The New Apostolic Church

A worldwide church, mostly in Africa, that holds that Christ still sends apostles, who lead the church and give the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands.

New Apostolic Church International, The Creed in ten articles

New Apostolic Church International, Signs of God's love: the sacraments

New Apostolic Church International, The central event: divine service

New Apostolic Church International, Liturgy of the New Apostolic Church

New Apostolic Church International, A brief history of the New Apostolic Church

New Apostolic Church International, NAC worldwide: the key figures (as of 31 December 2025)

New Apostolic Church International, Locally based, globally active: the structure

New Apostolic Church International, Membership development (end of 2024)

New Apostolic Church International, Change in the global leadership (Pentecost 2026)

New Apostolic Church International, Chief Apostle assigns a successor (8 June 2025)

nac.today (the church's news site), The name of the new Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church is Jean-Luc Schneider

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 1: The revelations of God (1.2.5, 1.3)

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, 2.3: The early church creeds and their significance

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, 2.4: The New Apostolic Creed

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, 3.5: God, the Holy Spirit (3.5.2, 3.5.5.3)

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 7: Ministry (7.1, 7.4 to 7.7)

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 8: The sacraments (8.1 to 8.3)

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 9: Life after death (9.6)

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 10: The doctrine of future things

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, 11.3: The reoccupation of the apostle ministry, and the continuation in the New Apostolic Church

Catechism of the New Apostolic Church, ch. 12: Divine service, acts of blessing and pastoral care (12.1 to 12.4)

The church's own history begins with the revival movements of nineteenth-century England and Scotland, where Christians of several denominations were drawn together by hope in the renewed activity of the Holy Spirit. Twelve apostles were called there from 1832. In 1863 a dispute over whether to call more apostles led to the Hamburg congregation leaving the older body, and the church dates its own beginning from that month. Over the next century it gave the senior apostle the title of Chief Apostle, spread to every continent and became, by membership, a church mostly of Africa. In recent decades it has opened its communion to other baptized Christians, recognized their baptisms and published its first full catechism.

Apostles are called in England

The church's history says that "starting in 1832, the declarations of prophetically gifted individuals led to the calling of twelve people to the Apostle ministry." They gave the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands to prepare believers for the expected return of Christ. In 1837 they published the Great Testimony and called on the clergy of all churches to submit to their authority. The Catechism records that "this appeal of the Apostles met with no response, however."

Hamburg and the beginning of the New Apostolic Church

On 10 October 1862 the prophet Heinrich Geyer called Rudolf Rosochacky as an apostle, and on 4 January 1863 the Hamburg congregation acknowledged the call. Rosochacky resigned soon after. On 27 January 1863 the Hamburg leader Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz was removed from his ministry by Apostle Woodhouse and expelled from the Catholic Apostolic Church, and the Hamburg congregation was excommunicated with him. The Catechism says: "Therefore January 1863 marks the beginning of the New Apostolic Church."

New apostles; the liturgy simplified

Priest Carl Wilhelm Louis Preuss and, a little later, Schwartz were called as apostles. The new community called itself the General Christian Apostolic Mission. Friedrich Wilhelm Menkhoff was called in 1872, and Friedrich Krebs in 1881. In 1884 Menkhoff founded the first church periodical in Germany, Der Herold. Under his influence Schwartz did away with liturgical vestments and many elements of the liturgy taken from the Catholic Apostolic Church, and "as of 1885, these changes were adopted by all other congregations."

The Chief Apostle ministry emerges

After the deaths of Schwartz and Menkhoff, Krebs took on the function of leader, with unity among the apostles as his main concern. The Catechism calls him "the first Chief Apostle in the current sense of the word." The church says that from 1897 the Chief Apostle ministry developed as its leading ministry. Krebs held it until his death in 1905. The Catechism adds that as the apostle ministry came to the front, the prophets diminished, and "by the end of the 1920s there were no more prophets active in the congregations."

An Apostles' College and a new name

In 1922 the first central organization, an association with an Apostles' College, was formed. In 1930 the New Apostolic Congregation took the name New Apostolic Church.

An international church

By 1900 apostles were at work in North and South America, Africa, Australia and Indonesia, and by the end of the 1960s the church had an international character, strongest in Africa and Asia. The International Apostles' Unity was founded in 1977, and its successor, New Apostolic Church International, headquartered in Zurich, in 1990.

An opening process

"In the mid-1980s, an opening process began to unfold under the motto of personal responsibility." It began with "the deregulation of admission to Holy Communion" and went on to doctrinal reforms such as "the recognition of universal baptism," under which baptisms given in other churches with water and in the name of the triune God are accepted. In the 2010s the church signed declarations of reconciliation with other apostolic denominations, and today it takes part in many ecumenical bodies.

The Catechism

The church published "the first exhaustive written record of the New Apostolic doctrine in the form of a Catechism" in 2012.

Jean-Luc Schneider becomes Chief Apostle

At Pentecost 2013 (19 May), Wilhelm Leber, Chief Apostle since 2005, retired after eight years in that office and Jean-Luc Schneider became Chief Apostle. Leber had named him his successor a year earlier, at Pentecost 2012.

