Again the Chief Apostle was hardly able to travel in the first half of the year and could therefore ordain and retire only a few Apostles. Instead, he asked the District Apostles to perform these ministerial acts on his behalf. At the end of June 2021, 337 Apostles were active around the world.
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Apostlel Matthias Pfützner (1977)
Photo: NAK Schweiz
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Apostle Helge Mutschler (1974)
Photo: CC. Spindler
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Apostle Jorge Gomes (1973)
Photo: Frank Schuldt
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Apostle Philipp Burren (1955)
Photo: NAK Schweiz
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Apostle Michael Moses Chipanda (1955)
Photo: NAC Malawi
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Apostle Aggrey Kafunya Singanda (1955)
Photo: NAC Sambia
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Apostle Sergej Petrowitsch Bastrikow (1955)
Photo: Thomas Przybylka
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Apostle Agostinho Indami (1955)
Photo: Frank Schuldt
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Apostle Pedro Benga Luyindula (1967)
Photo: NAC Angola
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Apostle Bonifacio Afonso Semba (1956)
Photo: NAC Mosambik
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Apostle Jean Koiyoumtan Blague (1962)
Photo: NAC Sambia
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Apostle Ingombe Muyunda Ananyatele (1956)
Photo: NAC Sambia
On 30 June 2021 the international Church registered a total of 246,500 ministers in diaconal or priestly service. They look after 57,500 congregations across the globe. Currently, there are 313 Apostles, 8 District Apostle Helpers, 15 District Apostles, and the Chief Apostle.
Ordinations
On 24 January 2021 Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider visited the congregation of Zofingen in Switzerland, where he ordained District Evangelist Matthias Pfützner (1977) as an Apostle for Austria, the eastern part of Switzerland, and Slovenia.
On 28 February the Chief Apostle was in Gaggenau in Germany and assigned Apostle Helge Mutschler a District Apostle Helper for Northern and Eastern Germany.
The Chief Apostle assigned District Apostle Rainer Storck with the ordination of a new Apostle for Guinea-Bissau, which he performed on his first pastoral trip outside of Europe since February 2020. The ordination of Apostle Jorge Gomes (1973) was carried out on 19 June in Bissau, the country’s capital.
Retirements, resignations, and a leave of absence
During a divine service in the congregation of Zofingen in Switzerland, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider retired Apostle Philipp Burren (1955).
The Chief Apostle commissioned the District Apostles to carry out further retirements. On 13 March District Apostle Kububa Soko retired the Apostles Michael Moses Chipanda (1955) from Malawi and Aggrey Kafunya Singanda (1955) from Zambia.
District Apostle Wolfgang Nadolny retired Apostle Sergey Petrovich Bastrikov (1955) on 6 June in a service in Moscow (Russia).
District Apostle Rainer Storck retired Apostle Agostinho Indami (1955) on 19 June 2021 in Bissau (Guinea-Bissau).
Apostle Mário Tchinvula (1963) from Angola resigned from his ministry. The Chief Apostle accepted his resignation on 13 January
On 18 March 2021 Chief Apostle Schneider discharged Apostle John Parus (1960) from his ministry. He had been an Apostle in Pakistan since 2015.
Apostle Jens Lindemann (1963) resigned for personal reasons. The Chief Apostle accepted his resignation on 1 June.
Apostle Marc Diedricks (1960) from South Africa will be unable to exercise his ministry for some time because of health issues. Chief Apostle Schneider granted the Apostle a leave of absence. Apostle Peter Lambert (1964) will look after the Apostle’s district for the time being.
Deaths
Apostle Pedro Benga Luyindula (1967) from Angola passed away on 3 January 2021 aged 53. He had been admitted to hospital with stroke symptoms. Two other Apostles passed away in January: Bonifacio Afonso Semba (1956) from Mozambique died on 20 January of liver cancer and Jean Koiyoumtan Blague (1962) died on 29 January. He had been on his way home from a divine service when he started feeling unwell. Since he was not stable enough to be transported, and there was a lack of medication, he died in a regional hospital. Apostle Ingombe Muyunda Ananyatele (1956) from Zambia passed away on 8 February 2021 as a result of an illness.
District Apostle Areas
The New Apostolic Church is structured into fifteen District Apostle Areas. These are led by the following District Apostles:
- Michael David Deppner (1961) – Democratic Republic of Congo-West
- Michael Ehrich (1959) – Southern Germany
- Joseph Opemba Ekhuya (1969) – East Africa
- Edy Isnugroho (1963) – South-East Asia
- Leonard Richard Kolb (1956) – USA
- Rüdiger Krause (1960) – Northern and Eastern Germany
- John Leslie Kriel (1956) – Southern Africa
- Enrique Eduardo Minio (1960) – South America
- Wolfgang Nadolny (1956) – Berlin-Brandenburg
- Peter Schulte (1963) – Western Pacific
- Kububa Soko (1969) – Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe
- Rainer Storck (1958) – Western Germany
- Tshitshi Tshisekedi (1972) – Democratic Republic of Congo South-East
- Mark Woll (1959) – Canada
- Jürg Zbinden (1958) – Switzerland
Some of the District Apostles are supported by District Apostle Helpers who as a rule work in specific countries:
- David Devaraj (1959) – India
- Frank Stephan Dzur (1959) – Canada
- John William Fendt (1957) – USA
- Arnold Ndakondwa Mhango (1957) – Malawi
- João Uanuque Misselo (1965) – Angola
- Mandla Patrick Mkhwanazi (1963) – Southern Africa
- Helge Mutschler (1974) – Northern and Eastern Germany
- Robert Nsamba (1962) – Zambia