The eighteenth annual meeting of the Apostolic History Network took place over the long weekend from October 3 to 5, 2025, in Bensheim and Mannheim. With over 40 interested participants, the number of attendees had grown significantly compared to last year. The conference focused on the history and development of the Christians of Our Time community, which emerged in 1949 from the former New Apostolic Church district of Worms.
The unofficial start of the meeting was the traditional “get-together for overnight guests” on Thursday evening (October 2) in Viernheim, which already provided an opportunity for many good and intensive discussions. On the following Friday morning, the participants visited the World Heritage Site Lorsch Abbey and learned a lot about the 1,000-year-old historic buildings during a guided tour. The tour concluded with a joint lunch in a historic vaulted cellar on site.
The actual conference program then began on Friday afternoon (October 3) in the New Apostolic Church Bergstraße in Bensheim-Auerbach (video recording of the joint singing). The participants were welcomed by the local organizers, Priest Siegmar Hofmann and retired District Apostle Bernd Koberstein, and by the board of the network, which was represented at this meeting by Volker Wissen and Mathias Eberle. The board also thanked a member of the network for his ten years of membership.
A statistical look at the development of the network in recent years rounded off the introductory part. Furthermore, the organization is pleased about rising membership numbers. At the time of the meeting, 188 people were members of the network. The membership fees received as a result enable the network’s activities and the archive in Brockhagen to be maintained.
Unfortunately, no stationary audio-video recording could be used on site at this meeting. The existing recordings were made with a smartphone and therefore have only limited audio quality. However, there are plans to publish extensive presentation materials on this website at a later date.
The content part began with a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and history of Christians of our time by Mathias Eberle (video recording), which took just under two hours in total. In particular, the archival materials (“Edith Schummer Archive”) handed over to the network in recent months were evaluated. This was followed by discussions with descendants and contemporary witnesses.
After a break with coffee and cake, Andreas Ostheimer supplemented an in-depth examination of the hymnals of the Christians of our time (video recording). Finally, Gabi Weinert organized a sing-along with pieces from the various hymnals (video recording). Afterwards, the day ended with a hearty dinner on site.
On Saturday, October 4, the participants first met at 10 a.m. at the Not-Gottes-Kapelle (Chapel of God’s Mercy) on Melibokus (mountain) in Auerbach. In this secluded location, the group learned more about the apostolic roots of this medieval chapel, which was rebuilt after World War II on the initiative of the “Brothers of the Common Life.” Songs from the Catholic-Apostolic tradition filled the room, and at the end, one participant was able to ring the bell of the building.
For lunch, the group then drove to the Konfessionskundliches Institut (Institute for Ecumenical Research) in Bensheim (website). There they were welcomed by Dr. Lothar Triebel, consultant for free churches and deputy director of the institute.
After lunch together, the group continued its discussion of Christians in our time. In a contemporary witness talk, Dankward Brinkmann reported on the New Apostolic congregation of Lindemannsheide and its position on the Christians of our time, to whom the congregation belonged from 1949 to 1966.
Lothar Triebel then presented the work of the Institute for Denominational Studies. At 4 p.m., Dr. Kai Funkschmidt joined the meeting via video link. He works at the Institute in the field of Anglicanism and global ecumenism and, thanks to his previous employment at the Protestant Central Office for Worldview Issues, is also an expert in the field of apostolic communities. Both were interviewed by Andreas Martz about their activities and their respective work with the Apostolic.
At the end of the day, Dominik Schmolz gave a lecture on “The Work of God and Christianity – Perspectives and Narratives on the Eve of the Opening Process, Using the Example of Unsere Familie 1992.” He outlined the theological starting point of the New Apostolic Church before its ecumenical opening, which led to a spontaneous discussion about doctrinal developments and changes.
Afterwards, the group gathered again at the restaurant in Viernheim that they had already used on Thursday and ended the day with a meal together.
For most of the participants, Sunday began with a visit to a divine service in the Mannheim region. Among other places, they visited the Old Catholic congregation and the New Apostolic Church Mannheim-Moselstraße.
The Thanksgiving brunch at the NAK Mannheim-Moselstraße then provided another opportunity for fellowship. Arne Stauch also gave a presentation and guided tour of the historic church building. Dominik Schmolz and Andreas Ostheimer presented the building’s renovated pipe organ in an organ matinee entitled “The Lord is my Shepherd.” In addition to pure organ pieces, they also performed pieces for baritone and organ.
Finally, the network was able to hold its general meeting on site at 2 p.m., which we will report on separately here. Elections for the board and the cash auditors were on the agenda. Rebecca Eberle was elected to the board as secretary to replace Lasse Eggers, who did not stand for re-election; All other positions remained unchanged. In addition, the general meeting decided to begin preliminary planning for a possible structural expansion of the archive building in Brockhagen.
At around 4:30 p.m., the last participants said their goodbyes—until the next meeting in this wonderful community! The next meeting is expected to take place in the fall of 2026 in the Cologne region!
We will publish materials from the meeting on this website in the coming weeks (in particular presentation slides). Recordings of the presentations can be found on our YouTube channel in a separate playlist.
Many pictures can be found below the German article: https://www.apostolische-geschichte.de/treffen-in-bensheim-2025-auf-den-spuren-der-christen-unserer-zeit/
