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The Exclusivity of the New Apostolic Church

by Andi
written by Andi
The exclusivity of the New Apostolic Church, depicted in a graphic intended to show ecumenism. Next to it, the NAC as a church with special teachings and an exclusive claim to salvation.

New Apostolic Church: The Exclusivity of the NAC critically explained

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Overview and My Concern

My Thesis: Despite the publication of the NAC Catechism and the apparent opening after 2012, the New Apostolic Church (NAC) continues to uphold an exclusive understanding of salvation. This is expressed in the persistent claim of sole representation by the apostolate and the central role of NAC sacraments.

Background: The New Apostolic Church (NAC) published its first catechism in 2012—a comprehensive work that systematically presents the church’s doctrine for the first time. The years prior saw numerous doctrinal changes that were only formulated in internal writings. Now they are accessible to everyone.

My Story: I myself was born into this church, was an active member for over 40 years, including 15 years as a “priest,” and left in 2008. I realized that the church would not truly open up in the foreseeable future. With some distance, I want to critically examine what has really changed since then, especially regarding the exclusive church understanding.

Goal: A precise analysis of the doctrine. This is crucial for understanding the NAC’s position within the Christian spectrum.

Important: This is not about devaluing the people within this church. On the contrary: Many New Apostolic Christians are known to me as loving, sincere, warm-hearted believers whom I still highly appreciate today.

My concern is the engagement with the doctrine itself, especially with the NAC’s persistent claim of sole representation. Despite all reforms, the NAC still has an exclusive understanding of salvation—packaged in a new way and less recognizable.

My Offer: Let’s start a conversation. How do you see it after reading my article? Feel free to reach out via the contact page or leave a comment.

2. The Changing Doctrine of the NAC

2.1 The NAC Catechism – A Milestone?

From a biblical perspective, the current catechism contains much truth, but it is interwoven with old church doctrines that contradict the general Christian understanding and the Bible. The exclusive church understanding of the NAC—its claim of sole representation (exclusivity)—has not changed substantially at its core. For an outsider, it can be difficult to understand this doctrinal structure if they do not understand the church’s language. Superficially, one might get the impression that the NAC is on a good path toward Christ and a doctrine that is “capable of ecumenism.” Therefore, it is important to clearly present the faith doctrine of the NAC as it really is and always has been.

The main points of criticism of the NAC Catechism (2012) are:

  • Hierarchical Leadership Claim: Apostles claim the same authority as the apostles of the early church.
  • Sacramental Dependency: Salvation is made dependent on the effectiveness of NAC sacraments (especially sealing) and the forgiveness of sins in the church service.
  • Doctrine of the Departed: The practice of administering sacraments to the departed is considered unbiblical and criticized as being close to occultism.

2.2 Doctrinal Changes – Real Openness or Just Facade?

The recognition of baptism from other Christian churches by the NAC (since 2006) was primarily a strategic step to move out of the “sect corner” and enable admission to the ACK (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen – Association of Christian Churches). Although trinitarian baptism was recognized, the claim of sole representation for sealing (receiving the Holy Spirit through an apostle) remained as the central element of exclusivity.

In detail: The former leader of the NAC, Chief Apostle Richard Fehr, once expressed himself as follows: “We want to move out of the sect corner.” With this, he initiated a series of changes. The goal was not primarily to bring church doctrine closer to biblical and generally accepted Christian truth, but to change the external image. The changes in church doctrine aimed at being accepted as a full member of the ACK. The exclusive church understanding, especially the baptismal understanding, was the primary obstacle. If a Christian who had already been baptized in another church wanted to join the NAC, this baptism first had to be “confirmed” by an NAC minister. Only after this confirmation could the so-called sealing be performed by the laying on of hands by an NAC apostle (= “receiving the Holy Spirit”). Thus, it was clear: The NAC had a claim of sole representation for the full validity of church sacraments, including baptism.

3. The NAC’s Church Understanding: Between Openness and Exclusivity

3.1 “Church of Christ” – Who Belongs?

Before 2006, the New Apostolic Church defined itself as “the Church of Jesus Christ” (internally called “the Work of God”) and thus claimed to be the only true church. After the reform, the designation “Church of Christ” was transferred to the general Christendom (all baptized individuals).

Before 2006, the “Questions and Answers about the New Apostolic Faith” (a small internal doctrinal work) still stated:

📌 “The New Apostolic Church is the Church of Jesus Christ, just like the apostolic congregations at the time of the first apostles.” (Questions and Answers about the New Apostolic Faith, Answer to Question No. 167)

Thus, it was clear how other churches and other Christians were to be viewed: as not fully valid. The Church of Jesus Christ was the NAC.

