Apostolic Congregation Wiesbaden
The Apostolische Gemeinde eV Wiesbaden (AG Wiesbaden) was established in 1988/89 as a split from the New Apostolic Church (NAK) under the leadership of Apostle Hermann Gottfried Rockenfelder, among other things because of different doctrinal views on the prophetic office.
Emergence
H. G. Rockenfelder (1932–2001), son of District Apostle Gottfried Rockenfelder, was an apostle in the New Apostolic Church from 1976 to 1985. Rockenfelder Jr. had views differing from the New Apostolic doctrine on several points. After his father no longer exercised his office as district apostle, i. H. In 1984 the church retired, a conflict broke out between him and District Apostle Klaus Saur, his father's successor as District Apostle for Hesse. After Rockenfelder jr. was warned several times by the New Apostolic church leadership, he resigned his office in January 1985. In addition, there should be financial irregularities in the administrative area of the Apostle Rockenfelder jr. where donations from church members were embezzled by H. G. Rockenfelder.
When he continued to occasionally hold divine services in the subsequent period and undertook other canonically illegal acts due to his suspension, Rockenfelder was expelled from the New Apostolic Church on December 29, 1989 following further admonitions. Shortly afterwards he founded the Apostolic Church e. V. Wiesbaden. He was followed by around 140 New Apostolic ministers and around 2,000 followers from around 40 Hessian congregations. The main focus of the separation was in the Wiesbaden, Gießen and central Hessian Biebertal areas. But Rockenfelder also collected a few members in the Stuttgart area.
Together with Walter Heubach (1918–1990) Rockenfelder was the central figure in the Apostolic Community. Heubach had appeared as a "prophet" in previous years. He claimed his “revelations” and prophetic services had been used many times by District Apostle Gottfried Rockenfelder and Chief Apostles Schmidt and Fahrtisen .
The first change to the New Apostolic Church was the Chief Apostle Office in the Apostolic Community e. V. abolished. Henceforth the Holy Spirit should be at the head of the church. The apostolic congregation should be led by a quorum of quadruple ministry (apostle, prophet with the apostle, shepherd with the apostle, evangelist with the apostle). Rockenfelder sought contacts with other apostolic congregations, including a. there were contacts to the Apostolic Community of Saarland and the Apostolic Community in Düsseldorf, but there was no further cooperation or even a merger. After the death of the prophet Heubach in 1990, W. Wittek followed him. Rockenfelder Jr. died on December 19, 2001. His successor was Apostle Roland Seyfer from Walluf.
Changes in teaching on the New Apostolic Church
As already mentioned, the Chief Apostle ministry, which the AG Wiesbaden considered unbiblical, was not installed there. Furthermore, the Apostolic Congregation tried to orientate itself on Catholic-Apostolic teachings. It should have remained with one attempt, as the changes in content have little to do with the teaching of the KAG. The so-called Quadruple Office was re-established. However, from the very beginning the weight shifted very strongly to the office of the prophet.
The Catholic apostolic office of "angel" (community bishop) was also introduced. The so-called being asleep is strongly emphasized.
The NAK has had its own catechism since March 2012 . Their teaching has evolved since the “Apostolic Congregations” split off. In order to make a classification possible, the illustration refers to the time of the split from the NAK. The “liturgy” has changed little. To assume that the split would have occurred because of divergent doctrinal views is likely to be incorrect. The changes can hardly be explained conclusively theologically. The following change points represent only a small part of the entire teaching, but should give a NAK expert a first impression.
In the opinion of the Apostolic Congregation, the New Apostolic Church has "secularized" itself in the course of its development and no longer fulfilled its mandate to proclaim the imminent parousia of Christ. So one sees in her, using the image from the Revelation of John , the sun woman , herself as the "little boy" to be raptured. This is how the community was initially called the “Knäblein-Gemeinde”.
In 1994, a textbook, Instructions in the Doctrine of Jesus and the Apostles, was published in a question-and-answer style.
Different point of view
With effect from January 15, 1985, the Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church (NAC), Hans Urwyler, complied with the request of the NAC Apostle HG Rockenfelder to release him from his office. This is an official representation of the New Apostolic Church. Reasons are not given; presumably these are in the atmospheric range. The founding of the Apostolic Congregation eV Wiesbaden should not be understood as a split from the NAK, but as a new foundation using the NAK teachings with minor modifications. What actually was the reason for the establishment of the AG Wiesbaden has not yet been adequately documented. The development described below is initially based on differing views on the doctrine and then leads to a conflict between HG Rockenfelder and the new District Apostle Saur. HG Rockenfelder seems to have been temporarily suspended from his service, to which he did not feel bound. To seek the cause in the realm of insurmountable disputes in teaching seems to be constructed.
Separations from the Apostolic Community of Wiesbaden
Association of Apostolic Congregations - Levi Tribe
The Association of Apostolic Congregations - Tribe Levi (VAGL) broke away from the AG Wiesbaden in the 1990s. Despite having a similar name, it has no connection to the Association of Apostolic Communities (VAG). The VAGL took part in the second meeting of apostolic communities, which took place on the initiative of the New Apostolic Chief Apostle Richard Fehr from May 16 to 18, 2001 in Zurich . There she was represented by Hans-Eduard Winter.
Winter himself used to be a member of the New Apostolic Church, but had also joined the Apostolic Community e. V. Düsseldorf, was then a member of the German wing of the Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk before he joined H. G. Rockenfelders Apostolic Congregation, most recently he became a member of the VAGL, which was separated from it. The apostle of the VAGL is Thierry Clement, who succeeded Apostle Olinger in 2002.
Apostolic Association of Parishes
The Apostolic Congregation Association V. (AGB) is a further separation from the Apostolic Community Wiesbaden e. V. The terms and conditions include the Dutch apostle Bijl, apostle Jost and in Germany the so-called "angels" Kirschbaum (Gießen) and Bauer (Frankfurt). There are apparently contacts between AGB and VAGL.
Association of Apostolic Congregations V.
After the death of Rockenfelder Jr. there was another breakup. This community, called the Association of Apostolic Churches e. V. , based in Giessen, is headed by Apostle Arthur Ebert from Wiesbaden. This fellowship has nothing to do with the similar sounding Association of Apostolic Communities .
literature
- Helmut Obst: New Apostolic Church - the exclusive end-time church? Friedrich Bahn Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1996, ISBN 3-7615-4945-8 .
- Burkhard Schröder: Among men: brothers, buddies, comrades. Rowohlt-Verlag, Reinbek near Hamburg 1988, ISBN 3-499-18236-X .
Individual evidence
Old Apostolic Congregation | Old Apostolic Community | Apostle ministry Judah | Apostolic Church of South Africa - Apostle Unity | Apostolic Genootschap | Apostolic Congregation of the Saarland | Apostolic Congregation Wiesbaden | Apostolic Community | Apostolic Stichting | Christian Apostolic Congregation | Gereja Kerasulan Pusaka | Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk | Hersteld Evangelische Apostolische Gemeente | Indian New Apostolic Church | Old Apostolic Church | Reformed Apostolic Church Federation | Union des Chrétiens Apostoliques | United Apostolic Church of India | Association of Apostolic Christians | Association "Christians of Our Time"