Helge Mutschler becomes Chief Apostle

On Pentecost 2025 (8 June) Schneider named Helge Mutschler Chief Apostle Helper and so his successor. At Pentecost 2026 (24 May), in a service in Cape Town broadcast worldwide, Schneider ordained him with the words, "Receive the authority to fulfil the Petrine office," and retired.

Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz

Leader of the Hamburg congregation in 1863. His removal from the Catholic Apostolic Church on 27 January 1863 is the event the New Apostolic Church dates its beginning from. He was soon called as an apostle and was given the Netherlands as his working area. With Menkhoff he led the removal of the older liturgical forms.

Friedrich Krebs

Called as an apostle in 1881 and, after the deaths of Schwartz and Menkhoff, the leader of the apostles. The Catechism calls him the first Chief Apostle in the current sense of the word. He held the office until his death.

Johann Gottfried Bischoff

Chief Apostle from 1930 to 1960, the years in which the church took the name New Apostolic Church and spread across Africa, Asia and the Americas. The pages read give only his dates in office.

Jean-Luc Schneider

Led the church for 13 years. The church says that his term was "characterised by theological clarification, the further development of the concept of ministry, the strengthening of international cooperation, and a commitment to keeping the Church consistently focused on Jesus Christ in a changing world." He ordained his successor and retired at Pentecost 2026.

Helge Mutschler

Born in Tübingen on 8 August 1974, with a doctorate in law. He received his first ministry as a Sub-deacon in 1994, was ordained an Apostle by Schneider on 15 November 2015 and served as District Apostle Helper for North-Eastern Germany from 2021. He was named Chief Apostle Helper at Pentecost 2025 and ordained Chief Apostle at Pentecost 2026.

Where the church stands among the apostolic churches. The church describes its origin as a split: by 1863 the original twelve apostles had dwindled to six, and the dispute over filling the vacancies "led to a split between the Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC) on the one side, and its Hamburg congregation on the other." Its history says the Hamburg community "remained true to the apostolic cause." This chart follows the church's own account.

Structure today. The church is made up of legally independent regional churches that, under the umbrella of New Apostolic Church International, "comprise a doctrinally uniform, globally active denomination." Each regional church governs its own legal affairs under its country's law. At the head of the whole is the Chief Apostle, with the District Apostles as his closest collaborators, each responsible for one or more regional churches.

Pentecost 2026. The church's notice says that "the transition in leadership of the international Church had been planned well in advance." The date, 24 May 2026, is printed on the notice itself. Schneider's request to his successor at the ordination was: "Lead us to Jesus Christ; bring us closer to Him."

Holy Scripture is the foundation, and the apostles interpret it with authority. The Chief Apostle declares the Holy Spirit's present-day revelations as binding doctrine, and the Ten Articles of Faith state the binding teaching.

The New Apostolic Church says its doctrine rests on the Bible: the foundation for its doctrine and the starting point of its sermons is Holy Scripture. It teaches, too, that the Holy Spirit still speaks to the apostles. On the basis of Jesus' promise in John 16 that the Spirit would "guide you into all truth," the Catechism says the Spirit "imparts to the apostolate new insights about God's activity and plan of salvation, which, although intimated in Holy Scripture, have not yet been fully revealed." The one example it gives is the teaching that salvation can also be attained by the departed.

The interpreting of Scripture belongs to the apostolate. The Catechism says: "It is the task of the apostolate to interpret Holy Scripture and the early church creeds in a manner that is authoritative for our faith." The result is the New Apostolic Creed, in which "the faith and doctrine of the New Apostolic Church come to binding expression." The office of the Chief Apostle "functions to keep the doctrine pure while developing it further, opening up new insights," and he declares such revelations to be binding doctrine. The church also says its creed "does not draw any boundaries that would deny other Christians access to salvation."

The doctrine of the New Apostolic Church is based on Holy Scripture.

It is the task of the apostolate to interpret Holy Scripture and the early church creeds in a manner that is authoritative for our faith.

On the basis of his teaching authority, it is incumbent on the Chief Apostle to proclaim such revelations of the Holy Spirit, and to declare them as binding doctrine of the New Apostolic Church.

The Catechism on the Chief Apostle: "The office of the Chief Apostle functions to keep the doctrine pure while developing it further, opening up new insights, and uniformly spreading the testimony of faith. The Chief Apostle also lays down the order within the church." And: "The Chief Apostle is the highest spiritual authority." (Catechism 7.6.6). On the creed: "Since its inception, the New Apostolic Creed has been revised on several occasions," because interpretation is "part of a dynamic tradition" that is "characterised by both preservation and change" (Catechism 2.4). A church notice says a revision of the Catechism is underway, with specialist groups reviewing the articles published since 2012 (Membership development, end of 2024). This chart quotes the text on the church's website on 28 October 2026.

Baptism with water is the first sacrament and is needed for salvation; it is given to adults who profess faith and to children whose parents profess it. A second sacrament, Holy Sealing, follows through an apostle.

The church teaches that Holy Baptism is "the first act of grace of the triune God bestowed on a human being who believes in Jesus Christ," and that it is "indispensable for partaking in salvation." It says that "redemption occurs solely through Jesus Christ." Baptism is given in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and baptisms performed in that name in other denominations are recognized. The church teaches that through baptism "original sin is washed away," meaning man's state of separation from God.

