Twenty-two Apostles were ordained in the past year by Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, and eighteen went into retirement. Three active Apostles passed away in 2017.

The New Apostolic Church is changing at the global level, not only from a doctrinal point of view, but also from a structural point of view: succession plans have been developed and District Churches are merging. Here is a brief look back at the year 2017 and an outlook on the immediate future.

They travel by air, sea, or land and log mile after mile as they bump over rough terrain and potholed dirt tracks in four-wheel drives. Getting to their congregations can be exhausting for Apostles and even dangerous.

The two independent District Apostle Areas in South America will merge in 2019. This announcement was recently made by the Church leaders.

The excitement and anticipation in India is building. The Chief Apostle will be visiting Raipur this coming weekend. Everyone is excited: the Chief Apostle, the host, and especially the brothers and sisters.

As of last Sunday, Peter Schulte is the number two man in the District Apostle district of Australia. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider began by ordaining him into the Apostle ministry, and then went on to assign him as a District Apostle Helper for the enormous working area.

Melbourne is ranked as the most livable city in the world. And this coming weekend Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will be there to start a new chapter in the history of the Australian District Church: Peter Schulte will be ordained an Apostle and appointed as a District Apostle Helper.

A tribute to the retiring Apostle and great expectations of his successor … This coming weekend, there will be a change in the Church leadership in Spain. This also affects the New Apostolic congregations in Italy.

Currently, 353 Apostles are active around the world. Following is an overview of seven retirements, fifteen ordinations, and two appointments that took place in the first half of 2017.

The merger of two neighbouring District Churches in Germany is approaching fast. The name of the new entity has been selected, its statutes have received initial approval, and the administrative offices are being restructured—and there is even a new date for the actual merger.

The Catechism in Indonesian, a new District Church in Germany, a new church in Berlin, a new well in Ghana … These are the topics in this week’s review.

Preserving unity is the greatest challenge. With Apostle Edy the Church in South East Asia will receive an energetic Helper.

“Reconciliation is not so simple,” Apostle Rolf Wosnitzka from Erfurt in Thuringia (Germany) says. Together with others he was instrumental in bringing the reconciliation process between the New Apostolic Church and the Apostolic Community forward. How did this come about?

“My life was quite simple: everything was exciting,” says André Miku Mpeti, a retired Priest. Born in the Congo, he came to Belgium as a young man and has now been living in Iceland for many years.

This is not a congregation you happen to come across as you stroll along. In fact, at 4,000 metres it is about as close to heaven as you can get. But Pacharía has a lot more to offer: a Deacon well past retirement age and an ingenious way of calling the faithful to worship.

Not more than 25 hours … This is how long Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will be in Guinea-Bissau. He will celebrate two divine services, carry out a retirement and an ordination, and meet with the Apostles and Bishops. Then he will continue to Senegal.

Currently, there are 345 active Apostles around the world. Following is an overview of the retirements, ordinations, and appointments that took place in the second half of the year 2016.

It has been a year of coming together: mergers between District Churches, reconciliation among apostolic denominations, and reaching out to guests with a service for the departed. Following is a look back over the most important events of 2016…