What is an Apostle? What is apostolic? And why is this important for all Christian churches? This is a question raised by a feast celebrated by Anglicans, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Protestants on 11 June, the Feast of Barnabas.

A lot of people celebrated a lot of memorable anniversaries in recent weeks. Among them, one of our brothers in faith, a choir, a number of congregations, a Regional Church, and even the church as a whole! And all of them celebrated around the same time. We offer our sincere congratulations!

Some 125 years ago, Chief Apostle Friedrich Krebs ordained two men as Apostles who had already served the still young Church admirably. In addition to the ministry, the two men had things in common that still have an impact today.

God has entrusted His people with precious treasures. We must preserve them, also for those who come after us. It sounds like a huge task. But don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will help us.

“Leave Jerusalem,” the Chief Apostle urged the congregation. ‌Shifting one’s perspective and actively seeking eternal life was the focus of a recent divine service in Rwanda.

He would have been eighty years old today. District Apostle Alfons Tansahtikno did a lot of good in the district of Indonesia and was able to spread the faith, braving difficult conditions.

What is a ministry? How does it work? Who can be called to ministry? The New Apostolic Church has formulated its definition of ministry. To conclude this series, we present the big picture—as a starting point for a better understanding.

The past months have seen changes not only in the circle of the Apostles, but also among the District Apostles. The Chief Apostle travelled to the various countries to perform most of the ministerial acts himself.

God is the one who designates an individual for a ministry. And yet sometimes it does not work. The problem then lies at the human level. What if something goes wrong?

It is a principle of faith in the New Apostolic Church: the fact that someone is entrusted with a ministry is rooted solely in God’s will. This idea is called “election”. But how does it work?

The main task of the Apostle ministry is the dispensing of the sacraments and the proclamation of the gospel. But sometimes their work also involves things such as presenting a wheelchair or going for a walk on the beach. Here are a few examples of the kind of support services Apostles offer.

God the Father sent His Son into the world to save all who believe in Him. And Jesus Christ still sends His disciples into the world today to help along. The Chief Apostle recently explained how this works.

What is definite is that there is gender equivalence and equality of the sexes before God. That is why, since the beginning of the year, women can also be entrusted with ministerial authority. This has both doctrinal and practical implications.

God made it rain. He saved Noah and his family with the ark. And at the end, He made a promise. These thoughts were the basis of a divine service by the Chief Apostle, which focussed on gratitude for a very particular God-given promise.

We live and learn. In many of our congregations across the world, ministers, musicians, and young people come together to learn.

“The apostolate decides that women can be entrusted with ministerial authority.” Isolated Bible verses are cited against this decision. However, these relate less to the authority than to the mandate. And the Church takes this into account.

What the Apostles preach and why we should follow the Apostles’ doctrine was the topic of a divine service the Chief Apostle conducted in Korea. He explained what the Apostle ministry has to do with the future of God’s children.

“The apostolate decides that women can be entrusted with ministerial authority.” This decision was taken after extensive discussion of the biblical findings. Here is the detailed justification.