"Children are also admitted to baptism," the church says, on the ground that the blessings of God should also be made available to children (Mark 10:14). Then the parents, or those responsible for the child's religious upbringing, must profess faith in Jesus Christ and vow to raise the child in the gospel, until the child can make a declaration of belief at confirmation. For adults the prerequisite is the believer's own profession of faith. A baptism that has been validly given is not repeated.

The water is consecrated, and the baptizing minister, an apostle or priestly minister, uses it to make the sign of the cross three times on the forehead of the person, and baptizes under the laying on of hands with the Trinitarian formula. The Catechism gives this as "the proper dispensation" of baptism, so the sign traced in water is the way the water is given. The church's pages read say what the early baptisms were ("primarily performed by immersion in water"), and they describe the act as above; they do not describe a present practice of immersion.

Salvation is completed by a second sacrament, Holy Sealing, in which an apostle lays on hands and prays so that the believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Eighth Article says the baptized "must, through an Apostle, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to attain the childhood in God and thereby the prerequisite for becoming a firstling."

Holy Baptism is the first act of grace of the triune God bestowed on a human being who believes in Jesus Christ.

Holy Baptism with water is indispensable for partaking in salvation.

I believe that those baptised with water must, through an Apostle, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to attain the childhood in God and thereby the prerequisite for becoming a firstling.

The Catechism on who may be baptized: "Anyone can receive Holy Baptism with water. In the New Apostolic Church it is administered by an Apostle or priestly minister to both children and adults. The prerequisite is the believer's profession of faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel." On Holy Sealing: "This baptism with the Spirit completes the rebirth that was begun in Holy Baptism" (Faith: Sacraments). The Catechism says the prerequisites for sealing are "baptism with water, belief in the triune God, as well as belief in the Apostles sent by Jesus Christ" (page 8.3.9, summary). A baptized and sealed person is, in the church's term, a child of God "with the calling to become a firstling."

Holy Communion is celebrated generally at every divine service, with a consecrated wafer and a few drops of wine, in which the substance of Christ's body and blood is joined to the elements. An apostle or a minister authorized by one consecrates it.

The Seventh Article says Holy Communion "was instituted by the Lord Himself in memory of the once brought, fully valid sacrifice, and bitter suffering and death of Christ," that worthy partaking "establishes our fellowship with Jesus Christ," and that it is celebrated with unleavened bread and wine, "both must be consecrated and dispensed by a minister authorised by an Apostle." The church gives the elements as communion wafers sprinkled with three drops of wine. It teaches consubstantiation: "With the consecration of the wafers the substance of Christ's body and blood is joined to the elements." The bread and wine are not changed in substance, but the body and blood are "truly present (real presence)."

Communion is "the central event of the divine service" and "generally celebrated in every divine service," on Sunday mornings and, in many congregations, at a midweek service. The church invites "all properly baptised (rite) Christians who profess Christ as their Lord and Redeemer" to take part. The Catechism says that Christians of other denominations baptized in the proper manner "can partake of Holy Communion as guests," and that those who take part regularly "profess their faith in the Apostles of Jesus who are active today." A person who has seceded or been excommunicated from the church loses admission until readmitted.

It is celebrated with unleavened bread and wine; both must be consecrated and dispensed by a minister authorised by an Apostle.

With the consecration of the wafers the substance of Christ’s body and blood is joined to the elements (consubstantiation).

Holy Communion is generally celebrated in every divine service, while other sacraments are dispensed as needed.

The Catechism on the elements: "The elements of bread and wine are not transformed in their substance through the consecration and pronouncement of the words of institution. Rather, the substance of Christ's body and blood is joined to them (consubstantiation). There is thus no transformation of the substances (transubstantiation)." On the wafer: "The body and blood of Christ remain present in the consecrated wafer until it has reached its designated recipient." On who may consecrate: "Whenever an Apostle or a priestly minister commissioned by Him performs the consecration, this occurs by the commission and authority of Jesus Christ" (8.2.15). On who may come: "Only those who have been baptised should partake in Holy Communion" (8.2.21), and "the fundamental prerequisites for partaking worthily of Holy Communion are belief and a repentant heart filled with longing for salvation" (8.2.18). Forgiveness is separate: "Although the sacrifice of Christ is present in Holy Communion, forgiveness of sins is not effected at the same time in the sacrament" (8.2.14, summary).

The church is led by the apostolate, with the Chief Apostle at the head. All ministry comes from the apostles, who alone ordain, and there are three levels: apostles, priestly ministers and deacons.

The church calls itself "a church of ministry" that "is led by the apostolate." Its Fifth Article says that those designated for a ministry "are ordained only by Apostles." Today there are three levels of ministry. The Apostle ministry is the Chief Apostle, District Apostle and Apostle. The priestly ministry is Bishop, District Elder, District Evangelist, Shepherd, Evangelist and Priest. The diaconal ministry is Deacon and Sub-deacon. Each level has "different spiritual powers." "Together with the Apostles, the Chief Apostle leads the Church," and the Chief Apostle discharges "the office of Peter."

