Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk
The Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk (German: Renewed Apostolic Mission Church ) is a Christian, chiliastic religious community in the tradition of the apostolic communities. It was rooted in the Catholic Apostolic Movement, from which it broke away in 1863. In the years 1969–1971 there were strong tensions within this community, which led to a split into three parts:
- the Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk
- the Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk II
- the Hersteld Apostolic Zending Kerk - stam Judah
Self-image
Despite the split in 1969, each of the churches sees itself as the continuous continuation of the church founded by Apostle FW Schwarz in 1863. The mission of the church can be seen in the "mission of the apostles to Christianity" to prepare it for the near return of Christ through the work of the apostles . The churches tend to be exclusive.
Teaching
The Bible is the unchangeable basis of the doctrine of the faith. In addition to the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper , the Church - like all apostolic communities - knows the sacrament of sealing . The near return of Christ is expected. The church is served by the so-called " fourfold office " of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. For the eschatology that is book for our time milling, in which the interpretation of Revelation is written by apostles Black.
Management and dissemination
Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk
According to Georg Schmid, there are ten municipalities in the Netherlands and three in Germany.
Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk II
According to Georg Schmid, there are two parishes in the Netherlands with a total of 200 members, as well as some small circles in Germany and South Africa.
According to its own statement, the Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk II in the Netherlands has parishes in Amersfoort , Amsterdam , Arnhem , Enkhuizen , Groningen , The Hague , Haarlem , Utrecht , Wageningen and in Zeeland . The church has about 500 members. Associated with the Dutch HAZK II are the Apostolic Mission Church in Germany with several hundred members in three parishes (in Braunschweig , Völklingen and Mülheim an der Ruhr ) under the direction of Apostle Klessinger, as well as the L'Eglise Missionaire Apostolique zu Congo with around a thousand members .
Hersteld Apostolic Zending Kerk - stam Judah
There are parishes in Amsterdam and Arnhem .
history
Origin and prehistory (1863/64)
The majority of the members of the Catholic Apostolic Congregation in Hamburg were excluded (excommunicated) from the congregation of Catholic Apostolic Christians after the recognition of a newly appointed apostle in 1863. Through this exclusion, the General Christian Apostolic Mission (AcaM) came into being. The prophet Heinrich Geyer , who made the controversial appointment, and the bishop and angel of the Hamburg congregation Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz played important roles at that time . As early as the spring of 1863, the "mission evangelists " Franz Hübner , Meyersahm and Ahlin were sent from Hamburg to Holland. On Whit Monday, May 27, 1863, Schwarz was called to the apostle by a prophecy from the congregation and sent to the Netherlands to plant congregations there. He reached Amsterdam in September 1863 , where he quickly founded a flourishing congregation that traded under the name "Apostolische Zending" (Eng .: Apostolic Mission).
Schwarz was invited to preach by the “Mission Congregation for Spreading the Truth”, a pietistic congregation based in Enkhuizen, after hearing about his activities in Amsterdam in their midst. This community joined Schwarz 'cause and formed the basis of the Apostolic Zending in Enkhuizen. In the following years, smaller communities emerged in close succession in Haarlem , IJmuiden and Hoorn .
Connection to the General Christian Apostolic Mission in Hamburg (1865–1895)
Soon there were tensions between the Dutch Apostolic Zending (AZ) and the German sister community ACAM due to Schwarz's decision to abolish the old (Catholic-Apostolic) liturgical services and liturgical clothing and replace them with a simple, Calvinist ritual.
In 1865, Schwarz met with the evangelist of the Catholic Apostolic Congregation Max von Pochhammer in s'Gravenhage for a public dispute about the separation in 1863, which, however, did not end satisfactorily for either side.