3.2 The New Baptismal Understanding of the NAC Since 2006

The new baptismal understanding of the NAC since 2006 recognizes the baptism of other churches (if trinitarian). This removed a primary obstacle to ecumenical dialogue, but the exclusive claim to salvation was shifted to the sacrament of sealing, which remains reserved exclusively for NAC apostles.

The starting point for these doctrinal changes was January 24, 2006. In an information evening led by the then Chief Apostle Dr. Wilhelm Leber, the doctrine of baptism was changed: The baptism of other churches, if performed “trinitarian,” was recognized. This was positively received by the ACK. It was seen as an opening of the NAC and a turning away from its exclusive claim to salvation. But this was only superficial—the exclusivity continues, as we will see.

The publication of the catechism marked the provisional conclusion of the initiated doctrinal changes. It is precisely this catechism that we can now examine to see how the NAC has repackaged its claim of sole representation.

3.3 The New General Church Understanding of the NAC Based on Baptismal Recognition

Linked to the recognition of baptism from other churches was a redefinition of general Christendom. The catechism now defines general Christendom as follows:

📌 “The ‘general Christendom’ is: ‘the assembly of those who are baptized, live their lives in the following of Christ, and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord.'” (Catechism p. 67).

How are people added to this “general Christendom”? Regarding this, it says:

📌 “People are ‘inserted into the Church of Jesus Christ’ through baptism and thereby become Christians: ‘Through baptism, original sin is washed away, and the believer is led out of distance from God.'” (Catechism p. 320).

Thus, the NAC gave up its status as the “Church of Jesus Christ” since it had transferred this designation to general Christendom. But how should the NAC now redefine itself? What was the raison d’être, the special aspect of the NAC? A “new exclusivity” was invented:

3.4 The New Exclusivity: The NAC as the “Visible Bride of Christ”

The recognition of baptism from other churches was an important step, but it created an existential problem: If the NAC is no longer the “Church of Jesus Christ,” what is its special raison d’être? Instead of carrying out a real reform and placing itself on an equal footing with other churches, the NAC invented a new exclusivity.

The NAC distinguishes itself from general Christendom by defining itself as the “apostolic church,” namely:

  • As the apostolic church and bearer of the “historically realized” apostolate.
  • As the visible Bride of Christ, exclusively prepared for the return of Christ.
  • As the salvation-necessary institution in which the salvific effects of the sacraments and the correct proclamation of the Word are fully present.

This distinction is based on the third New Apostolic article of faith, which sets the NAC apart from general Christendom:

📌 “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the one, holy, universal, and apostolic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life.” (3rd Article of Faith of the NAC)

The key lies in the distinction. The NAC understands itself as the “apostolic church” in this article, while the “general Christendom” merely represents the visible, less complete side of the Church of Jesus Christ.

The NAC Catechism supports this view with the formulation of the “visible and invisible side of the church”: The visible side is general Christendom, while the invisible side is “perceptible in the salvific effects of the sacraments and the Word of God” (cf. Cat. p. 270). The context makes it unmistakably clear that the NAC sees these salvific effects in itself: through the exclusive mediation of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands by an NAC apostle. “Apostolic” is thus not general Christendom, but the NAC.

It claims for itself the exclusivity of the apostolate, which is seen in the NAC as “historically realized.” Thus, the NAC remains the one salvation-necessary institution within the Church of Christ.

3.5 Crucial for the NAC: The Role of the New Apostolic Apostolate

According to the NAC Catechism, apostles exercise the following exclusive functions:

  • Restoration of the correct administration of sacraments.
  • Proclamation of the Word with increased authority.
  • Proclamation of the forgiveness of sins through apostles or ministers commissioned by them.
  • Mediation of salvation for the preparation of the “Bride of Christ” (firstfruits).

In detail: To this day, the NAC sees itself as the “only true church,” even if this is no longer expressed in such terms. According to the NAC, only it has living apostles, whom it equates with the apostles of the early church (the disciples of Jesus and Paul). Only these NAC apostles could “correctly administer sacraments,” forgive sins, and proclaim the biblical Word with “increased authority,” as stated in the catechism:

📌 “With the reoccupation of the apostolate, there has also been a restoration of the correct administration of sacraments. Also, the proclamation of the Word by the ambassadors in Christ’s stead has increased authority; this is particularly evident in the maintenance of the certainty of the imminent return of Christ. Likewise, the forgiveness of sins through apostles can again be proclaimed.” (Cat. p. 275)

The Church of Christ was allegedly no longer complete since the death of the first apostles in the 1st century AD; it lacked “the office and the correct administration of sacraments associated with it, as well as the correct proclamation of the Word as essential elements of the Church of Christ,” which are now “once again fully present in historical reality” (cf. Cat. p. 276).