The Catechism says the Apostles, together with the Chief Apostle, "decide on the ordinances of congregational life." A District Apostle is responsible for one or more district churches. Under him the church districts and congregations are led by rectors: the church says "it is the district rectors and congregational rectors who are responsible for the organisation of all practical local operations, in line with previously defined instructions and specifications." The church also says the Apostles "do not have dominion over the faith of the congregations, but are fellow workers for their joy," and that they are "servants of all."

The Catechism notes that in the early church the apostles ordained congregational rectors, called Bishops or Elders, and that "both terms stood for one and the same task" (7.5). It says that a hierarchy developed "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit" as the church grew. Believers who are not ministers are encouraged "to utilise their gifts and talents" in service.

I believe that those designated by God for a ministry are ordained only by Apostles, and that authority, blessing, and sanctification for their ministration come forth out of the Apostle ministry.

There are three ministerial levels, each with different spiritual powers: the Apostle ministry, priestly ministry, and diaconal ministry.

it is the district rectors and congregational rectors who are responsible for the organisation of all practical local operations, in line with previously defined instructions and specifications

On the Chief Apostle: "In this Church, it is the task of the Chief Apostle to discharge the office of Peter." "The Chief Apostle ordains the Apostles. It is necessary for the Apostles to remain in oneness with him." On ordination: "In the exercise of his ministry, the minister is accountable to, and dependent on, the Apostle ministry." "Ordination is not a sacrament, but rather an act of blessing" (7.7), and the one ordained makes a vow and "promises obedience of faith." On the origin of ministry: "Jesus Christ Himself directly gave His church only one ministry, namely the Apostle ministry" (7.4). On the apostles' work: "The Apostles feel themselves obliged to serve as examples to the church and lead them in following Christ" (7.6.3). The church's pages read do not say which of the priestly offices a congregational rector holds, or whether a congregation has more than one.

A fixed liturgy of invocation, sermon, Lord's Prayer, absolution, Communion and benediction, with choral and instrumental music. Prayer is offered to God, and the church prays for the departed.

The church bases its divine service on Acts 2:42: "the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." The elements are the preaching of the gospel, praise and thanksgiving, the dispensation of the sacraments and shared prayers. The service is "deliberately reserved," and its liturgy is a defined order: "all activities in the divine services are to unfold in a uniform and dignified manner." The church says "the prayers which are spoken are a dialogue with God," and the congregation stands for shared prayers, and ministers and congregation close their eyes during prayers. Ministers are authorized to lead by the apostolate.

Music has a firm place: the church says its purpose "is to praise and honour God." Singing by the congregation or the choir, and instrumental music, are both part of the church's musical life. The service ends with a hymn or a choir or instrumental piece. In addition to the Sunday service, the church dispenses acts of blessing for confirmation, engagement, weddings and wedding anniversaries, and a prenatal blessing outside the service.

Three times a year, on the first Sunday of March, July and November, the church holds divine services for the departed. In services led by the Chief Apostle and the District Apostles, "two ministers receive Holy Baptism with water, Holy Sealing, and Holy Communion on behalf of the dead." In other congregations the departed are remembered in a special prayer after Communion. The church also says that its members "intercede in prayer for the departed."

music is also a firm component of its liturgy, at minimum in the form of congregational singing, but quite often also in the form of choral or instrumental pieces.

The prayers which are spoken are a dialogue with God

Three times each year there are also divine services for the departed.

The Catechism on funerals: "the word proclaimed is also directed at the immortal soul of the deceased, which is now commended to the grace of God" (12.3). On the departed: "God's will to redeem encompasses all human beings. Jesus Christ is Lord over both the dead and the living" (12.1.13). The pages read do not describe prayer to saints or to Mary. On the prayer for the dead: "New Apostolic Christians intercede in prayer for the departed: they ask the Lord to help those who have gone into the beyond in an unredeemed state" (9.6.1). The church's Catechism also says that "both here and in the beyond" the living and the dead in Christ "will intercede with God on behalf of the unredeemed" (9.6.2, summary).

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given by an apostle's laying on of hands in Holy Sealing, and the Spirit speaks to the apostles today. The church encourages every member to use their gifts and talents.

The New Apostolic Church teaches that the gift of the Holy Spirit is imparted through the laying on of hands and prayer of an apostle, "as exemplified by the occurrence in Samaria," and it points to Acts 8:14-17. This is Holy Sealing, which the church calls "the baptism of the Spirit." Through it "a human being is enduringly filled with the Holy Spirit," and the Spirit is said to make a person a child of God. The church says that "through the Apostles of today, the Holy Spirit works in the same fullness as at the time of the first Apostles."

The Holy Spirit is also said to speak to the apostolate today. The church says that "the Holy Spirit keeps alive the self-revelation of God manifested in Jesus Christ" and gives new insights to the apostles (Catechism 1.3). The church also says that the Holy Spirit works as light that gives insight and as comforter, and that if the sealed believer gives the Spirit room, "divine virtues will develop," the fruit of the Spirit.

The pages read do not describe speaking in tongues, healing or prophecy in the congregation today. The church's history says that "by the end of the 1920s there were no more prophets active in the congregations." The Catechism says that the church "does indeed encourage all of its members to utilise their gifts and talents" in various activities, as "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all," and that such service is to be distinguished from ordained ministry.

