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Apostolic Christian Church

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The Apostolic Christian Church is a religious body in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Japan that originates from the anabaptist movement.

The origins of the Apostolic Christian Church are found in the dramatic conversion experience of Samuel Heinrich Froehlich1; (1803-1857) of Switzerland. Froehlich was baptized in 1832 and soon founded the Evangelical Baptist Church. The first American church was formed in Lewis County, New York in 1847 by Benedict Weyeneth (1819-1887), who had been sent by Froehlich at the request of Joseph Virkler, a Lewis County Mennonite farmer. In 1848 a church was formed in Sardis, Ohio. The church experienced primary growth in the midwest. Though sometimes referred to as the New Amish, these believers generally called themselves Evangelical Baptist. In 1917, the church adopted a uniform name - Apostolic Christian Church.

There are currently at least three main divisions of this church in America. In the early 1900s a disagreement arose over the practice of some European customs (Namely, the wearing of a mustache) and the church split into two bodies (from 1901 to 1911). The change from the use of the German language to the English language in worship services initiated a second schism in 1932.

  • Apostolic Christian Church of America - about 94 congregations in 23 states, including 2 churches in Canada, 2 in Mexico, and 2 in Japan. The total number of members is approximately 13,000. This church has a national Missionary Committee, a World Relief program, a Work Projects program, ten nursing homes for the elderly, a home for the handicapped in Morton, Illinois, and a children's home in Leo, Indiana.
  • Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarene) - 50 congregations in the United States, with 2756 members, 14 congregations in Canada with about 850 members and 6 congregations in Australia with roughly 200 members or so. They have mission work in Brazil, New Guinea, Argentina, Paraguay, and Africa. Though the minority of the split, this body remained in fellowship with the European churches.
  • German Apostolic Christian Church - around 8 or 10 churches in Illinois, Kansas, and Oregon with approximately 500 members. There is no recent documentation on this body.
    • Christian Apostolic Church - a 1955 schism from the German Apostolic Christian Church created this group.

Sadly the European bodies too have faced divisions. Although once united throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there are now two sides. During the 1980's members were pushing for more liberties, which resulted in a vast majority of churches leaving the more conservative congregations. They formed their own branch and adopted the name Evangelische Täufergemeinden. They currently have churches in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. The small fraction that stayed call themselves Gemeinde Evangelische Taufgesinnter (Nazarener) with churches in Germany and Austria and about 400 members. They maintain strong ties with the rest of the European congregations.

The remainder of Europe is made up of independent congregations in communion:

Doctrine and Traditions of the Apostolic Christian Church of America:

Members seek to obey the Bible, which is believed to be the infallible word of God. The King James Version of the Bible is the official translation and is used in church services, bible school, and bible studies. Other translations are permitted in personal study.

Salvation is achieved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which someone accepts through conversion. The conversion in the Apostolic Church is a long process. If a person has been going to the church regularly, but has not gone through the conversion process, that person is called a "friend of the church" or a "friend". The conversion process starts out by talking to the Elder of the church. At this point, one is considered to be in the process of repenting and is given the title of "convert". This repenting process includes confessing sins to God, the Elder, and those against whom the sin was committed. On the Saturday before baptism, the convert will give a testimony to the congregation of the church, telling the story of one's personal conversion experience. The next day, on Sunday, baptisms take place after a shortened second service. Converts wear white and make a promise to serve God with the rest of their lives. Then, they are immersed completely in water. After changing back into dry cloths, the converts kneel and the ministers place their hands on the converts' heads and say a prayer of consecration. At this point, the convert becomes a member.

The Holy Kiss is a traditional greeting used in the church. Friends shake hands, say "hello", and do any other greeting used in the larger society. Converts shake hands and say "greetings". Members shake hands and say "greetings, Brother/Sister". If the members are of the same gender, they will also kiss each other on the lips. (These greetings are only used in formal situations, such as church)

Communion is served once a year near Easter. Only members participate, and only after a period of self-examination and restitution for the sins of the past year. It consists of bread & fruit of the vine (wine).

Sisters (female members) are expected to wear a head covering when they pray or worship. A head covering is a piece of lace, usually matching the color of the sister's hair, significantly smaller than the size of a hand, and attached with bobby pins. When attending church, sisters wear a black veil, about three inches wide and shoulder length, usually attached with a pin. They are also expected to wear skirts when in public.

All members are expected to be modest in their attire.

All members are expected not to conform to the world.

The church allows members to serve in the military, but not to bear arms. Instead, they serve to serve as non-combatants.

The truth may be affirmed, but swearing of oaths is forbidden.

Elders serve at the choice of the congregation, and perform all rites and ministerial duties. Deacons serve as assistants to the elders. The Elders of each church serve as equal members of the Elder Body, which makes decisions regarding the doctrine of the church, in accordance with the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

In most congregations of the Apostolic Christian Church of America, singing is a cappella. (Within the Apostolic Christian Churches (Nazarene), musical instruments may accompany worship services and singing.) The "Zion's Harfe/Harp" is also universally used during service and worship.

A typical Sunday consists of two services, with lunch served in between, during the fellowship hour. Families take turns serving lunch, and it usually consists of cold sandwiches and other finger foods(donuts, cookies, bars) with milk or water. The ministers do not prepare services in advance, except on holidays, weddings, baptisms, and other special occasions. Instead, they will open the bible to a passage and preach as they feel moved by the holy spirit. There is usually one reading from both the old and new testament in each service. There are also Wednesday night services.

The young group consists of all of the unmarried, baptized members of the church. Every weekend, they have at least one singing, where they get together to sing a cappella, eat food, and play cards, board games, and sports. It is also the main method for future married couples to meet each other, because individual dates and boyfriend/girlfriend status is not allowed. When a Brother feels that he would like a marry a Sister, he talks to the elder about it, who will talk to the woman and her parents (if applicable). If both sides agree, the marriage will take place.



References

  • Handbook of Denominations, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  • Marching to Zion: A History of the Apostolic Christian Church of America, by Perry Klopfenstein
  • Profiles in Belief: the Religious Bodies in the United States and Canada (Vol. II), by Arthur Carl Piepkorn
  • Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, 2000, Glenmary Research Center

Footnote

  1. "Froehlich" is for all intents and purposes an Anglicization of Fröhlich, although use of "oe" (or a similar digraph with a smaller "e" atop the "o") to denote the same sound actually predates the use of the umlaut in written German.
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