changes in the circle of the apostles (2/2022). in most parts of the world, the covid situation has improved so that chief apostle jean-luc schneider was once again able to travel and ordain and retire apostles. some retirees had to wait longer for the official act because of the pandemic. 09 01 2023

ministry (21): the alleged law. the man “shall” rule over the woman. a few words from genesis are cited by some to oppose the ordination of women. however, god does not formulate a creative will here nor a commandment, but rather predicts the consequences of the fall into sin. this is shown by a careful look at the bible. 05 01 2023

community 1/2023: some things new plus some tried and true for the new year. yes, the concept is already a little older now: the member magazine known as community has already been around for eight years. nevertheless, it is not yet long in the tooth by any means, and still contains a great deal of new and valuable material. as usual, there is a lot of exciting content to discover in the latest issue. 02 01 2023

coming soon: women in ministry. the year 2022 will go down into the new apostolic history books. for the very first time, the church has provided a doctrinal answer to a 160-year-old question. and the resulting decision will begin to take effect in the year 2023—when women will also be given the opportunity to be ordained into ministry. 28 12 2022

ushering in a new generation of leadership. it was the year of the district apostle helpers: over the past twelve months, the chief apostle assigned no less than three new ones. this is not by coincidence. in fact, there is a stated reason behind these changes. and it all has to do with the future. 26 12 2022

ministry (20): a second glance at the image of god. “adam”—that’s the name of the first man, right? actually the word means something completely different. and it has a lot to say about gender equality. however, this can only be recognised by someone who reads the bible carefully. 20 12 2022

a district apostle helper for western germany. the new man has already demonstrated leadership qualities: both in the church and in his working life. he also has pastoral qualities. this is what companions say. they are convinced: the new apostolic church western germany can look forward to its district apostle helper. 06 12 2022

the mysterious apostle. one hundred years ago today, apostle sadrach is believed to have retired. this is not verified information though. what we do know is that the europeans at the time were a little suspicious of the javanese apostle, and today we cannot say with certainty whether he held divine services until shortly before his death in 1924 or retired on 5 december 1922. 05 12 2022

he is here to stay. at christmas, christians look back and celebrate the birth of their saviour, jesus christ. but they also look ahead, full of hope in the return of jesus. but the significance of jesus’ birth can also be experienced in the present. 01 12 2022

ministry (19): man and woman in the image of god. men and women in ordained ministry? this is only a fragment of a much larger question: how do human beings understand themselves and their task in the world? the bible gives us the answer in the creation account. and there we read: created in the image of god. 22 11 2022

ministry (18): embarking on a journey of discovery. what is ministry? how does it work? how does it relate to the person? this is what we have been discussing over the last 17 instalments of this series. now we are moving on to look at who can carry a ministry. to find the right answer we need to look closely. 10 11 2022

loving the giver more than the gift. acknowledging, remembering, and appreciating the value: this is how gratitude works. and that is the answer to a question that is thousands of years old: “what shall i render to the lord for all his benefits toward me?” (psalm 116: 12) 09 11 2022

twenty years ago: a far too early death. apostle albert mendy died just a few days before his 44th birthday. that was exactly 20 years ago. time to look back and pay tribute to the apostle. 07 11 2022

women in ministry: the teaching document is on its way. “we will answer all your questions.” the new apostolic church is serious about its promise to ordain women. the fundamental teaching document is on its way. and meetings are starting to be offered at the local level. 24 10 2022

the word of god workshop. 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. 20 10 2022

at home worldwide: celebrating god’s goodness. divine services are usually conducted twice a week in the new apostolic church, and every divine service is special. but some services still have that certain something extra. 13 10 2022

how a pioneer drew attention to his cause. it is 1972: a tall man in a black suit sits in the park and waits. at some point someone comes up to talk to him. their conversation marks the beginning of the new apostolic church in the philippines. today our members there look back on fifty years of church history while also looking forward to the anniversary celebration. 11 10 2022

first yes, then no: all beginnings are difficult. already the name itself is a little unusual, but even more so the man’s actions: rudolf rosochacky was invested with the ministry of an apostle 160 years ago today. interestingly, he only took up his tasks publicly three months later, only to resign it again after a week. from the beginnings of the apostolic movement. 10 10 2022