Here are a few more excerpts from the catechism for a better understanding of this theological subtlety:

📌 “It (the Church of Christ) is most clearly perceptible where the apostolic ministry, the administration of the three sacraments to the living and the dead, as well as the correct proclamation of the Word are present. There, the work of redemption of the Lord is established, in which the Bride of Christ is prepared for the wedding in heaven.” (Cat. pp. 68-69).

This passage clearly demonstrates the exclusivity of the office. Here are further quotes that support this:

📌 “The term ‘work of redemption of the Lord’ generally refers to Jesus’ act of salvation, which is complete. When this term is used here, it refers to that part of the church in which the apostles work and mediate those gifts of salvation that serve the preparation of the firstfruits, the Bride of Christ.” (Cat. footnote p. 69)

The NAC—the part of the church in which apostles work—is thus, according to the NAC, the “work of redemption of the Lord.” That Christians in “general Christendom” are not recognized as full Christians is made clear by the following paragraph:

📌 “The apostles are sent to all peoples to teach and baptize them. They call all, both non-Christians and the baptized who believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him as their Lord, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and to prepare for the return of Christ.” (Cat. p. 277)

The last sentence clearly means: All Christians from other churches, free churches, or other communities, even if baptized, should have themselves “sealed” by an NAC apostle to receive the Holy Spirit!

3.6 Does the NAC See Itself as Exclusive?

The NAC sees itself as exclusive, but “without a claim to sole representation,” as formulated in an article from 2006. In this, it states that God offers salvation to all people, and that in the final judgment:

📌 In the final judgment, God grants salvation once more through His Son. All souls who then stand before God attain eternal communion with God in the new creation.

NAC Announcement from 01/24/2006 (in German language)

I can only describe this as cynical, because according to Revelation 20:11-15, those who have not accepted the grace of Jesus are judged according to their works in the final judgment. How high the chance is of still being accepted by God, everyone can judge for themselves.

4. What Does This Mean for Other Christians?

General Christendom, also called the “Church of Christ,” consists, according to the NAC, of all baptized individuals who “live their lives in the following of Christ and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord” (Cat. p. 67). This is initially very positive, as the NAC does not focus solely on a completed baptism but on faith in Jesus Christ.

However: The NAC alone is the “work of redemption of the Lord.” One often hears about the “sovereignty of God”: God can also make “exceptions” in the mediation of salvation, but the sure way is the way of the NAC.

It is claimed that the church is necessary for being a Christian:

📌 “Without the church, being a Christian is not possible.” (Catechism p. 269)

But since the mediation of salvation must be done by New Apostolic apostles to be valid, they actually mean the NAC. But:

  • What about believing Christians in persecuted countries who have no chance to join a church?
  • What about believing Christians who became believers through the internet and have no contact with other believers?
  • What about believing Christians who have never heard of the NAC and live their faith in community with other believers without being members of a church?

According to the doctrine of the NAC, being a Christian is not possible for such people.

4.1 How Does the New Apostolic Church View Other Christians?

The exclusive church understanding of the NAC implies that non-New Apostolic Christians must consider the following gifts of salvation as uncertain:

  • Forgiveness of Sins: Not secured by “acquittal” in the NAC church service.
  • Holy Spirit: Not mediated through the sacrament of sealing.
  • Participation in the Rapture/Return of Jesus: Less hope, as they do not belong to the “Bride of the Lord” prepared by NAC apostles.

I wonder if we can even speak of a Christian in this case and must conclude that, according to the official doctrine, nothing has changed compared to the old doctrine before 2006. The exclusivity has only been packaged more subtly.

5. NAC Today: Exclusivity Remains – Only Rhetorically Softened

5.1 Self-Image vs. Reality: Faith Life Without Assurance of Salvation

The internal self-image of many NAC members often differs from the official doctrine: Many do not fully believe in the exclusivity and instead represent a view based on works-righteousness (“If you try hard, you will be accepted”). This attitude, which emphasizes one’s own effort over grace through Christ, leads to a lack of assurance of salvation.

