Apostolic Church

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or section needs to be revised. Details should be given on the talk page. Please help to improve it , and then remove this flag.

The Apostolic Church or Apostolic Church - Early Christian Mission is an evangelical and Pentecostal free church whose origins can be traced back to the revival movement of Wales in 1904/05 . Despite its recent existence, the Free Church sees itself in its faith, practice and leadership as a new foundation of the Apostolic Early Church .

The purpose of the Apostolic Church was set forth by a prominent Church scribe:

To make known the forgiveness of sins through Christ's atoning death; water baptism by immersion; the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the following signs; The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit; the five gifts of our risen Lord; and the vision mentioned in the New Testament , "The Church, which is his body".

The worldwide vision is confirmed by a strong missionary concern. The movement, which began in Welsh-speaking villages in south Wales , had over 6 million members in more than 70 nations by the end of the 20th century. The largest independent district church is in Nigeria with more than 4.5 million members and a national assembly hall that seats more than 100,000.

The international assembly meeting Ablaze UK (the former International Apostolic Convention) has been held annually over the first week of August since 1916. Until 2002 the location was in the village of Pen-y-groes, Camarthenshire , and since then in the city of Swansea. Pen-y-groes is the site of the Apostolic Church School of Ministry (founded in 1933 as Apostolic Church International Bible School) . It is the oldest Pentecostal college in Great Britain. To date there are also Bible schools in 11 other countries. In Germany , the Apostolic Church looks after parishes in Berlin , Flensburg and Uelzen .

Church history

On November 5, 1909, William Oliver Hutchinson established the first Pentecostal Church in Great Britain . It soon became the headquarters of a large network of Pentecostal associations known as the Apostolic Faith Church .

Pastor Daniel P. Williams, founder of the Apostolic Church, was proclaimed an apostle in the new movement . In 1916, Williams and some Welsh members separated who later founded the Apostolic Church of Wales (ACW) . The two groups have developed very differently from a doctrinal point of view since 1916.

In 1917 a second group joined, centered around Bermingham of the "Apostolic Church of Wales". In the very next year the “Burning Bush Pentecostal Congregation” of Glasgows entered into talks with the ACW, but remained independent. In the same year, another group from Hereford , called the “Apostolic Church” , decided to cooperate with the ACW .

In 1920 Ben Fisher, leader of an independent Pentecostal church in Belfast , invited Williams to minister to his church. So by joining the ACW, the church became the first mission field.

HV Chanter was the head of the Apostolic Church of God (ACG) , a large group of Pentecostal churches with headquarters in Bradford . In 1921 Chanter attended the Christmas Convention in Pen-y-groes, Wales. A prophecy in Bradford ordered the leaders to invite the Welsh leaders to meet. They met in 1922 and arranged another Easter meeting. For this Easter convention most of the leaders of the ACW congregations and those who had acceded to them met in Bradford.

The “Apostolic Church - Early Christian Mission in Germany” is a foundation of the “Apostolic Church of Wales” and came to Germany via Denmark after the Second World War .

Four main currents now formed an administrative union:

  • The "Apostolic Church of Wales" (Apostolic Church of Wales)
  • The "Burning Bush Congregation" (Burning Bush Congregation)
  • The "Apostolic Church in Hereford" (Apostolic Church in Hereford)
  • The "Apostolic Church of God" (Apostolic Church of God)

Pen-y-groes was given as the governing headquarters, Glasgow as the financial seat and Bradford as the mission center.

Faith and Theology

The Apostolic Church is not part of the “Pentecostal Unity”. Apostolic Church is also a common term used to describe churches and groups within the Pentecostal movement . However, these groups have no connection to the Apostolic Church , which adheres to the evangelical doctrine on the Trinity of God and baptism .

The theological creeds of the Apostolic Church are summarized in their pronouncements on the faith, called "tenets" .

