Old Apostolic Church

Old Apostolic Church Swellendam

The Old Apostolic Church is an Christian religious community, with historical roots in the Catholic Apostolic Church and the New Apostolic Church. The Old Apostolic Church is part of a branch of Christianity called Irvingism, and is separate from Protestantism.

History

The Old Apostolic Church's roots are found in the Catholic Apostolic Church, that was established in 1832 as an outflow of the Albury Movement.

Scheme of several Apostolic Churches inside and outside the Netherlands from 1830 until 2005. Click on the image to enlarge.

Founding of the Apostolic Church

After the death of three Catholic Apostolic Apostles in 1855 the apostolate declared that there was no reason to call new apostles. Two callings of substitutes ("Jesus calleth thee Apostolic Messenger. He would use thee Coadjutor for him whom He hath gathered to Himself.") were explained by the apostolate in 1860 as Coadjutors to the remaining apostles. After this event another apostle was called in Germany in 1862 by the prophet Heinrich Geyer. The Apostles did not agree with this calling, and therefore the larger part of the Hamburg congregation who followed their Bishop F.W. Schwartz in this schism were excommunicated. Out of this sprang the Allgemeine Christliche Apostolische Mission (ACAM) in 1863 and the Dutch branch of the Restored Apostolic Mission Church (at first known as Apostolische Zending, since 1893 officially registered as Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk (HAZK).

Establishment in Africa

In 1889 Evangelist Carl George Klibbe arrived in South Africa to begin mission work for the Apostolic Church. He was ordained Apostle in 1893 by Apostle H.F. Niemeyer of Australia with the mission from the Apostolate to establish an African branch of the church. At that time the office of Chief Apostle was not yet established and each Apostle functioned independently from one other.

The church was officially registered in 1910 in terms of the Companies Act of the Transvaal (1909) as The New Apostolic Church (Africa), with Carl George Klibbe as Apostle and Leader, with ultimate authority of the church. The Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church was not recognized as having any authority over the African branch. Only close association with the German church was recognized without interference.

The Head Office of the church was moved in 1910 from the farm iMvani in the Eastern Cape to Johannesburg.

The Great Schism

In 1895, both the longest serving Apostles, FW Schwartz and FW Menkhoff passed away. A day after Schwartz' death, Fritz Krebs declared himself as Chief Apostle and Unity Father. Following his attempted takeover of the Dutch Church, Restored Apostolic Mission Church, the Dutch church declared independence from the German branch in 1897. This was followed by a breakaway by some German congregations under Elder Julius Fischer who formed the Apostelampt Juda.

In 1905, Krebs passed away and was succeeded by Herman Niehaus, whom he appointed. Niehaus immediately started to rid the German church of all opposing Apostles, and started to sideline the foreign Apostles.

Due to the personality cult of Chief Apostle Hermann Niehaus, Niemeyer separated himself from the German branch of the Church and founded The Apostolic Church of Queensland in 1912.

The South African branch also severed all contact with the German branch. The following reasons are given by the Old Apostolic Church for this act:

• Niehaus' ban on prophetic gifts (visions, dreams and prophecies),
• Niehaus' refusal to appoint Prophets,
• Niehaus' acceptance of the literal interpretation of the Bible,
• Acceptance by Niehaus that the Second Coming is a future, literal event.
• establishment of the office of Chief Apostle, and
• personality cult that formed around the Chief Apostle.
• The rise of German nationalism within the European Church.

Niehaus tried to remove Klibbe from office and a counter-Apostle, Wilhelm Schlaphoff was appointed. In 1913 Niehaus informed Klibbe that he was excommunicated from the New Apostolic Church, although the South African branch was independent and reaffirmed that independence with a change in the Acts of Association of the church in 1915. For some time, there were two conflicting organisations in South Africa using the name New Apostolic Church; the registered church under the leadership of Klibbe (The New Apostolic Church) and a breakaway group under the counter-Apostle Schlaphoff (New Apostolic Church).

Finally, in 1926, an agreement and settlement was reached between the two churches. The church that was established in 1892 and formally registered in 1910 would change its name to the Old Apostolic Church, so that Schlaphoff could register the New Apostolic Church(Africa). The name "Old Apostolic Church" was chosen due to Klibbe's dedication to the original doctrine

The Church under Apostle Klibbe

In July 1926, Apostle Klibbe appointed a five member committee to take charge of the affair of the Church. These members where:

• Priest CP Michael (Chairman)
• Priest H Hippert (Vice Chairman)
• Overseer W Campbell
• Priest NJ Mitchell
• Priest CFW Ninow

The committee was assisted by Sister M Storbeck as Secretary. Priest and Sister Storbeck also took care of Apostle Klibbe during the last years of his life.

