This year, the Apostolic History Network cordially invites you to the annual conference on church history in Bensheim and Mannheim. The eighteenth annual meeting on the church history of the apostolic communities will take place there from October 2 to 5, 2025. The conference will be held at the New Apostolic churches in Bensheim and Mannheim, as well as at the Institute for Denominational Studies in Bensheim. The main topic of the meeting will be the Community of Christians of Our Time, which was formed in 1949 from the former district of Worms of the New Apostolic Church and existed until 2002.
A number of exciting lectures are planned (see below)! We cordially invite you to participate!
Registration for the meeting is required! The registration process for the entire conference is now closed. Registrations for Friday afternoon in Bensheim are welcome via the communicated channels.
Due to the special holiday situation this year, we are able to hold the meeting one day longer than usual. In this way, we would like to provide ample opportunity for conversation and time together.
The planned program (as of October 2025)
Thursday, October 2, 2025
From 3:00 p.m. Check-in at the accommodation nh Hotel Mannheim-Viernheim, Bürgermeister-Neff-Straße 12, 68519 Viernheim
From 6:00 p.m. Casual get-together, dinner at your own expense (L’Osteria Viernheim, Bürgermeister-Neff-Straße 16, 68519 Viernheim)
Friday, October 3, 2025
10:00 a.m. Guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lorsch Abbey, Nibelungenstraße 32, 64653 Lorsch (meeting point: museum center ticket office) – approx. 20 minutes’ drive from the hotel
12:00 p.m. Light lunch in Lorsch (Wirtshaus im Weißen Kreuz, Marktplatz 2, 64653 Lorsch)
Meeting at the New Apostolic Church Bergstraße in Bensheim, Berliner Ring 165, 64625 Bensheim – approx. 10 minutes by car from Lorsch, parking available on site.
2:00 p.m. Welcome by the board of the Network for Apostolic History e.V. and our hosts, organizational matters
2:30 p.m. Lecture: Introduction to the topic: The Christians of our time – origins, teachings, history from 1949 to 2002 (Mathias Eberle)
4:30 p.m. Coffee break, discussions
5:15 p.m. Lecture: Insights into the hymnals of the Christians of our time from 1949 and 1970 (Andreas Ostheimer)
6:30 p.m. Musical conclusion (Gabi Weinert)
Social gathering, conclusion of the evening.
Saturday, October 4, 2025
10:00 a.m. The Not-Gottes-Kapelle Bensheim-Auerbach and its apostolic connections (guided tour and explanations with Karlfried Eyermann) – Start: Ernst-Ludwig-Promenade, 64625 Bensheim, approx. 25 minutes’ drive from the hotel
12:00 p.m. Meeting at the Konfessionskundliches Institut des Evangelischen Bundes (Institute for Ecumenical Research), Ernst-Ludwig-Str. 7, 64625 Bensheim – parking available on Ernst-Ludwig-Straße/Arnauer Straße
12:15 p.m. Welcome at the Konfessionskundliches Institut (Lothar Triebel)
12:30 p.m. Light lunch on site
1:30 p.m. Contemporary witness discussion: Experiencing the Christians of our time (with Dankward Brinkmann)
3:00 p.m. Coffee break, discussions
3:30 p.m. Presentation of the history and work of the Institute for Ecumenical Research (Lothar Triebel)
4:00 p.m. Interview: The KI, its work and the Apostolic
4:45 p.m. Break
5:00 p.m. The Work of God and Christianity – Perspectives and Narratives on the Eve of the Opening Process, Using the Example of “Our Family 1992” (Dominik Schmolz)
7:00 p.m. Dinner together (L’Osteria Viernheim, Bürgermeister-Neff-Straße 16, 68519 Viernheim), conclusion of the evening.
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Check out of the hotel
Morning Opportunity to attend a divine service or devotional (recommendations will be sent to participants)
From around 10:45 a.m. Joint brunch at the New Apostolic Church Mannheim-Moselstraße, Moselstr. 6, 68167 Mannheim – approx. 14 minutes by car from the hotel in Viernheim
12:00 p.m. Guided tour and lecture on the Mannheim-Moselstraße church building (Arne Stauch)
1:00 p.m. “The Lord is my Shepherd”: Short organ concert in the NAK Mannheim-Moselstraße (Dominik Schmolz)
2:00 p.m. General meeting of the Network for Apostolic History e.V. in the New Apostolic Church Mannheim-Moselstraße, Moselstr. 6, 68167 Mannheim (as per the invitation sent to members)
3:30 p.m. Farewell, end of the conference
Information on the scope of services (subject to change)
Food and beverages are included in the respective conference fees. Vegetarian meals can be booked; in this case, please make a note when ordering.
For organizational reasons, additional overnight stays CANNOT be booked with us! Please contact the accommodation directly for this.
Terms of payment
The total fees are due after receipt of the order and will be collected by direct debit. Unfortunately, we no longer offer PayPal for cost reasons. The order is only valid after receipt of payment.
Information on the further process after ordering
Each customer will receive an automatic order confirmation by email after ordering, in accordance with the options booked. The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the program or event. In the event of significant changes, customers will receive a message by email. If you have any further questions, please contact us at 0175/64 80 273 or treffen@apostolische-geschichte.de.