  1. The uniqueness of God and the trinity of his persons.
  2. The utter depravity of human nature, the need for repentance and renewal, and eternal “damnation” of the ultimately unrepentant.
  3. The virgin birth , sin-free life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection , ascension and constant intercession of Jesus Christ: His second coming and millennial kingdom on earth.
  4. The justification and sanctification of the believer through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
  5. The baptism of the Holy Spirit for believers, with the following signs and the water baptism of Jesus Christ.
  6. The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify, admonish, and comfort the Church, which is the body of Christ .
  7. The sacraments of Baptism by Immersion and Holy Communion.
  8. The divine inspiration and authority of Scripture .
  9. Church leadership by apostles , prophets , evangelists , pastors , teachers , elders and deacons .
  10. The possibility of apostasy.
  11. The binding nature of tithing and offerings .

The Apostolic Church in Australia , New Zealand and the "Ascension Fellowships International in USA" all follow a revised form of the tenets. The meaning of a word can change subtly over time. It was therefore necessary to readjust these principles. The addition “the believer's resurrection into an incorruptible body” was accepted at the beginning, but now a clear expression is needed. The change of order is contemplating a version that is more common in Evangelical churches.

  1. The one and living God, outwardly composed of three persons in unity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  2. The divine inspiration and authority of Scripture.
  3. Man's innate depravity from the Fall; the need for repentance and renewal through grace and faith alone, and the eternal separation from God of the ultimately unrepentant.
  4. The virgin birth , sin-free life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection, ascension and constant intercession of Jesus Christ: His second coming and millennial kingdom on earth.
  5. The justification and sanctification of the believer by the finished work of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the believer into an incorruptible body.
  6. The ordinances of baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.
  7. The security of the believer as he continues in Christ.
  8. The baptism of the Holy Spirit for believers with the following signs.
  9. The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify, admonish, and comfort the Church, which is the body of Christ.
  10. Church leadership by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, elders and deacons.
  11. The privilege and responsibility of making tithes and offerings to the Lord.

Ecumenism

The Apostolic Church sees itself as one of many churches commissioned by Jesus , alongside other institutions. According to her own knowledge, she has the mandate to implement the revelation received from God about the nature of the church of Jesus in concrete church building and to contribute to the growth of the body of Christ as a community of all Christians on site. That is why the Apostolic Church endeavors to develop relationships with other communities and churches. Due to the non-denominational attitude, the church also sends missionaries to mission organizations of other denominations.

The church does not belong to the “Unity Pentecostal Movement” or to the denominational group of the apostolic communities . It is not represented in the World Council of Churches , in the Working Group of Christian Churches or in the Evangelical Alliance .

"Equippers" network

“Equippers” (German: outfitter , in the sense of “ equipping people for life through faith in Jesus Christ”) forms an important network of congregations within the Apostolic Church of New Zealand . This church planting movement is global in individual churches in Australia , Germany , New Zealand, Tonga , Switzerland , and the United Kingdom .

The network is under the apostolate of Bruce & Helen Monk, which is located in the main network church in London .

Web links

swell

  1. ^ A b Thomas Napier Turnbull: What God Hath Wrought: A Short History of the Apostolic Church . The Puritan Press, Bradford 1959, p. 11.
  2. ^ Gordon Weeks: Chapter Thirty Two: Part of a History of the Apostolic Church 1900-2000 2003, p. 227.
  3. ^ Gordon Weeks: Chapter Thirty Two: Part of a History of the Apostolic Church 1900-2000 2003, p. 140.
  4. ^ Gordon Weeks: Chapter Thirty Two: Part of a History of the Apostolic Church 1900-2000 2003, p. 228.
  5. ^ Parishes of the Apostolic Church in Germany
  6. ↑ Handbook of religious communities, 1.9 Pentecostal communities ; VELKD , Horst Reller ... (Ed.), 3rd edition, Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 1985, ISBN 3-579-03585-1
  7. ↑ Equippers site