The name of the Church was officially changed to "The Old Apostolic Church of Africa" on 1 June 1927 as was stipulated by the Supreme Court Settlement.

On January 1928, Apostle Klibbe appointed the Chairman of the Council of the OAC as, CP Michael as Organiser, making Michael the second highest authority in the Church. Michael also was the only person in the Church to have held that office. On 29 February 1928, Apostle Klibbe and Organiser Michael signed the new Constitution and By-Laws of the Old Apostolic Church of Africa as being true and correct.

On 22 May 1928, CFW Ninow and W Campbell was ordained as Apostles to assist Apostle Klibbe.

In January 1931, EFW Ninow was ordained as Apostle and he took over the management of the Church from Apostle Klibbe, who passed away on 22 May 1931.

The OAC after Klibbe

At the time of Klibbe's death on 22 May 1931 the Old Apostolic Church had more than 1 million adherents. Apostles Ernest Fredrick Willhelm Ninow, Carl Fredrick Willhelm Ninow and William Campbell were appointed by Klibbe as his successors before he died, with EFW Ninow as the Chairman and Leader of the church.

Leaders of the Old Apostolic Church of Africa

• CG Klibbe (1892-1931)
• EFW Ninow (1931-1966)
• AH Heunis (1966-1970)
• HH Ninow (1970-1984) Position was abolished in 1984, after HH Ninow's retirement and replaced with the Apostolate

First Foreign Apostle

In 1980, MM Massinga was ordained as the first non-South African Apostle of the Old Apostolic Church. Massinga also was the first black Apostle of the church and served as the Apostle for Mozambique.

The Apostolate

After the retirement of Apostle HH Ninow in 1984, the position of Leader of the Old Apostolic Church was abolished and replaced with the Apostolate. Out of the Apostololate a Chairman was elected as well as a Secretary who was responsible for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the Apostolate.

The Conference of Apostles

As part of a move to establish the Old Apostolic Church as a international church, the "from Africa" part was dropped from the name and each country added the name of the country in brackets. For instance the church in South Africa became known as The Old Apostolic Church (South Africa).

The Conference of Apostles (CoA) was formed as a international ruling body of the church, and each country could have its own Apostolate, who in turn would be responsible for regional affairs.

The office of Helper-Apostle was abolished and all serving Helper-Apostles was during the latter part of 1995, and early part of 1996 ordained as Apostles.

The CoA elected from out of their midst an Apostle as Chairman with a term of two years, and he could not serve more than two consecutive terms. A Secretary was also appointed to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the CoA.

Establishment of the OAC in Europe, Australasia, North America and the Middle East

On 17 August 1997, the first Church Service was conducted in London. Elder Redman from Cape Town was on visit to family when members requested that he conduct a service. This was followed on 2 November 1997 when Apostle GF Campbell held a service where Priest Booysen was ordained as the first Priest for the British Isles.

On 25 December 1997, Apostle GJJ Boshoff ordained Priest CWP Human as the first Priest for Australia. On 1 January 1998, Priest Human and his family arrived in Brisbane to re-establish the Church in Australia.

On 1 August 1999 the first service was held in New Zeeland by Priest Sammons.

On 4 June 2000, Brothers Sampson and Ponelis was ordained in Chicago, Illinois as the Priests for Chicago and Minneapolis respectively.

In July to August 2000, the British Isles was visited by Apostles DB Nieuwenhuizen and MM Massinga where Priest Booysen was ordained as Elder and Brothers Burger and Tocknell as Priests.

On 12 November 2000, Priest Ronald Looij was ordained in Potchefstroom as Elder for the Netherlands and Belgium.

In mid 2006 four Apostles (Ingolf Schultz, Jorg Stohwasser, Uwe Jacob and Hans-Georg Richter) and their followers from the German church Apostelamt Jesu Christi joined the Old Apostolic Church. In the beginning of 2007 this German branch of the OAC was registered as Altapostolische Kirch e.v. (Deutschland).

At present the Old Apostolic Church is estimated to have around 2 million members in Africa. Congregations can be found in South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, USA, Canada, British Isles, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. The Old Apostolic Church is independent from the New Apostolic Church and the United Apostolic Church, and is not part of the South African Council of Churches or the World Council of Churches, and refuse to become members of these organisations.

