From the Black Forest to the globally spanning church: who is Martin Rheinberger?

He is very familiar with the southern part of Germany, and soon he will get to know thirty more countries: Apostle Martin Rheinberger will become a District Apostle Helper. A new responsibility, a new chapter, both for him and the New Apostolic Church.

District Apostle Michael Ehrich (born 1959) has led the District Apostle Area of Southern Germany since 2006. He will retire next year, the District Apostle recently announced in a circular to the congregations in his working area. His successor will be the 57-year-old Apostle Rheinberger, who will be assigned a District Apostle Helper by Chief Apostle Schneider on 29 June 2025. In 2026, the District Apostle Helper will then be appointed a District Apostle.

A year of preparation

Martin Rheinberger was born on 14 September 1967 in the district of Rottweil (Baden-Wuerttemberg). Today, he and his wife and their two sons live near Ludwigsburg.

As a District Apostle Helper, Martin Rheinberger will work closely with District Apostle Michael Ehrich. During this transition phase, he will be introduced to the extensive administrative, pastoral, and strategic tasks associated with the leadership of a Regional Church and familiarised with the extensive working area.

In addition to the congregations in the district Southern Germany, this also includes many congregations in almost thirty countries in Central, West, and East Africa, as well as in other European and Asian countries. In terms of pastoral care and administration, the District Apostle of Southern Germany is responsible for a total of 26,000 ministers and 1.1 million believers in 8,000 congregations. This is a huge responsibility and one for which one needs to be well prepared. 

Rooted and dedicated

Martin Rheinberger has dedicated his time and energy to the Church for over three decades. What began in 1989 with an ordination as a Sub-deacon developed over many years into a deeply rooted pastoral mission. He served as a Priest, Evangelist, and Shepherd, took on responsibility as a District Elder. He was ordained a Bishop in 2017 and an Apostle in 2020. In all these tasks, he remained one thing above all: close to the people and dependable in terms of faith. Since then, he has been responsible as an Apostle for several church districts in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. He has also been responsible for the congregations in the Persian Gulf since 2019.

Experienced and committed

He has also been involved in several specialist and project groups for years, for example on pastoral care practice, organisation of the Day of the Youth, and children’s teaching materials. He is also a member of the team of authors who write for the monthly Divine Service Guide, the publication for ministers.

A reliable counsellor

When he became a Bishop back in 2017, Martin Rheinberger said, “I want to be a faithful assistant to my Apostle and a true shepherd and counsellor to the ministers and members entrusted to me.” This self-image has characterised his work to this day. For him, pastoral care is not an official title, but an attitude: attentive and thoughtful, compassionate and reliable. He is particularly keen to stay close to the congregations and engage in open dialogue with all generations.

Believing and focussed

For Apostle Rheinberger, the gospel is not a collection of dogmatic principles, but an invitation to a life of love, forgiveness, and hope. In his sermons, he repeatedly refers to following Jesus in everyday life—not as an abstract ideal, but as a very concrete orientation. He attaches great importance to prayer, fellowship, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Faith should comfort, uplift, and above all move you to act,” is one of his key messages. Working with children also means a lot to him. “Children do not need to be afraid because they are in God’s hands,” he emphasised in a divine service for teachers. He understands the gospel as a true-to-life offer from God that creates trust both in good and challenging times.