The International District Apostle Meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, came to an end on Sunday with a divine service. Strictly speaking, the meeting consisted of a series of individual sessions. The conference kicked off on Wednesday with a première. For the first time since its constitution, the Board of Directors of the New Apostolic Church International […]

Clear words, strong action… In line with this motto, the New Apostolic Church is continuing its fight against sexual misconduct. This was also evident at the meetings of the District Apostles this past week. The following leaves no room for doubt: “The New Apostolic Church strongly disapproves of any actions that infringe upon a person’s […]

Love, friendship, and sharing the same faith… These are things that make us strong. And this is something that brothers and sisters from all generations and walks of life were able to experience in various countries over the past few weeks. Together in Christ still applies even if the year is almost over. Photo: NAC […]

For many years, a Priest from the German district of Bochum provided for the faith-based needs of prisoners. He visited and looked after mostly New Apostolic inmates in a correctional facility in Bochum. Photo: Andreas Breitkreuz Photo: Andreas Breitkreuz Photo: Andreas Breitkreuz Priest Breitkreuz, you are responsible for the pastoral care of people serving a […]

Before a divine service for the departed, the hereafter seems to be especially near. Yet, what can we say offhand about this other world? Here are some answers from the Bible and the Catechism. “Holy Scripture provides multiple references to a purely invisible world, that is to say realms, occurrences, conditions, and beings outside the […]

Sacraments for the dead, this is a special feature of our New Apostolic faith. This is an aspect in our sacrament series that we could not have done without. In fourteen articles we examined the doctrine, how it is practised, and explored its history. In conclusion, here is an overview. For God there is no […]

The periodical points the way, but every preacher has to find his own way into the listener’s heart. This was one of the topics discussed by the authors of the Divine Service Guide at their most recent annual meeting, which took place on two continents. Photo: Kim Kolb Photo: Kim Kolb Photo: Kim Kolb Photo: […]

Acts in this world for the beyond. Why would this even be necessary? Jesus Christ Himself set the example by coming into this world to bring salvation to the living and the dead. This also marks the nature of the sacraments. The sacraments are causally linked to the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. “Salvation […]

It has been called the structural law of biblical salvation history: the principle of substitution. Even the New Apostolic Church’s understanding of salvation for the departed is founded upon this. Following is the story of where the fundamental model originates—and where it ultimately leads. The Catechism acknowledges three sacraments for the departed: Holy Baptism, Holy […]

This is about an object of faith so great that it does not fit into a single divine service. Good thing October has five Sundays. There will be plenty of opportunity to contemplate God’s creation, and from five different angles to boot. In praise of the creation Sure, a tree doesn’t have a voice that […]

Is the divine service for the departed some sort of spiritualistic practice? Hardly! Anyone who claims such a thing would be contradicting the facts! After all, scholarship sees these two as polar opposites in several decisive points. The congregation prays while two men stand at the altar. In silence they receive a consecrated wafer. That […]

Sacraments can also be of help to the departed. This is not only professed by the New Apostolic faith, but is also taught in the Catholic Church and in Orthodox Christianity. Following is a look at the bigger picture. They have a permanent place in the calendar of the Catholic community—“Eucharist celebrations with remembrance of […]

It looks no different than usual: Apostles dispense the sacraments—this time to two designated ministers—and the congregation stands and prays along silently. And yet, this is a highly solemn moment that has touched the faithful for generations. We are talking about the divine service for the departed that is celebrated in the New Apostolic Church. […]

Things got off to a turbulent start. But step by step the New Apostolic Church has put order into its sacraments for the departed. Once the practical part had been brought into line, the theory followed suit. Here is the history in fast-forward mode. In the beginning, there was a lot of euphoria about the […]

Can the departed receive salvation too? The question is as old as Christianity itself. The answer of the New Apostolic Church is not even all that new—and nevertheless, it is unusual. Here is the story of how the sacraments for the departed came to be dispensed. “1870. The first sealing for the departed (the child […]

Vicarious baptism is a biblical pillar that supports the New Apostolic Church’s conception of salvation for the departed. An episcopal council is said to have forbidden it. This is how the story usually goes, but it is not quite correct. Here is the background and how it came to the decision. So far we have […]

There is one particular Bible verse that has been giving interpreters a lot of headaches—and for the last 1,800 years to boot. And yet it is precisely this passage that constitutes the third pillar supporting the New Apostolic Church’s conception of salvation for the departed. Ultimately it boils down to a question of the power […]

God wants to help all human beings, both the living and the dead. This conviction can already be found among the earliest Christians and is confirmed by the biblical motif of Christ’s descent into the realm of the dead—and corroborates the New Apostolic concept of the departed. Christ’s descent into hell, Descensus, descent into the […]