Holy Sealing is the sacrament through which the believer, through the laying on of hands and the prayer of an Apostle, receives the gift of the Holy Spirit

Through the Apostles of today, the Holy Spirit works in the same fullness as at the time of the first Apostles.

The New Apostolic Church does indeed encourage all of its members to utilise their gifts and talents

On sealing: "God bestows this gift through the laying on of hands and prayer of an Apostle" (3.5.2). "Through the sacrament of Holy Sealing, the baptised believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, with power from God" (8.3.9). The church distinguishes "the Holy Spirit as a gift of God and the Holy Spirit as a person of the Godhead," and confesses the Spirit as a divine person in the Godhead (3.5.2).

Christ will return and take the prepared firstlings to Himself, then come with them to establish a kingdom of peace, and then the last judgment and a new heaven and earth. Salvation can also be reached by the departed, through the sacraments given on their behalf.

The Ninth Article confesses that the Lord Jesus "will return as surely as He ascended into heaven," that He "will take to Himself the firstfruits of the dead and living who have hoped for and were prepared for His coming," that "after the marriage in heaven He will return to earth with them to establish His kingdom of peace," and that they "will reign with Him as a royal priesthood." After the kingdom of peace, He will hold the Last Judgment, and then God will create a new heaven and a new earth and dwell with His people.

The Catechism sets out the order. The "bridal congregation" is caught up to God before the great tribulation. The marriage of the Lamb follows, and those who remain on earth live through the rule of Satan in the great tribulation. After the marriage in heaven the Lord returns "with power and great glory," binds Satan for a thousand years and the martyrs of the tribulation are raised. The Catechism says that those sealed belong to the group "whom God prepares through Apostles for the return of Christ and the marriage in heaven," and that the others of the church of Christ, "numbered to the church of Christ, but who were not caught up to God," continue under God's care in the wilderness.

The church also teaches that the dead can still be saved: "since the sacrifice of Christ, salvation can still be attained even after physical death." This is brought by the sacraments of baptism, sealing and Communion, given to living ministers on behalf of the departed, who "are of equal standing with the dead in Christ" when they have received them. The church says that for the dead as for the living, "belief in Jesus Christ is indispensable for attaining salvation."

I believe that the Lord Jesus will return as surely as He ascended into heaven and that He will take to Himself the firstfruits of the dead and living who have hoped for and were prepared for His coming; that after the marriage in heaven He will return to earth with them to establish His kingdom of peace

The bridal congregation will be caught up to God before the start of the great tribulation

Departed souls who, through Holy Baptism with water and Holy Sealing, have experienced the rebirth of water and the Spirit are of equal standing with the dead in Christ

On the departed: the Catechism holds, from 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6, that Jesus "proclaimed the gospel to them in the realm of the dead," and that "the Apostles fulfil the commission of Jesus ... upon both the living and the dead." "The dispensation of Holy Baptism with water, Holy Sealing, and Holy Communion to the departed is effected when the visible act associated with each is performed upon a living person." The Catechism names the departed's salvation as the example of a revelation of the Holy Spirit (1.3). On the other points: the Tenth Article says, "I believe that I am obliged to obey the worldly authorities provided no godly laws are thereby transgressed."

Apostles today, and the Chief Apostle

The Lord still sends apostles, led by the Chief Apostle, who holds the office of Peter and is the highest spiritual authority. All ministry flows from them.

The Fourth Article says the Lord Jesus "rules His church and thereto sent His Apostles, and until His return still sends them." The church teaches that the one ministry Christ gave His church directly is the Apostle ministry. The apostles' commission is to teach, to forgive sins in the Lord's name and to baptize with water and Holy Spirit. The Chief Apostle holds the office that the Lord gave to Peter, as "the highest spiritual authority," and ordains the apostles. The church says that in the Catholic Apostolic Church there was a senior apostle, "first among equals," and that the title Chief Apostle for the one in this office emerged toward the close of the nineteenth century.

I believe that the Lord Jesus rules His church and thereto sent His Apostles, and until His return still sends them, with the commission to teach, to forgive sins in His name, and to baptise with water and Holy Spirit.

The Chief Apostle is the highest spiritual authority.

Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.

and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also.

being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

The apostles were chosen for a task that cannot be repeated. The replacement for Judas had to be one who "companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us," a witness "with us of his resurrection" (Acts 1:21-22), and Paul reckons himself "last of all" to whom the risen Lord appeared (1 Corinthians 15:8). The church is built "upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20), and a foundation is laid once. The wall of the new city has twelve foundations, and on them "twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:14). Matthias was added to fill the place of Judas on these same terms, as a witness of the resurrection, but no passage shows the office passing to men chosen after the first witnesses were gone, or an office of Peter handed down to a successor. Peter himself wrote as "a fellow-elder" (1 Peter 5:1). Scripture shows the apostles' authority in their written word, and that is what stands today.

Credit. The church's own Catechism says the apostles "do not have dominion over the faith of the congregations, but are fellow workers for their joy," as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:24. That is the apostolic attitude, and the church deserves credit for stating it. The question is not their manner but their office. Scripture names apostles and prophets together: "he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets" (Ephesians 4:11). The church itself says that no prophets have been active in its congregations since the end of the 1920s. If the one office could end, the same word has to be heard on the other.

