The Chief Apostle, also known as the Stammapostel, is the highest minister in the New Apostolic Church, and has existed since 1896. For other types of minister, see Minister In Christian churches, a minister is a man or woman who serves a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such persons can minister as a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain, Deacon or Elder. ... The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is an chiliastic church, existing since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

History

The term "Chief Apostle" was introduced by minister Friedrich Krebs and can be compared to the one Apostle Peter had 2000 years ago amongst the original Apostles. Before Krebs introduced it, the title was already used in the Catholic Apostolic Church, however with a completely different meaning (as the German word "Stamm" means "tribe" and was used to describe the working areas (=tribes) of the apostles). Saint Peter, also known as Peter, Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha — original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose from among his original disciples. ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... The Catholic Apostolic Church is a millenarian religious community. ...

Former Chief Apostles:

1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Braunschweig (historic English name Brunswick, Low Saxon Brunswiek) is a city of 245,500 people (as of December 31, 2004), located in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Karlsruhe (population 283,959 in 2005) is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... , City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked 100th 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... Location within Switzerland The city of Bern, English traditionally Berne (Bernese German Bärn , German Bern , French Berne , Italian Berna , Romansh Berna ), is the Bundesstadt (administrative capital) of Switzerland, and is the fourth most populous Swiss city (after Zürich, Geneva and Basel). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. Wilhelm Leber (* July 20, 1947 in Herford, Westfalen, Germany). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Map of Germany showing Herford Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Function

The function of the Chief Apostle is to lead the New Apostolic Church. On questions about the faith of New Apostolic Church members, he has the highest authority. Together with the district apostles he determines the policy of the church. The word faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to belief, trust or confidence, but unlike these terms, faith tends to imply a transpersonal rather than interpersonal relationship – with God or a higher power. ... A policy is a plan of action to guide decisions and actions. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ...

One of the most interesting Chief Apostles was J.G. Bischoff: at Christmas in 1950 he declared his "Botschaft" ("message"). This teaching announced that he would not die before Jesus Christ's return, during which the chosen people will be taken into His kingdom (the First Resurrection). In 1954 this teaching became official dogma. Those ministers, especially the apostles, who did not preach this message lost their positions and were excommunicated from the New Apostolic Church. The most important "victim" of this policy was Peter Kuhlen, the ordained successor to J.G. Bischoff. When Chief Apostle Bischoff died in 1960, his dogma about Christ's return had not been fulfilled. Unfortunately, the excommunicated ministers were not rehabiblitated, up to the present day. According to the Trinitarian interpretation of the New Testament, Jesus was both human and God, so he had the power to lay his life down and to take it up again; thus after Jesus died, he came back to life. ...

The various communities and congregations which evolved out of these conflicts in different countries (Australia, Europe, South-Africa) gathered 1956 in the United Apostolic Church. The member churches of the United Apostolic Church (de:Vereinigung Apostolischer Gemeinden, nl:Vereniging van Apostolische Gemeenten) are independent communities in the tradition of the catholic-apostolic revival movement which started in the beginning of the 19th century from England and Scotland. ...

The Chief Apostle can ordain new apostles or retire them. He is also believed to have the "key-power", i.e. the power to open the gate of the hereafter and can, therefore,baptize departed souls. Baptism in early Christian art. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ...

Source

• Wikipedia Germany