Schisms from the OAC

The following groups broke away from the Old Apostolic Church:

• 1925 "Apostolic Church" under the leadership of Heinrich Velde, the son in law of Apostle Klibbe. This group became part of the Apostolic Church of South Africa - Apostle Unity and the United Apostolic Church.
• 1968 Twelve Apostles Church of Africa, due to doctrinal differences under the leadership of Helper-Apostle Jim Scotch Ndlovu after he was removed from office.
• 1972 Reformed Old Apostolic Church under the leadership of Helper-Apostle Robert Lombard, broke away due to the unwillingness of the Old Apostolic Church leadership to take part in political debate concerning racial segregation, and a leadership dispute with the Apostolate of the OAC concerning revelations received by Lombard. It was first established as the Non-White Old Apostolic Church but forced to change its name in a court case in 1975
• 1993 The Foundation of Apostles and Prophets Church, was founded by Vuyisilile Naborth Vika, a former Helper-Apostle of the OAC who was removed from office in 1990 for actively promoting politics within the church, in contradiction to church policy.

Organization

The Conference of Apostles

The leadership of the Old Apostolic Church is a body known as the Conference of Apostles. This body is responsible for all temporal and spiritual matters relating to the church. The conference of Apostles consists of all active and retired Apostles of the church. No single Apostle has a leadership role over other Apostles and the office of Chief Apostle or any other equivalent as is found in the New Apostolic Church or the Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ, is not recognized by the church. A Chairman is elected for a period of two years and do not have a vote, except in case of a tie.

The Forum of Apostles

The OAC is divided in districts for administrative purposes. There are currently nine districts, (Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State/Northern Cape, Gauteng, Northern Districts, Botswana/Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the European Union. Each district is under the control of the Forum of Apostles, which consists of the Apostles working out of that District Office.

The District Office is under the administrative leadership of the Head of Administration, who is an Apostle appointed to this position by the Forum of Apostles for the District. The Head of Administration is not the regional leader, and must report on all matters concerning this position to the Forum of Apostles. The Head of Administration is assisted by the District Secretary, who is usually a Fourfold Officer (Overseer, Prophet, or Evangelist). The District Office also has welfare officers whom are registered with the Department of Social Development and staff to administer the church's funeral fund.

Apostle

Each Apostle is responsible for a specific area known as an Apostleship. An Apostleship consists of several Overseerships. An Apostle is chosen via Prophetic Gifts by the relevant Forum of Apostles and serve at the pleasure of the Forum of Apostles. The Forum may retire or remove an Apostle from Office without interference from the Conference of Apostles.

The Apostle has the authority to appoint Fourfold Officers (with the agreement of the Forum of Apostles), Elders, Priests, and Underdeacons and will salve them with oil into the office. The Apostle also has the right to without explanation to remove or retire any person in his responsible area from office.

The Apostle is the only office who may conduct a sealing.

Fourfold Officers

The offices of Overseer(Shepard and Teacher), Evangelist and Prophet are collectively known as the Fourfold Office and is equal in status and rank. An Overseership is led by a troika of an Overseer, Evangelist and Prophet. An Overseership is divided in several Elderships.

Elders

An Eldeship, under the leadership of an Elder might be one or several congregations, and consists of several Priests and Underdeacons. The Elder is tasked to salve the sick with oil, and to pray for the sick. The Elder also serve as Shepard and Teacher to Priests.

Some Elders may be given specific responsibilities such as Youth, Senior Citizens, Prophetic, Evangelistic or Hospital Chaplaincy.

Under Deacons

Before 2015, the Underdeacon was known as unsalved office as Underdeacons was not salved into office but received the office only through the laying on of hands from an Apostle. In the early part of 2015 all Underdeacons was salved into office and sit with the Priests during services.

The Underdeacon is an assistant to the Priest and will be responsible to organize the weekly activities of active members, freeing the Priests to take care of members that need assistance. The Underdeacon is also responsible for taking care of new and prospective members of the church.

Other Offices

Brothers and Sisters may be appointed by their respective Overseers to special tasks. This is usually seen as a manner to prepare a Brother and Sister (married couple) to be officers. These tasks include Doorkeeper, Choir Master, Treasurer, Auditor and Sunday School Teacher.

Views

Ecumenism

The Old Apostolic Church is an exclusivist church and believe that it is the only path to salvation. According to the New Catechism of the Old Apostolic Church, there is no salvation outside of the church. Members are taken up in the church after receiving testimony and is sealed by the laying of the hands of the Apostle which serves as confirmation of receiving the Holy Spirit. God electing new apostles in the modern times.

According to Question and Answer 10 in the New Catechism, not everyone that calls the name of the Lord will enter heaven. In Question and Answer 11, the authority to preach the Kingdom of Heaven was given only to the Apostles (of the Old Apostolic Church.