Black used in the first years good contacts with the Free Evangelical Church under their Pastor Jan de Liefde, founder of the Association for the salvation of the people (Vereniging dead salvation of the people). Several dignitaries and members of this community were subsequently sealed in the AZ by Schwarz , u. a. FW Menkhoff . He was soon (1867) sent to Bielefeld as an evangelist (so-called mission evangelist ) , because Westphalia was also the area of activity of Apostle Schwarz. Menkhoff was ordained an angel in 1869 and called an apostle for Westphalia in 1872, where he had already founded a number of congregations. In 1869, Schwarz and Dr. Groenewegen that of black the based on notes and interpretations book for our time wrote (Het Het Boek voor onze tijd).
After Preuss died in 1878, the parishioner Güldner was called to the apostle by the prophet Geyer in Hamburg. However, this call was not recognized by part of the Hamburg community, and the Apostles Schwarz and Menkhoff also rejected Güldner's call as invalid. A large part of the Hamburg community separated from the movement under Geyer and Güldner and continued to operate in Hamburg as AcaM. The remaining congregation remained under the direction of the elder Krebs and under the care of the Apostle Menkhoff in connection with the Apostolic Zending.
Schwarz enjoyed a high reputation among the churches of the New Apostolic Movement, which are now growing in a number of countries. Despite the strong autonomy of the individual apostles in their areas of work , the so-called tribes , Schwarz also enjoyed the highest reputation and was considered the greatest apostolic authority of the early New Apostolic movement far beyond the Netherlands . From 1893 at the latest, the name Apostolische Zending was no longer used , but Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk .
The Doctrine of the "New Light" and Separation (1895–1897)
When Menkhoff died in May 1895, Krebs preferred Hermann Niehaus to succeed the Apostle for Westphalia. The first tensions arose in the parishes of the Apostolic Zending, because again (as in Hamburg in 1878), especially under the influence of the now Apostle Krebs, it was enforced that when a vacant apostle position was filled, the role of the prophetic office tended to almost zero. This view that the prophetic light is also inherent in the apostleship and therefore does not necessarily require the activity of a church prophet is often titled the "doctrine of the new light".
Half a year later, on December 6, 1895, the Apostle Schwarz died too. Until the apostolic office for the Netherlands was filled, the parishes of the Apostolic Zending Krebs acted as “administrator-apostles” until a successor would be named by a church prophet in a special calling service. Meanwhile, the mourning period for cancer was extended from twelve weeks to one year and six weeks and Niehaus, who could speak Dutch sufficiently well, was sent to the Netherlands to “win the Dutch offices over”, as Krebs doctrine mockingly of the opponents (especially the increasingly opposing prophets) was named.
When voices rose in the Dutch congregations that Krebs himself would appoint a new submissive apostle, the various offices of the Amsterdam main congregation demanded that the "calling service" be held soon according to the prescribed guidelines. This was set on January 17, 1897 and directed by Krebs and Niehaus. In this service, the Amsterdam deacon Martinus van Bemmel was called to be an apostle for the Netherlands (referred to as the tribe of 'Judah') through a large number of prophecies and visions. He was proclaimed and installed as an apostle by the congregation.
When Van Bemmel did not want to recognize Krebs' upper authority (and there were probably doctrinal differences), Krebs informed Van Bemmel in writing on February 28, 1897 that he had been removed from the office of apostle. Jacob Kofman from Hoorn - who came from the pietistic "Missionary Church for the Dissemination of Truth" that had joined the Apostolic Zending in 1863 - gathered behind him the members who opposed Van Bemmel, supported by Krebs and Niehaus. About half of the apostolic zending , then numbering a thousand members , separated. These members gathered and operated as “Hersteld Apostolische Zendinggemeente in de Eenheid der Apostelen” (Renewed Apostolic Mission Congregation in the Unity of the Apostles), which only later (1960) assumed the international name of the New Apostolic Church . Kofman became an apostle in these churches.
The HAZK (group around Van Bemmel) then gave the brochure "De ware oorzaak der Scheuring" (this was also published in German: "The true cause of the split"), whereupon the HAZGEA (group around Kofman / Krebs / Niehaus) also did one printed answer published: "Geen Scheuring, but afval" (which was also published in both Dutch and German: "No division, but waste").
However, this circumcision of the office of the prophet also led to unrest in the Westphalian parishes of the Apostolic Zending, as a result of which the prophet Hugo was suspended and split up with several members of the tribe and joined the old apostolic community . From now on, the parishioners under van Bemmel formed the Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk.
Developments under Apostle Van Bemmel (1897–1925)
Under Van Bemmel, important apostolic principles that were upheld under Schwarz came under pressure. Shortly before his death, Schwarz had written down how the correct order of the servants (office holders) should be. He literally wrote that the supervision and authorization in a tribal area were incumbent on the apostolate, all overseers / rulers / bishops (angels) of the churches were bound to it. And further: “The apostle of the tribe is the angel of the gate church. He has an angel helper who is called for this. The angel helper can have a helper or an elder for the purpose of assisting him in 'governing'. After all, as many prophets, evangelists and shepherds can be added to each church as are necessary. ” Schwartz concluded his“ concept ”with the urgent address: “ This arrangement remains as a mandate for the tribe of Judah, given to the tribe of the Lord Jesus Christ through his apostle. "
Apostle Van Bemmel defied spiritual laws because of constant conflicts with the Amsterdam officials. He did not want to hear about required callings for new servants. He believed that the office of the prophet was unbiblical - the holy spirit could be revealed through anyone with the gift of prophecy.
He did not find prophetic calling necessary, he could appoint helpers and officials himself. Furthermore, he did not believe in the election of deacons by the congregation, and he subsequently appointed them himself. So in a short time not only the offices of bishop (angels) and elders, but also those of evangelist and prophet disappeared. From 1903 there was tension and rebellion against Van Bemmel.
Meanwhile, Van Bemmel tended more and more to Sabellianism and to teach it, in which the Trinity of God is denied; the divine being would not consist of three independent persons but of a single person. In the old days God had revealed himself as the Father, afterwards he became man as Jesus through Mary and finally he confessed himself to be the Holy Spirit.
All of these deviations led to another separation in 1904. His father-in-law, Shepherd NJ Verkruisen from Haarlem, separated from him with his congregation, Shepherd Meijnders left Amsterdam to join Verkruisen, and Shepherd T. Korff from Enkhuizen wrote a sharp warning letter. In 1913 the break with Haarlem was healed, but the restoration of the offices that had disappeared was not mentioned.
Van Bemmel held calling services for the Verkruisen and Korff, who died in Haarlem and Enkhuizen, but because he did not consider the office of prophet to be necessary, he replaced these deacons appointed by him who had the gift of prophecy as "acting prophets."
Because of the increasing internal pressure, he held a calling service in Amsterdam in 1920, in which a shepherd and an evangelist were named through the mouths of the deacons, and probably to his great horror, a prophet. For the time being, however, the congregation did not restore the election of deacons.
Developments under Apostle Kalwij (1925–1968)
On May 21, 1925, Van Bemmel, who had died on February 26, 1925, was succeeded as apostle by the deacon evangelist JG Kalwij, who originally came from the Salvation Army . Already after a very short time problems arose between him and the evangelist Verkruisen in The Hague , who proclaimed the democratic approach that the supervision and authority of the church should be the responsibility of the council of priests and not the apostolate.
After he was suspended from Kalwij for this in 1929, he separated from the community. When in 1931 JW Verkruisen had succeeded his father as a shepherd in Haarlem, there was an incident there shortly afterwards when Verkruisen tried to bring a deceased person back to life in a church service. After his suspension, he followed his brother, the suspended evangelist from The Hague, whose opinion he shared about the so-called "equality of ministers", and separated from the congregation. The parishes in Vlissingen and Australia followed him. They took the name "Hersteld Apostolic Zendinggemeente" (Renewed Apostolic Mission Congregation).
