District apostles and apostles

District apostles and apostles are ordained by the chief apostle or by a district apostle acting in his stead. District apostle helpers are appointed. If an apostle is to be ordained, the responsible district apostle will propose the designated minister to the chief apostle. He will in turn inform the other district apostles of the proposal. It is left to the district apostle’s discretion to inform the apostles in his working area. In case a district apostle is unable to propose a suitable minister to receive the apostle ministry, the chief apostle will confer with other district apostles about calling a suitable minister from another district apostle’s area to the apostle ministry.

Before their ordination the apostles take the following vow: "Before God, the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, I vow to love the Almighty God, the Creator of all things, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my being, and with all my strength, and to love my neighbour as myself. It is my holy duty to proclaim Jesus Christ’s doctrine, especially the redeeming power of His sacrifice, and to proclaim His return, and, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, to fulfil the commission received in Jesus’ name honestly, diligently, conscientiously, and uprightly. I want to serve in humbleness, and conduct myself worthily and honourably before God and man. I acknowledge the chief apostle as the highest minister and promise him my full support. I declare my support for the unity with the chief apostle, the district apostles and apostles of the New Apostolic Church who are united with him, whose highest duty is obedience in faith, whose highest honour is being faithful to God’s work, whose greatest goal is completion in Christ. In discharging this leading ministry of the New Apostolic Church, I shall unequivocally take responsibility for this profession of faith and live in accordance with the gospel as an apostle of the New Apostolic Church."

District apostles, district apostle helpers, and apostles retire upon reaching the age of 65. In the event of serious circumstances (e.g. in the case of an illness), the chief apostle can shorten the period of office, but he can also extend it. The Statutes also make provision for resignation from office, and likewise provide for suspension or dismissal. Upon request, every apostle must provide the chief apostle with information regarding his official activities and give an account of them.

District Apostle Andrew H. Anderson

Australia

Born on 08.11.1951, District Apostle since 01.01.2001.

Working Areas: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Pacific Islands including Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Norfolk Islands, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Christmas- and Cocos Islands

District Apostle Noel E. Barnes

Cape / South Africa

Born on 24.12.1949, District Apostle since 15.12.1996.

Working Areas: Falkland Islands, Namibia, St. Helena Island, South Africa (Eastern, Northern and Western Cape Provinces)

District Apostle Armin Brinkmann

North Rhine-Westphalia

Born on 15.11.1948, District Apostle since 26.06.2005.

Working areas: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cape Verde, East Timor, French Guayana with Martinique und Guadeloupe, Georgia, Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), Guinea-Bissau, India (parts), Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal with Azores and Madeira Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe

District Apostle Theodoor J. de Bruijn

Netherlands

Born on 26.02.1946, District Apostle since 06.12.1998.

Working Areas: Netherlands, Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Guyana, Malta, Netherlands Antilles, Suriname

District Apostle Michael D. Deppner

DR Congo West

Born on 19.02.1961, District Apostle since 01.08.2010.

Working Areas: Democratic Republic Congo-West

District Apostle Michael Ehrich

South Germany

Born on 19.09.1959, District Apostle since 23.04.2006.

Working Areas: Bahrain, Benin, Bosnia Herzegovina, Cameroon, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabun, Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria), Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Israel, Katar, Kuwait, Liberia, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Ukraine, United Arabia Emirates, Yemen

District Apostle Markus Fehlbaum

Switzerland

Born on 19.09.1951, District Apostle since 06.04.2008.

Working Areas: Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Gibraltar, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland

District Apostle Urs Hebeisen

South East Asia

Born on 26.08.1952, District Apostle since 18.01.2009.

Working areas: Brunei, China, Hing Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palau, Philippines, Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore, South Corea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

District Apostle Johann R. Kitching

South Africa

Born on 23.07.1950, District Apostle since 02.10.1988.

Working Areas: Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles, South Africa (Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West), Swaziland

District Apostle Wilfried Klingler

Middle Germany

Born on 07.06.1949, District Apostle since 03.10.1993.

Working Areas: Germany (Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony/Thuringia), India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Laccadives, Kerala), Libya, Maldives, Poland, Slovakia, Sudan, Belarus

District Apostle Bernd Koberstein

Hesse / Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland

Born on 05.03.1952, District Apostle since 11.01.2009.

Working Areas: Algeria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Germany (Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland), Greece, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Mauretania, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia

District Apostle Leonard R. Kolb

USA

Born on 07.07.1956, District Apostle since 12.10.2008

Working areas: American Samoa, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Samoa, San Andreas, Zanzibar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela

District Apostle Mark Woll

Canada

Born on 13.03.1959, District Apostle since 21.11.2010.

Working areas: Bangladesh, Chad, Central African Republic, Cambodia, Canada, Republic of the Congo, India (part), Jamaica, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka