community 4/2026: Between farewell and a new beginning
One Chief Apostle retires, a new one begins his ministry. The new edition of community looks back on Pentecost in Cape Town and follows Chief Apostle Helge Mutschler as he takes his first steps in ministry.
How do you get into heaven? It was with this question that Chief Apostle Helge Mutschler opened his first Editorial in community. To understand how not to get in, he focused on the older son from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The older son became angry and remained outside, and the father then came out to him to invite him in. “It is not the father who bars the way to the feast,” concluded the Church leader. At the end we find only the invitation: “Come into the fellowship that God grants you. The door is open.”
One head, two Chief Apostles
On Pentecost Sunday, 24 Mary 2026, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider delivered his last sermon as international Church leader in the Tafelsig church in Cape Town, South Africa. Thereupon he ordained his successor, who then went on to retire him. The sermon had to do with the body of Christ, the members of which are different—as desired by God. “The strength of the Church does not lie in membership numbers, money, or influence,” emphasised the Chief Apostle. He went on to add that each of us is weak, depending on the perspective of others: “All of us, without exception, are weak in someone else’s eyes.”
A member of the NACI team recounts what that day felt like—from the bus ride along the coast to the moment the vow was given, preceded by silence. Just before departure, the outgoing Chief Apostle appeared at the buses unusually early. Rubbing his hands together, he said, “But today will be something very special.”
Open yet firm
It was also during the Pentecost visit to South Africa that Jean-Luc Schneider addressed the District Apostle Meeting for one last time as Chief Apostle. He stated that growth is measured by maturity in faith, and noted that other churches can also lead people to Christ. He drew a clear line against anyone who justifies violence and war on religious grounds or who seeks to make faith into a business. And he posed a question to the District Apostles: “Are all the rules that we have established, the traditions to which we are so attached, really well founded and useful?” – He summarised his image of the Church in a single sentence: “Christ desires a church that is open to all, in which each one feels accepted, valued, and loved.”
From Helper to Chief Apostle
Chief Apostle Mutschler himself writes about the ministry he assumed in Cape Town. He emphasises that this mission does not belong to him but has been entrusted to him. And he acknowledges: “My faith does not sustain itself. It lives by the grace of God.” An overview lists all ten Chief Apostles since 1897.
Three divine service reports follow his journey between March and June: while still serving as Chief Apostle Helper, he preached about Golgotha in Humpolec, Czech Republic on 15 March 2026. He conducted his first divine service as Chief Apostle on Sunday, 31 May 2026, in Stendal, Germany. “There is a place for you at this table,” he assured the congregation. A week later, at the Estádio dos Coqueiros in Luanda, Angola, he explained: “Falling down is not the problem. The problem is staying down. It is difficult to get up again on our own, but with God’s strength it is possible—because Christ extends His hand to us.”
The Lord invites you
Eucharistic prayer, consecration, dispensation: a doctrinal article explains, step-by-step, what transpires at each celebration of Holy Communion, starting with the prayer for the power of the Holy Spirit to become active, and ending with the covering of the chalices. In the process, it becomes clear who is at work here: “Jesus Christ is the Lord of the sacrament,” the text declares. When the invitation states: “The Lord now invites you to Holy Communion,” then it is Christ Himself who calls us to His table.
To Ethiopia, to Almaty
For children—and for older people, too—the Bible story tells of the Ethiopian eunuch, to whom Philip explains a passage from the book of Isaiah, and whom he then goes on to baptise.
This time, the “Children’s corner” visit takes us to Kazakhstan. Ten-year-old Ruslan lives with his parents and his sisters, Sofia and Alisa, in Almaty, the country’s largest city. He likes mathematics, boardgames and noodles. And he tells readers about the Aitys singing competition, in which two singers compete against each other using spontaneously rhymed verses, accompanied by the dombra—a traditional instrument.
Background: community appears once every quarter. The New Apostolic Church International publishes the magazine in English, French, and German. The District Apostle areas then produce versions in other languages. The print edition primarily reaches Church members who have limited or no internet access. All issues of community are available for reading and download at nac.today.