In detail: Interestingly, I have found few members who fully believe in the NAC’s exclusive church understanding. Many are embarrassed to talk about it, and only a “hard core” has truly internalized and represents these teachings. Instead, many believers in the NAC hold views that are strongly based on works-righteousness. “If you try hard, God will accept you” seems to be a general attitude. This is the fruit of decades of sermons that emphasized one’s own “effort” to attain blessedness. The cross of Christ recedes into the background, and the necessity of a personal decision for Jesus Christ (“conversion”) and a life in His following is taught, if at all, only in the context of following the apostles of the NAC and loyalty to one’s own church. The NAC is seen as the “safest path” with a realistic chance of being accepted by God, provided one remains loyal to the NAC—a certainty of salvation, however, is not known, because everything depends on one’s own effort.

5.2 Reactions Within the NAC

Even when the “new” church understanding was published, there were heated discussions about it (see the German forum of the Network Apostolic History discussion on church understanding here). Many left the NAC because they saw through the deception. Others are still waiting for a real reform. And most comfort themselves with “their” local congregation, where supposedly everything is fine. Feeling good is the order of the day, and if that is true, the church doctrine is at least secondary.

6. Biblical Counter-Evidence: The Exclusivity of the NAC Under Scrutiny

The NAC supports its doctrine historically with reinterpreted or decontextualized Bible passages. Since today the interpretation of the NAC apostles is considered the final authority, I will show, using clear and unambiguous Bible passages, that the exclusivity of the NAC is implausible and contradicts biblical truth.

6.1 Salvation Through Christ Alone

The Bible refutes the NAC’s claim of sole representation through:

  • Only One Mediator: Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and people (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
  • No Other Name: There is no other name than Jesus through which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
  • Saved by Grace Through Faith: Salvation comes through faith, i.e., trust in Jesus as Savior (Ephesians 2:8).

No human, not even an apostle, can mediate salvation. Jesus is the only mediator (= mediator) between God and people:

💙 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6, NIV)

No other name than Jesus can save us; faith in Jesus is decisive, not faith in a church or apostles:

💙 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NIV)

Paul clarifies how one is saved:

💙 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

6.2 Sealing by the Holy Spirit – Without Sacrament?

Contrary to the NAC doctrine, which ties sealing to the laying on of hands by an apostle, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is received as follows:

  • Through God Himself: It is God who seals us (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
  • Through Faith: Sealing occurs at the time when one hears the gospel and believes (Ephesians 1:13).

Sacraments necessary for salvation are unbiblical. They are an invention of churches and can hardly be justified biblically.

The NAC teaches that one receives the “power of the Holy Spirit” when a NAC apostle lays hands on a person for “sealing.”

Two clear Bible passages show that the Holy Spirit is promised to all believers who hear the gospel and believe. The first passage is 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. Here, Paul writes who seals us—it is God Himself. He does not write that laying on of hands is necessary for this:

💙 “It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, NIV)

The second passage is Ephesians 1:13, where Paul describes that people are sealed with the Holy Spirit when they have heard the gospel and believed, and that “in Jesus”:

💙 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13, NIV)

The NAC cites two unique events reported in the Acts of the Apostles to justify the laying on of hands by an apostle: In Samaria and Ephesus, apostles laid hands on believers, and they subsequently received the Holy Spirit. These were special historical events with their own reasons. I have addressed this in my article on the apostolate. However, the New Testament nowhere teaches the necessity of laying on of hands, as can be seen from the two Bible passages above. Moreover, it is unrealistic that God would make the mediation of the Holy Spirit dependent on apostles. This would mean that from about 100 AD to 1832 (the appointment of new “apostles”), no one would have received the Holy Spirit despite believing in Jesus.

6.3 Righteous Through Faith – Not Through Works or Church Membership

The central biblical doctrine of justification contradicts the NAC’s emphasis on sacramental actions and church membership:

  • Grace and Faith: Salvation happens by grace through faith, not by works (e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9).
  • No Works: A person is justified without works of the law, by faith alone (Romans 3:28).

The Bible nowhere speaks of the necessity of a church for salvation. By emphasizing baptism (whether infant or adult baptism), the importance that the NAC attaches to sacramental actions and, consequently, to the institution of the church is already evident. The New Testament, however, testifies in many places that people are saved by faith alone, without their own works and without necessary rituals. Baptism is also not mentioned in the description of salvation:

💙 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Here it is clear: Salvation is a gift from God (= grace) that we accept in faith—works play no role. Some cite Mark 16:16 to prove that baptism is necessary (“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”). In the second half of this verse, it is also clear that faith is what matters. First comes faith, then baptism (which also calls into question infant baptism as practiced in the NAC).

