Open for all people, firm in the gospel: with his last spiritual address to the District Apostle Meeting, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider once again set some clear priorities.
He began with a focus on the mission of the Apostles, namely, to call human beings to Christ and prepare them for His return. And here growth is understood primarily in a spiritual sense: not as a matter of numbers, but as maturity in faith.
However, he also went on to point out that the Holy Spirit is not only at work where the Apostles are active. Other churches also serve to lead human beings to Christ. He justified the ecumenical activities of the Church by stating that it is a good thing for Christians to work together in these endeavours.
Better to endure disadvantage than give in to false compromises
At the same time, the retiring Chief Apostle drew some clear boundaries: “The task of the apostolate is to ensure the truthful proclamation of the gospel,” he said before going on to warn against false prophets. These include all those who seek to
- exercise power in the name of Jesus
- justify violence and war on religious grounds
- make wealth more important than salvation
- exclude and condemn people
- make a business out of faith
The Chief Apostle explicitly addressed the Tenth Article of Faith, which accepts the authority of the state as long as it does not contradict any divine commandments: “Over the past years, I have observed on more than one occasion that there were forces at work trying to subjugate our Church or impose on us opinions that are contrary to the gospel.”
He called upon the District Apostles to “vigorously resist such attempts”. After all, “like Peter and the early Apostles, we believe that we must obey God rather than human beings—even if such a position is detrimental to the functioning of the Church as an institution”.
More love and fewer rules
Chief Apostle Schneider made clear that “Christ wants His church to be open to all, and for everyone to feel accepted, respected, and loved there”. He went on to add: “What is definitively harmful to the Church are rules that serve, above all, to establish the authority of those in charge!”
His question to the District Apostles: “Are all the rules we have established—and all the customs to which we are so attached—truly well-founded and useful?” His answer: “For my part, I am convinced that we could show a little more flexibility here and there without endangering the Church.”
Not an imposition, but an invitation
The mission of the Church is simply to bear witness, not to convert people. The decision for Christ remains at the discretion of the individual—and the activity of God. Therefore, what matters is not the volume of the Church’s communication, but the credibility of its messengers: love, selflessness, and steadfastness serve to make the gospel audible.
At the end of his address, the Chief Apostle once again drew attention to the Church’s relationship with other denominations explaining that the New Apostolic Church is not in competition for membership numbers, and that its members do not consider themselves to be superior Christians.
“We simply believe that God has chosen us to be part of the bridal congregation in order to fulfil a specific task in the kingdom of peace,” emphasised Chief Apostle Schneider—namely to lead all human beings of all time periods and places to Christ. “It is for this task that we prepare ourselves together.”