Holy Sealing

A third sacrament in which an apostle lays on hands so that a baptized believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, completing the new birth and calling the person to be a firstling.

Holy Sealing is a sacrament separate from baptism. The prerequisites are belief in the triune God, proper baptism with water, and belief in the apostles sent by Jesus Christ. Through the laying on of hands of an apostle the believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the church says this completes the rebirth begun in baptism. It makes a person a child of God with the calling to become a firstling, to be taken at the return of Christ.

This baptism with the Spirit completes the rebirth that was begun in Holy Baptism and makes the human being into a new creation.

According to the testimony of Scripture, Holy Sealing is bound to the Apostle ministry.

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

The gift of the Holy Spirit is promised in the same breath as baptism: "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). It does not wait for a second rite from an apostle. Ananias, a disciple and not an apostle, laid his hands on Saul so that he might "be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). When the apostles' hands did give the Spirit, as in Samaria, it was an event that could be seen: Simon saw "that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given" (Acts 8:18). The pages read describe no such sign following sealing today, and with the apostles' own office closed, there is no one to give the gift in that way. Salvation also does not wait on it: God "saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). A second sacrament that makes a man a child of God and sets him ahead of other baptized believers adds to the gospel.

Services for the departed

Three times a year the church prays for the unredeemed dead, and in services led by the Chief Apostle and the District Apostles, ministers receive baptism, sealing and Communion on behalf of the dead.

The church holds that God's will to save is universal and reaches the dead. It teaches that the gospel was proclaimed to the dead after Christ's death (1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6) and that, as the Catechism puts it, "salvation can also be attained by the departed." The three sacraments are dispensed to the departed when a living person receives them on their behalf. These services are held on the first Sunday of March, July and November. The church cites 1 Corinthians 15:29 for the practice.

In those services conducted by a District Apostle or his assistants, selected ministers receive all three sacraments on behalf of the departed.

An important example that bears mentioning is the teaching that salvation can also be attained by the departed

And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment;

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.

For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

The Scriptures say one thing about what follows death: "it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment" (Hebrews 9:27), and each is judged "according to what he hath done" in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10). In the Lord's account of the rich man there is "a great gulf fixed" so that none may cross (Luke 16:26). No apostle teaches that the unredeemed dead can still be saved, and no passage commands a living person to be baptized, sealed or given the Supper for another. The one verse the church cites for the rite, 1 Corinthians 15:29, speaks of what "they" do, and Paul uses it in an argument for the resurrection without approving it; it says nothing at all of sealing or the Supper for the dead. The church itself names this teaching as its chief example of a revelation to the apostolate, a truth only "intimated" in Scripture, and a rite cannot rest on that. The dead are to be left in the hands of the Judge, and the living are to preach the gospel to the living while there is time.

Firstlings and the bridal congregation

Sealed believers who are prepared through the apostles are called firstlings; they are taken to the Lord before the great tribulation, while other baptized believers remain on earth.

The church teaches that those who have received the three sacraments and believe the proclamation of the apostles are called to be "firstlings," the "bridal congregation." The Lord will take them to Himself at His coming, before the great tribulation, to the marriage in heaven, and return with them to earth to reign in a kingdom of peace. Others who belong to the church of Christ but are not caught up continue through the tribulation under God's care. The church applies the words of Revelation 14:4 about "firstfruits" to this calling.

Accordingly the believer now belongs to that group within the church whom God prepares through Apostles for the return of Christ and the marriage in heaven

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.

Scripture knows one body of the saved, not a first company and a second. The apostle says, "if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9), and every one who has the Spirit of Christ is His. The Lord places His coming "immediately after the tribulation of those days," and then "they shall gather together his elect from the four winds" (Matthew 24:29-31). Paul has the dead in Christ rise and the living be "caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), as one event at the Lord's descent, and he names no stage that excludes some believers. Revelation 14:4 describes those "purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb," and nothing in it ties this to sealing by an apostle. To make the nearness of a believer to Christ depend on a rite given by an apostle, and not on faith, is to bind what the New Testament does not.

The plumb line is the New Testament: what the apostles taught and commanded, and what the churches practiced with their approval. The New Apostolic Church is not a body on the lineage chart "The Line and the Branches," because it holds that Christ still sends apostles and that the Chief Apostle can declare new revelations as binding doctrine. So the five placements below are set on the lineage rubric's rungs one by one, and the reason for each is given with it. Each position is then set against the New Testament. Where the church stands near the pattern, that is said plainly. Where it stands far from it, that is said too.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.

Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

The church puts Scripture first in words: it is the foundation of doctrine, and the sermon starts from a Bible text. That is to its credit. But it then binds more than Scripture on every member. The apostolate interprets Scripture with authority, the Chief Apostle declares "new insights," not yet fully revealed, to be binding doctrine, and its chief example is a teaching the New Testament does not give. Scripture says the written word is complete: it makes "the man of God" "furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17), the faith was "once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3), and any gospel beyond the apostles' stands under a curse: "let him be anathema" (Galatians 1:8). Jesus' promise that the Spirit would "guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13) was spoken to the apostles who heard Him, and it was kept when they wrote. On the rubric, a living office that declares new doctrine takes the last rung for the rule of faith, a body that binds what Scripture does not say takes the last rung for the silence of Scripture, since the church is told to "learn not to go beyond the things which are written" (1 Corinthians 4:6), and bound teaching that the New Testament does not teach takes the last rung too, so the placement is the far end.