💙 “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” (Romans 3:28, NIV)

Paul emphasizes that no one is justified by keeping commands or their own achievements, but by faith alone:

💙 “Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16, NIV)

Again, it is clear: Righteousness before God comes by faith in Jesus Christ alone. These verses show: Our salvation is a gift that we may accept in faith—not by our own effort or religious actions.

And the result? “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Jesus in Matthew 7:16-20)!

7. Conclusion: The Exclusivity Claim Lives On

The church understanding of the NAC remains exclusive despite all rhetorical softening, because the official catechism continues to stipulate the salvation-necessity of the apostolate and the sacraments (sealing) associated with it. The recognition of baptism from other churches can be interpreted as misleading, since the NAC internally maintains the claim of sole representation in order to define itself as the salvation-deciding “Bride of Christ.”

You see that with this new church understanding, the exclusive church understanding of the NAC is by no means relaxed. In conversations with outsiders, NAC apostles always emphasize that they now see all baptized Christians as the Church of Christ, but what is decisive for evaluating the doctrine is the official catechism. The new Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, who has been in office since 2013, preaches more general Christian truths, but he refers to the catechism as the binding foundation of faith. Thus, the church presents itself as ecumenical to the outside world and remains internally as exclusive as before.

8. Why Is All This So Important?

The central importance of critically engaging with the NAC lies in the question of salvation: Since the NAC ties the gift of the Holy Spirit to a ritual (sealing by NAC apostles) that, according to the Bible, is not necessary (the Holy Spirit is given when one believes), the biblical promise of free grace through Christ is obscured, and the assurance of salvation of believers is unnecessarily tied to an institution.

What if the NAC’s claim is false? What if the apostles of the NAC are false apostles whose laying on of hands accomplishes nothing? I firmly believe that God gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who believes that Jesus died for them on the cross. Jesus died vicariously for your sin. You may be free. This promise of salvation also applies to a New Apostolic believer. Perhaps even when a NAC apostle lays hands on someone. God is sovereign; He can do anything. But why would He tie the gift of the Holy Spirit to a ritual that is demonstrably not necessary? Millions of people receive the Holy Spirit at the moment they come to living faith in Jesus. One more quote from Paul:

💙 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, NIV)

Therefore, I see the doctrine of the NAC as misleading and obstructive. People are tied to humans and a church instead of to Christ. They trust the doctrines of a church instead of the Word of God in the Bible. That is why I sincerely hope that many New Apostolics will seriously examine their doctrine in light of the Bible and draw their conclusions. I am happy to help with this.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the NAC Catechism and Claim of Sole Representation

This FAQ is based on my critical analysis of the doctrine of the New Apostolic Church (NAC) as presented in the catechism published in 2012.

1. What is the core message of the article regarding the New Apostolic Church (NAC)?

Answer: The thesis is that the NAC, despite the publication of the catechism (2012) and rhetorical opening, continues to uphold an exclusive understanding of salvation. This claim of sole representation is subtly expressed through the central role of the apostolate, the NAC sacraments (especially sealing), and the church understanding as the Bride of Christ.

2. If the NAC recognizes baptism from other churches, where does the continuing exclusive claim lie?

Answer: The exclusive claim to salvation has been shifted to the sacrament of sealing (receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by an apostle). Thus, the mediation of salvation remains reserved for NAC apostles.

3. How does the NAC define itself today in relation to “general Christendom”?

Answer: The NAC defines “general Christendom” (all baptized individuals) as the “Church of Christ” (visible side). However, it claims the exclusive title of being the “apostolic church” and the “visible Bride of Christ.” This sets it apart as the “salvation-necessary institution” in which the salvific effects of the sacraments are fully present and the “correct proclamation of the Word” takes place.

4. What exclusive functions does the NAC apostolate claim according to the catechism?

Answer: According to the catechism, apostles exercise the following functions, which are considered necessary for the completeness of the church:

  • Restoration of the correct administration of sacraments.
  • Proclamation of the Word with increased authority.
  • Proclamation of the forgiveness of sins through apostles or their commissioned ministers.
  • Mediation of salvation for the preparation of the “Bride of Christ” (firstfruits).

5. How does the NAC view Christians who do not belong to its church?

Answer: Non-New Apostolic Christians are part of “general Christendom,” but they are not considered part of the “work of redemption of the Lord,” which is exclusively “where the apostles work.” They are encouraged to be “sealed” by a NAC apostle to receive the Holy Spirit.

6. How does the Bible refute the NAC’s claim of sole representation?

Answer: The Bible testifies that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and people (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus as Savior (e.g., Ephesians 2:8), not through membership in a specific church, office, or sacrament.

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