Other churches are not able to give salvation as it places human interests before the interests of God. Because of this human interests (also called the flesh), other churches are not willing to listen to the Spirit of God.

For some years, a relationship was maintained with the German Apostelamt Jesu Christi (AJC), a church with similar views. This relationship was broken when four AJC Apostles and several congregations formed the German branch of the Old Apostolic Church in 2006.

Politics

The Old Apostolic Church is a free church. It is intrinsically separated from government (as opposed to a theocracy, or an "established" or state church). The Old Apostolic Church does not define government policy, nor have governments define church policy or theology, nor seek or receive government endorsement or funding for its general mission.

Members of the Old Apostolic Church are not allowed to become registered members of any political parties, stand for election, or openly declare their political views. The OAC do not support any political parties. Members are however allowed to vote.

Officers are strictly forbidden to endorse any political party and may be removed from office if they do endorse any party.

Members must obey all laws of the countries in which they reside, even if the member consider the laws as unjust.

The leadership of the Old Apostolic Church did make some submissions to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), and was the only Apostolic (Irvingist) Church to do so. The church policy stipulates that all assistance will be given to government as required by law.

The Old Apostolic Church's view on non-participation in politics has led to three schisms. In 1972 several coloured members formed the Reformed Old Apostolic Church, and in 1968 several black members formed the Twelve Apostles Church of Africa. In 1990, VN Vika formed the Foundation of Apostles and Prophets Church after he was expelled for openly endorsing the African National Congress, and inviting them to hold meetings within church property.

The Old Apostolic Church has assisted the Independent Electoral Commission on the IEC's request to have elections held on church property, only because the IEC is a State Agency and not a political entity.

Bible

The Old Apostolic Church recognises and uses the Authorised King James Version. All Bibles used must be comparable to the Authorised King James Version. The Afrikaanse Ou Vertaling (Hersiene Uitgawe) is used in Afrikaans speaking congregations. In Germany the 1912 Luther Bible is used.

Before the introduction of the first Bible in Afrikaans in 1933, the Dutch Bible was used mostly among Afrikaans speaking members.

The Old Apostolic Church does not believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible and that the natural needs to be considered to understand the spiritual. The Bible should be interpreted spiritually or allegorical. The Bible is understood in a Natural and Spiritual way and Spiritual interpretation is preferred. The stories in the Bible are not historical events, but are lessons that have to be interpreted in the same way as the parables in the Gospels.

The Bible cannot give salvation but can lead the way to salvation. According to OAC beliefs no more texts can be added to the Bible. No new revelation that contradicts the Bible can be received.

Bibles in Use

• Afrikaans: Bybel in Afrikaans (1933-1957)
• English: King James Version (1611)
• English: New King James Version (Thomas Nelson - 1983)
• Dutch: Staten Generaal (1618 and 1619)
• German: The Bible in German - Bible text translation by Martin Luther - (1912 and 1984 Revision)
• Portuguese: The Bible in Portuguese (A Biblia Sagrada; Contendo O Vehlo EO Novo Testamento) 1100 Lisbon, Portugal
• Sepedi: The Bible in Northern Sotho (1951 and 1986)
• Sesotho: The Bible in Southern Sotho (Biblele E Halalelang, 1961 and 1983)
• Setswana: The Bible in Tswana (Baebele E E Boitshepo, 1908 - 1992)
• Tonga: The Bible in Tonga (Bibele Yi NEA; Testamente Ya Khale Ni Le'yint_ha 1929-1987)
• Xhosa: The Bible in Xhosa (Incwadi Yezibhalo Ezingcwele, 1971)
• Zulu: The Bible in Zulu (First SA Edition, 1977)

All other Bible translations in other languages may be used if it compares with the Authorised King James Version.

Sacraments

The OAC believes that there are three sacraments;

• Holy Communion,
• Holy Baptism and
• Holy Sealing.

The OAC also believes that these sacraments can be given to the departed. This is performed by an Apostle by giving the sacraments to two substitutes (normally a Fourfold Officer and his wife). According to OAC belief, the dead do not enter the body of the substitute as there could only be one soul (the mind of the person) and one spirit (Holy Spirit) be present within a body.

In popular culture

• In the novel Roepman by Jan van Tonder and the Afrikaans movie with the same name, Salmon, Erika's boyfriend is an "Old Apostle", and this is a cause of friction between Erika and her father who is a staunch member of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Sources

• Tang, M.J.: Het Apostolische Werk in Nederland.
• History of the New Apostolic Church in South East Africa
• History of the Apostolic Church of Queensland

External links

• Old Apostolic Church (Official Website)