to know.

4. For clergy there is a book, “The History of the Kingdom,” which contains a New Apostolic assessment of all traditional Christian churches, none of which has fulfilled its purpose - to lead people to salvation. The content of the sacraments is revealed, of which there are three in the NAC - Baptism, sealing with the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. There are no more books in circulation in the New Apostolic Church. There are also no theological educational institutions, since the apostolic age was a century of simplicity, and not of theological speculation.

Divine services

1. Services are held every Sunday on the model of a simple Reformed service and are accompanied by the singing of the choir. The scheme is as follows: hymn, opening prayer, choir, sermon of the chief apostle on the biblical text, choir, second sermon, Eucharistic liturgy with the prayer “Our Father”, “absolution of sins”, communion, prayer, blessing, choir.

2. During the week there are meetings for private apartments. The contents of these meetings are unknown.

3. Three times a year, services are held for the “unsaved deceased”, prayers for their salvation, and then the deceased are symbolically given communion - two holders of the rank approach the apostle. He baptizes them, seals them with the Holy Spirit, and administers the sacrament. This ritual is reminiscent of the baptism of the deceased in the Mormon sect.
These services for the dead attract many new members who expect that their relatives and loved ones who died in unbelief will have the opportunity to be included in salvation. “Prophetic dreams” also play a role here. Often the New Apostles specifically meet with the relatives of the recently deceased and say: “Your deceased has appeared with us. He appeared in a dream." After this, contacts are made, which often bring relatives of the deceased to the NAC. There is a lot of evidence that the New Apostles conduct their mission in cemeteries, talking with the relatives of those buried there.

Sacraments

1. Baptism is performed with water in the name of the Holy Trinity. As a rule, children are baptized. Their parents are responsible for their correct upbringing in the spirit of the new apostles.

3. The Eucharist is celebrated in memory of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. Communion is given to believers after repentance, which is not a sacrament - in the form of a wafer and three drops of blood and wine baked into it. The wafers are also sent to believers who do not have the opportunity to visit the temple - to soldiers, the sick, to remote areas.

Church structure.

The highest body of the NAC is the Assembly of Apostles. Since 1971, the official name has been “New Apostolic Church - International Union of Apostles.” But in fact, each community, subordinate to one specific apostle, is quite independent. The unity of the church is ensured by the unity of the apostles themselves, who, as they claim, achieve mystical unity through prayer. There are now not 12 apostles, but about 200.
The largest associations are the apostolic districts. Since 1991 there have been eighteen of them. The districts are led by the “district apostle.”
All district apostles are united in a collegium, a kind of synod. The chairman of the collegium is the chief apostle. The current chief apostle is the Swiss Richard Fehr. The administrative and spiritual center of the NAC is located in Zurich.
The Chief Apostle has almost absolute power. Members of the NAC consider him the representative of the Lord on Earth. He must “promote new Revelations of the Holy Spirit.” So the ministry of the Chief Apostle is filled with mystical content. It is his “revelations” that determine changes in the doctrine and life of the NAC. This testifies to the unconditional sectarian orientation of the New Apostles.
Then there are subdistricts, which are governed by the superiors of the districts, sometimes by bishops. Sub-districts are made up of communities. They are headed by the abbots of the communities.
In addition to the chief and district apostles, bishops and district elders, there are also the ministries of district evangelists, pastors, community evangelists, priests, deacons, and protodeacons.
There is no governing body that includes lay people.

Social activities

The New Apostolic Church only runs homes for the elderly and sometimes clubs for young people. The New Apostles do not carry out any charitable work.

Finance and property

Education

It does not have special theological educational institutions, since in principle it rejects theological education.

Seal

Monthly magazine "Our Family". Since 1991 it has also been published in Russian. Weekly magazine "Voice of the Guardian". For children and youth - monthly magazines “Good Shepherd” and “Friend of Youth”.
The catechism is periodically republished - “The New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers” and “The History of the Kingdom” in many languages of the world. There are several Russian-language publications.

Extent of modern distribution

In German-speaking countries, the NAC is one of the strongest and largest. The third largest church in Germany - after Lutherans and Catholics.
Currently there are about 7,000,000 New Apostles in the world. Of these, 3,400,000 are in Africa and 1,000,000 in Asia. There are a lot of New Apostles in India and Zaire. In Europe - more than 500,000 people.

Assessment of the activities of the New Apostolic Church

Although the NAC professes belief in the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ as the Son of God, it cannot be considered a traditional Christian church. There is no consensus among Western religious scholars on whether the NAC should be considered a Christian denomination or a sect. But the majority views it as a sect for the following reasons:

1. The NAC is based on a supposed "new revelation" received from God, similar to other sects, including the Mother of God Center or the Moon sect.

