Those who listen have something to say too

Open to others, yet secure in one’s own faith: how do these two go together? And what role does the return of Christ play in this? Here is part five of our interview series with Chief Apostle Helge Mutschler.

What significance does ecumenical dialogue hold for you?

Dialogue is important to me—and for theological reasons, not strategic ones. We profess belief in one church. One! Because we profess one God.  And this one church is greater than the New Apostolic Church. The church of Christ is present wherever people who have been properly baptised profess Jesus Christ as their Lord, follow Him, and love their neighbour. Our Catechism explicitly states this. And the same Catechism also makes another point: the church of Christ is most clearly manifest where the Apostle ministry is at work, where the sacraments are administered, and where the word is properly proclaimed. Both are stated there. And both must remain.

I know that people feel differently about this. For some, dialogue is a given. Others are more cautious and wonder whether we risk losing what has been entrusted to us? I take both concerns seriously. And I believe this is not a question of either/or. Our Catechism offers a good formula for this. It says: open, while respecting our own self-conception. For me that means I do not enter into a conversation with the intention of adopting the other person’s position. I enter into it because there is something worth hearing, and because I have something to say. If you no longer know who you are, you ultimately have nothing to contribute.

What topics in particular would you like to bring to the table?

It is important to me that the apostolic voice is also heard in ecumenical dialogue. Not loudly, not in a patronising way, but clearly. We have something to contribute, and we should contribute it. One thing above all: the return of Christ. This is the core of our hope, and we speak about it in every divine service. I get the impression that this topic has become less prominent in many churches. Yet it lies at the heart of the New Testament, and it features in every Christian creed. That is what I would like to talk about. Not to lecture anyone, but because I believe that this hope is good for everyone—even those who do not speak about it so openly at present.

As a District Apostle Helper, you were also responsible for Russia and Central Asia. What did you take away from that experience?

One experience in particular: I now know what it means to be in the minority as a Christian, or more generally as a person of faith. For this is a point that is easily overlooked: in many places, the largest group is not made up of believers of other denominations or religions. It is made up of those who do not believe at all. If you live in such an environment, you cannot take your faith for granted. You must explain it. Again and again, and usually without anyone having asked you to. That is demanding. But I have observed that it does not weaken one’s faith. It makes it clearer. If you have to keep explaining what you believe, you soon become very clear about what you believe and why. Where faith is taken for granted, that clarity is sometimes lost. This is what I have taken away from the experience.

In Europe, developments are moving in a similar direction …

Yes, in Germany too, we have long since become a minority. Not just us as the New Apostolic Church, but active Christians as a whole. What was everyday life for our brothers and sisters in the East is now becoming a reality here. And that is where I see common ground—not so much in our respective doctrines as in the circumstances we share. The question is, how do we keep our faith alive in an environment where no one asks about it any more?

Photo: Marcel Felde