The church is right that the Spirit guided the apostles, and it honestly says that the new insights are "intimated in Holy Scripture," not independent of it. But the test is Acts 17:11. The Bereans were "more noble" because they were "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). A church that holds up each new teaching to Scripture, and discards what it does not find there, is on the line. A church that makes the apostles' successors the judge of Scripture reverses the order.

But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.

The church stands nearer the New Testament than many churches in one thing: baptism with water is not optional. The Catechism says it is "indispensable for partaking in salvation," as the Lord says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16), and the church requires a profession of faith. It falls short in three places. It baptizes children on the parents' profession, but the baptisms in Acts are of those who believed: "they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12). It applies water as a sign of the cross on the forehead, but baptism is a burial: "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death" (Romans 6:4). And it gives the meaning of baptism as washing away original sin, but Peter says it is "unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38) for the one who repents. On the rubric, the subject sits a step short of the far end, since children are baptized as well as believers. The purpose sits there too, because the church adds a second sacrament, sealing by an apostle, before a person is a child of God. The mode sits at the far end, because the only form the Catechism gives is a cross traced in water on the forehead, with no burial at all. Together they come out a step short of the far end.

The placement rests on three of the church's own statements: children are admitted on the parents' vow, the consecrated water is used to make the sign of the cross on the forehead, and sealing completes the rebirth. The church's pages say nothing of a practice of immersion. The Catechism itself says "baptizein" means "to immerse" and that early baptisms were "primarily performed by immersion." To its credit, the church also says that salvation comes "solely through Jesus Christ," and it does not teach salvation by works.

And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

The church is close to the pattern in how often and why it meets. Communion is held at the Sunday service and is its high point: "upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20:7). It invites every properly baptized Christian who confesses Christ, and it keeps the Supper as the memorial of a sacrifice made once, as Hebrews says, "he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). It falls short in three things. It teaches that the substance of Christ's body and blood is joined to the wafer, but after the words "this is my body" (Matthew 26:26) the Lord still called the cup "this fruit of the vine" (Matthew 26:29), and Paul still says "as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). It makes the Supper depend on an apostle's authorization, and gives the right to partake regularly to those who profess its own creed, where Paul says only "let a man prove himself, and so let him eat" (1 Corinthians 11:28). And in services for the departed two ministers receive Communion on behalf of the dead, though no one can prove himself or eat for another. On the rubric, the frequency is a step from the line (every Sunday, and at midweek services too), the nature is a step short of the far end (a defined union of substances, not a sacrifice offered again), and the access is a step from the line. Together they come out nearer the line than the far end.

The church is right that the Supper is a communion with the Lord, and right to place it at the center of Sunday. It also denies that the bread and wine are changed: "There is thus no transformation of the substances (transubstantiation)" (Catechism 8.2.12). On access, the Catechism says: "All those who have been baptised, adopted, or sealed in the New Apostolic Church are entitled to regularly partake in Holy Communion. These individuals profess the content of the New Apostolic Creed," while other properly baptized Christians come "as guests" (8.2.21). The elements are wafers "sprinkled with three drops of wine," so no one drinks from a cup, though the Lord said, "Drink ye all of it" (Matthew 26:27). The rubric does not charge a cup given in this way on its own, but the text is plain. The error is not in how often the Supper is kept but in what is added to the table.

And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge;

But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.

The church's own Catechism says that in the early congregations the leaders were called Bishops or Elders and that "both terms stood for one and the same task," and it says the apostles "do not have dominion over the faith." That is to its credit. But in the pattern of the New Testament, the apostles "had appointed for them elders in every church" (Acts 14:23), a plurality in each congregation and nothing above it, with "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5) as the work of the apostle's helper. In the New Apostolic Church the tiers run Chief Apostle, District Apostle, Apostle, then Bishop, District Elder, District Evangelist, Shepherd, Evangelist and Priest, then Deacon and Sub-deacon; each has "different spiritual powers"; only apostles ordain; and a congregation's rector works "in line with previously defined instructions and specifications." Every believer is already "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), and the Lord's rule among His disciples is "all ye are brethren" (Matthew 23:8). On the rubric, the eldership sits at the far end: a rector over each congregation under apostles, with one head over the whole church. Autonomy sits at the far end too, since the apostles, with the Chief Apostle, "decide on the ordinances of congregational life" and the congregation is governed by a hierarchy that ends in one office. The clergy sit a step short of it: an ordained order holding spiritual powers the members do not. Together they come out at the far end.

