The New Apostolic Church grew out of a crisis in the Catholic Apostolic Church, a British revivalistic millennial group. Believing that some unusual occurrences, including miraculous healings and speaking in tongues, were signs of the imminent return of Christ, the group concluded that the main factor delaying the event was the establishment of a biblical church, signaled by the leadership of twelve apostles. By the end of the 1930s, the apostolic leadership was in place and the church began to spread from England to other European countries and to North America.
The crisis for the group came in the 1860s when Apostles began to die and there had been no provision made to appoint new ones. In 1860, in Germany, a move began to call additional Apostles. When the third such apostle was called in 1863, the church excommunicated the dissidents. Under the leadership of Heinrich Geyer, the New Apostolic Church was formed and the structure of the parent body duplicated. The church grew steadily for two generations, but faced severe persecution under the Nazis. Recovering after World War Two, the church has spread rapidly. It currently has some nine million members in almost 200 countries.
Church beliefs are very similar to those of other Christian churches. God has made provision for salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection. It differs in that members believe that it is necessary to be endowed with the Holy Spirit by an Apostle in order to have fellowship with God. Recognizing not only the need to replace any apostles who die before Christ’s return, but the problem of the growing church being served by only twelve men, the church has moved to multiply the apostolic office. The New Apostolic Church continues the emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ. When that event occurs, all who believe in Christ will be taken to heaven. Christ will establish the millennial kingdom on Earth and those who remain will be offered God’s grace and redemption.
Ultimate authority in the church is in the hands of the Chief Apostle, currently Richard Fehr, a Swiss citizen. International headquarters are located in Zurich.A web site is maintained at http://www.nak.org/.
