![]() | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (August 2010) |
![]() New Apostolic Church | |
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![]() New Apostolic church hall with emblem | |
Classification | Christian |
Orientation | Irvingian |
Theology | Restorationist |
Polity | Apostolic Hierarchical |
Leader | Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider |
Distinct fellowships | International Apostles' Meeting District Apostles' Meeting Project Groups: -Faith Questions -Ecumenism -Music -Communication -Youth Committee for special affairs and others |
Associations | Consortium of Christian Churches, Germany and Switzerland |
Region | 181 nations, divided into 18 District Apostle areas, Int. headquarters: Zürich |
Origin | 1863 Hamburg, Germany |
Branched from | Catholic Apostolic Church |
Separations | Restored Apostolic Mission Church, Old Apostolic Church, United Apostolic Church, |
Congregations | 59,816 (01/01/2016)[1] |
Members | 8,923,420 (01/01/2016)[1] |
Ministers | 256,812 (01/01/2016)[1] |
Aid organization | NAK karitativ, Germany |
Official website | nak.org |
The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian church of the Irvingian tradition. Its origins are in the split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during an 1863 schism in Hamburg, Germany.[2]
The church has existed since 1863 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands. It came about from the schism in Hamburg in 1863, when it separated from the Catholic Apostolic Church, which itself started in the 1830s as a renewal movement in, among others, the Anglican Church and Church of Scotland.
The Second Coming of Christ is at the forefront of the New Apostolic doctrines. Most of its doctrines are akin to mainstream Christianity and, especially its liturgy, to Protestantism, whereas its hierarchy and organisation could be compared with the Roman Catholic Church. It is a central church in the Irvingian orientation of Christianity.
The church considers itself to be the re-established continuation of the Early Church and that its leaders are the successors of the twelve apostles. This doctrine resembles Restorationism in some aspects.
The official abbreviation in English-speaking countries is NAC (for New Apostolic Church), whereas it is NAK in German (Neuapostolische Kirche), ENA in French (Église Néo Apostolique), and INA in Portuguese (Igreja Nova Apostólica) and Spanish (Iglesia Nueva Apostólica).
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