Peter writes to the elders as "a fellow-elder" and tells them to tend the flock "neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you" (1 Peter 5:1-3). The Catechism's own picture of an apostle as servant of all fits that. What does not fit is a chain of command above the congregation.

speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,

The service is built around what the church in Acts did: the Word, shared prayer and the breaking of bread every Sunday, with a reverent order and a sermon from a Bible text. Prayer is offered to God, in the name of the one Mediator: "there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). The pages read show no prayer to saints. It falls short in what it adds. Music includes choir and instruments, but the New Testament command is to speak "one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19). The liturgy adds a minister's absolution, acts of blessing and, heaviest of all, services in which living ministers receive baptism, sealing and Communion for the dead and the congregation prays that the dead may find salvation, though it "is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). On the rubric, instruments sit at the contested middle step, prayer to God near the line, and the added acts a step short of the far end, as ceremonial acts with claimed efficacy. Their mean lands in the middle, but that would set a service where three sacraments are given for the dead on the same step as a prayer-book liturgy. So the placement is moved up one, and it stops short of the far end because prayer goes to God alone and no saints or images are invoked.

The move is made on one item. Absolution and a fixed order are added acts that many liturgical churches share. Sacraments received by the living on behalf of the dead, in the assembly, with saving effect claimed for them, are not of that kind: the church says they are "performed in the same manner as usual" (Catechism 12.1.13), and that the dead who receive them "are of equal standing with the dead in Christ" (9.6.3). The Scripture on this is weighed in the distinctive on the departed.

Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

The church's best text is Samaria, and it reads one thing there rightly: the people had been baptized, yet the Spirit "was fallen upon none of them," until Peter and John "laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17). But the same chapter shows what that gift was. Philip had preached, baptized and done "signs" (Acts 8:6), yet could not give it, and Simon "saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given" (Acts 8:18): a gift that could be seen, as at Ephesus, where "they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6). That was God "bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit" to the word of "them that heard" the Lord (Hebrews 2:3-4), and it ended with those witnesses. The church claims that gift "in the same fullness as at the time of the first Apostles," yet its own pages describe no sign that follows sealing, so its claim fails on its own best text, and the placement is the far end.

What Acts 8 does not show. It does not show the indwelling Spirit withheld from every believer until an apostle comes. That gift is promised to all who repent and are baptized, "to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him" (Acts 2:39), with no apostle's hands named. The Spirit fell on Cornelius's house with no hands at all (Acts 10:44), and Ananias, who was not an apostle, laid hands on Saul (Acts 9:17). The Catechism itself says that "apart from the exceptions mentioned, the gift of the Holy Spirit was solely administered by Apostles" (8.3.5), so it grants that the pattern it builds on was not the only one. Paul ties the miraculous gifts to a passing time: "whether there be tongues, they shall cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Credit. The church rightly teaches that the Holy Spirit is God, that He dwells in the believer and bears His fruit, and it encourages every member to use their gifts for the good of all. The pages read make no claim of miracles, tongues or healing in the congregation, and the church's history says that no prophets have been active since the end of the 1920s. It also adds a present-day voice of the Spirit to the apostles, which is weighed under authority.

Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.

The church holds what Scripture holds about the end: Christ will return as He went, "the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16), the dead will be raised and judged, and God will make a new heaven and a new earth. It holds a thousand-year reign (Revelation 20:4) as many Christians do. In three things it goes beyond the text. It divides believers into those who are caught up before the great tribulation, the prepared "firstlings," and those who stay, but Paul puts the rising of the dead in Christ and the gathering of the living together, and the Lord places the gathering of "his elect" after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31). It makes readiness for His coming depend on the sacraments of the apostles. And it teaches that the dead can still be saved through rites performed for them, against "after this cometh judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The church binds these as doctrine and not as opinion, though it holds the main hope of the Scriptures, so the placement is short of the far end.

The hope of the church is the right one: to be with the Lord when He comes. Its comfort at funerals, the resurrection and "so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17), is the apostles' own comfort.

The New Apostolic Church holds much that Scripture also teaches, and it should be said plainly. It confesses one God in three persons in the creeds of the early church, and Christ truly God and man, who was crucified, rose and will come again. It builds its doctrine and its sermons on the Bible. It meets on the first day of the week, and keeps the Lord's Supper at the center of the Sunday service. It says baptism is needed for salvation, and it asks a profession of faith. It says salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, and it will not deny salvation to Christians of other churches: its creed "does not draw any boundaries that would deny other Christians access to salvation," it recognizes their baptisms, and it invites them to the table. It teaches obedience to the worldly authorities as long as no godly law is broken. It holds that its apostles are servants who do not lord it over the faith of the members. And its people, most of them in Africa, gather every Sunday to hear the word, pray and sing.

Measured by the New Testament alone, the New Apostolic Church stands far from the pattern. It stands short in five places: its rule of faith, the form and meaning of baptism and the second sacrament, the elements and the authority behind the table, the hierarchy over the congregation, and the hope held out to the dead. The Bible says the faith was delivered once for all, and the church holds that a living office adds to it. The Bible says the apostles laid a foundation, and the church holds that the foundation is still being laid by men sent today. The Bible says elders in every church, and the church puts a Chief Apostle over the world. The Bible says that after death comes judgment, and the church holds services in which the living are baptized and sealed for the dead.

These are not the errors of a people who despise the Scriptures. They love the Lord and they look for His return, and they begin where all churches should: with the Lord's own promises. What remains is to let the book alone settle each question. If the apostles' word is complete, no later apostle can add a doctrine, a sacrament or a hope to it. The call to a church that rests on the written word is to come back to what Christ's apostles taught, as the Bereans did, "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11), and to count every later teaching, including its own, under that standard.

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