3. Treating the Bible as something other than the primary source of revelation. It is secondary in relation to the main revelations of the Chief Apostle.

4. The presence of “strange” rituals, such as communion of the dead.

5. Intense anticipation of the end of the world and the conviction of their exclusivity as kings and priests in the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ.

6. Refusing any contact with traditional Christian churches, which they consider false.

7. Non-participation in social and any other life of society. Complete self-isolation.

When assessing the missionary work of the NAC, it is necessary to take into account:

1. New Apostles are seeking the opportunity to speak at universities and schools, taking advantage of the fact that they present their faith as traditional.
2. Among the followers of the NAC in the West there are many businessmen. Through business contacts, they conduct missionary work and attract financial resources to serve their church.
3. The New Apostles strive to buy up as much land as possible to build church buildings and other structures on it. It is necessary to take into account that no matter how many Russians are involved in the activities of the NAC, its center remains in Switzerland, and it is from there that all guidelines will come.

.
The doctrine is based on the idea that with the death of the last of the 12 apostles John the Theologian chosen by Christ, “night” came on earth, during which it is impossible to perform Christian deeds (“I must do the deeds of Him who sent Me while it is day; night comes when no one cannot do”, John 9:4).
The founders of this movement allegedly received a “revelation” from God that in the very near future, during their lifetime, the “end of the world” would occur. In order to receive salvation and “reign with Christ,” the founders of the new movement taught, it is necessary to abandon all contemporary church institutions that “distorted the pure apostolic faith and way of life of Christians, now no longer corresponding to the ideals of the ancient apostolic Church.” By “revelation” they chose twelve apostles as leaders of the community and among them the chief. All degrees of the priesthood and church offices were abolished. Instead, the Christian ministries that are mentioned in the New Testament were brought back to life. Among them - in addition to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, etc.

Some Catholic, Anglican and Protestant clergy joined the movement, not only from England, but also from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

When the first apostles, chosen by “revelation,” died and the expected coming of Christ did not occur, the community decided to submit to the “Judgment of God” and dissolve itself.

The main provisions of the doctrine are contained in ten articles of the New Apostolic Creed. The first three affirm faith in the Holy Trinity, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, in the holy one Apostolic Church, in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life. With some assumptions, these articles look quite traditional. But with Article 4, new provisions are introduced that cannot in any way be recognized by traditional Christian churches. Thus, it is stated that “the Lord Jesus rules His Church through the living apostles... whom He sent and is still sending.” That is, all the fullness of spiritual power is assigned to the leaders of the New Apostolic Church - the council of twelve apostles and the chief apostle. And further, in the fifth paragraph it is confirmed that “all ministers in the Church of Christ are chosen only by the apostles.”

The New Apostles often call themselves the “last, consummating Church.”

The second source of teaching is the Bible. At the same time, it is emphasized that the Bible cannot replace the apostles of Christ as preachers of His teachings and givers of the sacraments. Only the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, can correctly interpret Scripture, and free reading of the Bible by believers is discouraged.

A doctrinal book for ordinary believers is the periodically republished catechism “New Apostolic Faith: Questions and Answers,” which contains everything a believer needs to know.

For clergy there is a book, “The History of the Kingdom,” which contains a New Apostolic assessment of all traditional Christian churches, none of which has fulfilled its purpose - to lead people to salvation. The content of the sacraments is revealed, of which there are three in the NAC - Baptism, sealing with the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. There are no more books in circulation in the New Apostolic Church. There are also no theological educational institutions, since the apostolic age was the age of simplicity, and not of theological speculation.

Services are held every Sunday on the model of a simple Reformed service and are accompanied by the singing of the choir.

During the week there are meetings for private apartments.

Three times a year, services are held for the “unsaved dead”, prayers for their salvation, and then the deceased are symbolically given communion - two holders of the rank approach the apostle. He baptizes them, seals them with the Holy Spirit, and administers the sacrament. This ritual is reminiscent of the baptism of the deceased in the Mormon sect.

The highest body of the NAC is the Assembly of Apostles. Since 1971 the official name is "New Apostolic Church - International Union of Apostles". But in fact, each community, subordinate to one specific apostle, is quite independent. The unity of the church is ensured by the unity of the apostles themselves, who, as they claim, achieve mystical unity through prayer. There are now not 12 apostles, but about 200.

The largest associations are the apostolic districts. Since 1991 there have been eighteen of them. The districts are led by the “district apostle.”

The Chief Apostle has almost absolute power. Members of the NAC consider him the representative of the Lord on Earth. He must “promote new Revelations of the Holy Spirit.”

In German-speaking countries, the NAC is one of the strongest and largest. The third largest church in Germany - after Lutherans and Catholics.

The New Apostolic Church is actively involved in charity work, caring for children and teenagers, and helping the poor and disabled. The magazine "My Family" is published.

Type