Under Apostle Kalwij (died November 28, 1946) and his successor Dielof W. Ossebaar, who was appointed on January 15, 1947, the HAZK reached the peak of its development. At that time it consisted of parishes in Amsterdam, Enkhuizen, Haarlem, Arnhem, Wageningen, The Hague, Utrecht, Amersfoort, Groningen and Zwolle and some in Germany, Austria, Australia and South Africa. At its height it had a total of about 2,700 members (1947 census), which were presided over by four apostles.
The events of 1968/69
In March 1968 the number of apostles was increased from four to seven, so the expectation within the community that a resurrection was imminent seemed justified.
Call for penance by van der Poorten
However, things turned out differently. The apostle Jacob van der Poorten , who had recently been called to England (the so-called tribe of Ruben), prophetically called for serious penance, which included that the HAZK had to return to the original apostolic order. This and the contempt of the later apostle Van Bemmel for Schwartz's spiritual legacy with regard to the office of bishop (angel office), which Van Bemmel sought to replace with his idea of one-man leadership of the apostle, again led to strong tensions within the HAZK.
Oppositional views were voiced, including by the Amsterdam prophet HM van Bemmel (grandson of the apostle van Bemmel). However, they were accused by the followers of a "strong" apostolate of violating the biblical ordinances by depriving the office of apostle of its legitimacy, as they wanted to subordinate the church leadership to a general council of priests.
Dispute over the consecration formula
Already from the beginning of the activity (1947) of the apostle Ossebaar there was tension between him and the prophet van Bemmel. When the apostolate forbade his favored "words of institution" ( consecration ), which were preferred by the Prophet van Bemmel, and instead expressively prescribed the "words of institution" of the Catholic-Apostolic Mother Church, his aversion to the apostolate grew.
The "institution words" of the now forbidden blessing were: "We bless this bread in the sacramental body and this wine in the sacramental blood of our Lord Jesus Christ ..."
Van Bemmel had explicitly stated orally and in writing that the pronouncement of the words "bless in / to" had the meaning that the priest himself made bread and wine in the sacramental sense of flesh and blood. By rejecting these words of institution, he was so bitter that he considered parting. He even stated that because of the abolition of his "words of institution", the HAZK was under the spell and would be punished with satanic prophecies.
Controversy about intervening in the prophet's duties
Having now become an opponent of the apostolic authority, van Bemmel objected to the prophecy of Apostle van der Poorten and declared that this violated the office of prophet. When van der Poorten was moved to give vocations for diaconal service in early 1969, van Bemmel demanded resistance: Deacons should be elected by the congregation, prophetic callings would be unbiblical. In addition, only prophets are authorized to make callings. A short time before, however, he himself had refused to restore the office of sub-deacon and prevented a proposed deacon election.
Open conflict from Pentecost 1969
When van der Poorten was moved on Pentecost 1969 to prophetically undertake the vocations for the vacant offices of elder and angel, the conflict broke out openly. Van Bemmel and a number of supporters accused him of being under "diabolical influence"; the devil wants to violate the “spiritual legacy of black”. He also wanted to destroy Schwarz's legacy by attempting to restore the liturgical services of the Catholic-Apostolic mother community, which Schwarz had abolished. Van Bemmel himself was particularly critical of the Catholic-Apostolic liturgy. Van der Poorten had written a book about the Catholic Apostolic Congregations in 1965 and was familiar with this subject, but at that time also disagreed with much of the British liturgy.
Soon, van Bemmel's supporters began to split. During tumultuous meetings, they were completely uncooperative. Although it has been documented in a number of scriptures that "apostolic prophecy" was in full accordance with Scripture and the spiritual law of black, they shut their ears and shouted that they did not care. Because the apostolic prophecies often contained references to the Old Testament and the Mosaic tabernacle , it was argued that they were not interested in the fact that the same applies to Hebrews and Revelation , which focus on the tabernacle.
