Apostle-patriarch

The title apostle-patriarch is the name of the person in charge of the néo-apostolic Église. The Church conceives its role like that of the Pierre apostle among the first apostles. It mainly falls on to him to proclaim the teaching of the Church. It names and orders the apostles of district, apostles and bishops, admits them with the retirement or revokes them. It determines the limits of the territorial Churches and allots the fields of activity to them of which they have to ensure the pastoral service road and missionary.

After the death of Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz (apostle of the Netherlands), the station master Fritz Krebs (1832 - 1905) is regarded by the other apostles as apostle-patriarch and sets up the current structure of the Church. The structure develops in Germany and with the Netherlands, then is established in Suisse starting from 1894. The number of twelve apostles is again joined together in 1900.

Hermann Niehaus (1848 - 1932) becomes the second apostle-patriarch in 1905. In 1906 the néo-apostolic Communauté takes the néo-apostolic name of Église .

Johann-Gottfried Bischoff (1871 - 1960) of Frankfurt (Germany) becomes the third apostle-patriarch in 1930. The December 25th 1950, it affirms that Jesus will return during his life. These assertions become an important aspect of the doctrines of the Church until the death of Bischoff the July 6th 1960. Nonadhesion with this " Botschaft" (message/prophecy) led to exclusions. The Union of the Apostolic Communities in 1956 collected many members being felt floués by this message.

This death causes a crisis, but the July 10th 1960, Walter Schmidt (1891 - 1981) of Dortmund (Germany) is named fourth apostle-patriarch. It will be followed the February 23rd 1975 by Ernst Streckeisen (1905 - 1978) of Switzerland where it transferred the head office from the Church, then by Hans Urwyler (1925 - 1994) the November 18th 1978. This last introduced the concept of personal liabilities. Under the reign of the last three apostle-patriarchs the number of the members of the Church increased considerably in the whole world.

The May 22nd 1988, Switzerland Richard Fehr becomes the seventh apostle-patriarch. This one introduced a management style of the problems of the Church by commission. In each commission from now on apostles and laymen specialists in the various topics sit of which it is discussed in each commission. These commissions consult opinions of professionals not being inevitably member of the néo-apostolic Church.

He took his retirement the May 16th 2005 during the solemn ceremony of Pentecost during which he instituted Wilhelm Leber, doctor in mathematics and apostle of district of Germany of North, in the ministry of apostle-patriarch. Wilhelm Leber became the eighth apostle-patriarch. ----

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