Meeting in September 1969
During a meeting in September 1969, the final split occurred. The Haarlem shepherd Rijnders gave the apostle Ossebaar a difficult ultimatum: The prophecies of the apostle van der Poorten must be rejected as satanic, and he and the other "apostles" who were called for other foreign countries should leave the Netherlands.
As the protest of the plenary against this demand increased and after the majority of the assembly Ossebaar rejected the ultimatum, van Bemmel's supporters stood up and left the assembly cursing.
At the urging of the Arnhem authorities , an attempt was made in November to heal the split. This meeting did not lead to an agreement and the community was divided. The municipalities of Haarlem, Utrecht, Amersfoort and Wageningen placed themselves under the leadership of van Bemmel. Some members from Amsterdam and The Hague also joined them. This community also claimed the name "Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk"; this is often titled as Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk II to distinguish it from its origin .
The HAZK under Apostle Ossebaar called itself after van Bemmel's departure to distinguish it from "Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk - Stam Juda".
In 1969 a part of the members and ministers of the Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk separated under the leadership of the Prophet van Bemmel. The cause of the split was on the one hand disputes over the liturgical formulations for absolution and consecration in the first half of the 1960s. Furthermore, the position of the Apostle J. van der Poorten and his conception of the exercise of prophetic gifts by the Apostle led to severe tensions within the HAZK. The deeper cause of the split, however, was a decade-long dispute about the powers and ecclesiastical weight of the apostles on the one hand and that of the prophets on the other. The current within the (old) HAZK, which tended to prefer a stronger prophetic office on an equal footing with the apostle, broke up and changed its name to this (new) HAZK at the turn of the year 1969/1970. In 1970 Jasper Schaap was called to be an apostle by the prophet van Bemmel. After his death in 1980, HF Rijnders was his successor.
literature
- Johannes Albrecht Schröter: The Catholic Apostolic Congregations in Germany and the "Geyer Case" ; Marburg: Tectum Verlag, 2004 3 ; ISBN 3-89608-814-9 .
- Kurt Hutten: seers, brooders, enthusiasts. The Book of Traditional Sects and Special Religious Movements ; Stuttgart: Quell, 1997 15 ; ISBN 3-7918-2130-X
- Helmut Obst: Apostles and prophets of the modern age. Founder of Christian religious communities in the 19th and 20th centuries ; Göttingen: Verlag Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2000 4 ; ISBN 3-525-55438-9 and ISBN 3-525-55439-7
- MJ Tang: Het apostolic work in Nederland (tegen de achtergrond van zijn ontstaan in Engeland en Duitsland) ; The Hague: Boekencentrum, 1989 4 ; ISBN 90-239-1472-4
- M. van Bemmel and others: De ware oorzaak der Scheuring in de Hersteld Apostolic Zendinggemeente in Nederland ; Amsterdam 1897
- AJ Korff: Buttoned divorced from the Apostolic Church ; 1963 2
- J. van der Poorten: Mijn Koninkrijk is niet van deze wereld ; Woodridge, 1976
- Dr. Groenewegen: Het Boek voor onze tijd ; 2005 5
- Arthur Berkhof: De steen schreeuwt uit de muur ; 2004
- A. Hobé (Ed.): Een beeld van een kerk ; 1987
- A. Hobé (Ed.): Zie, Ik kom spoedig ; 1988
- E. Diersmann, “You shall recognize them by their fruits”. The legacy of Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz. 100 years of apostolic communities in the Netherlands, a historical overview ; Remscheid: Re Di Roma, 2007; ISBN 978-3-940450-20-3
swell
Web links
- www.apostolische-sendungskirche.de Website of the Apostolic Mission Church in Germany
- www.hazknederland.org Website Hersteld Apostolic Zendingkerk
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