Apostolic Church

• Formation: 1916
• Founder: Daniel Powell Williams

Overview

The Apostolic Church is a Protestant Christian denomination rooted in the Pentecostal movement. Evolving over the course of the nineteenth century and formally founded in the early twentieth century, the Apostolic Church displays several unique dogmas that differentiate it from other branches of Christianity. These include a belief in modern-day apostles of Jesus Christ, the central importance of the Christian phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” as an assurance of spiritual salvation, and the ability of human beings to elevate themselves to semidivine levels. Based on the teachings of Christ’s twelve apostles, the Apostolic Church closely models its beliefs on orthodox interpretations of biblical doctrine and embraces the traditionalist approach to Christianity’s early origins.

Originally developing in the United Kingdom, the Apostolic Church officially separated from the Pentecostals in 1916. Key figures from its early history include William Oliver Hutchinson, a major contributor to the foundational Pentecostal movement, and Daniel Powell Williams, recognized as the denomination’s formal founder and first president.

History

The Apostolic Church’s origins can be traced to Pentecostalism, a key feature of the Holiness Revival movement that began in the early decades of the nineteenth century and took root in the century’s second half. Splitting from Protestant denominations, including the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches, Pentecostalism favored literal, orthodox interpretations of the Bible and encouraged a return to a simpler, more fundamental form of Christianity. It rejected the opulence and splendor of mainstream denominations, instead encouraging followers to build simple churches and prioritize perfection of worship ahead of showy exterior displays of wealth and magnificence.

As Pentecostalism grew, distinct branches with noteworthy variations in their dogmatic beliefs began to appear. Early Apostolic churches were one such example. These faith communities focused on the acts and teachings of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who created a blueprint for what Apostolic Christians believe to be the religion’s purest, most essential expression.

In 1909, British pastor William Oliver Hutchinson established a Pentecostal church in the English city of Bournemouth. The city soon became the headquarters of a fast-growing, far-reaching network of British-based Pentecostal assemblies. This event followed the Welsh Revival of 1904–05, which marked a major resurgence of Protestant Christianity in Wales and attracted tens of thousands of new followers to the emerging Pentecostal denomination. These new converts included Daniel Powell Williams, who became a pastor.

Williams went on to formally establish the Apostolic Church as a distinct branch of Christianity in 1916. The denomination’s split from Pentecostalism resulted from disagreements over their respective interpretations of biblical doctrine with regard to the Holy Trinity. All Christians believe in a Holy Trinity that includes the Father (God), the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals regard the Holy Trinity as three distinct but unified entities, while Williams and his followers rejected this belief. Instead, they came to view the Holy Trinity as three manifestations of the single figure of Jesus Christ, and went on to develop a core set of accompanying theological beliefs.

Beliefs & Practices

The Apostolic Church features a structure of independent but affiliated congregations, which include more than nine million members worldwide with a strong presence in Nigeria, North America, and Japan. Theologically, it embraces a definitive set of dogmatic beliefs known as its Tenets. The Tenets include a total of eleven faith-based statements, with the first Tenet defining the denomination’s belief in the unified Godhead of the Holy Trinity. Several of the other Tenets conform to standard interpretations of Christian doctrine: they characterize humanity as requiring repentance to overcome its inherently depraved state, confirm a belief in the virgin birth and eventual second coming of Jesus Christ, and assert the divine nature and ultimate spiritual authority of the Bible.

However, numerous other Tenets are largely or wholly unique to the Apostolic Church. One such example relates to the ministry of Christian apostles, which most other denominations view as an artifact of the religion’s historical past. The Apostolic Church differs in that it regards apostleship as a divine gift that God can bestow on any person at any point, meaning that present-day individuals who display advanced spiritual leadership and guidance qualities can be considered official apostles of Jesus Christ.

Another definitive aspect of the Apostolic Church relates to its administration and interpretation of the sacrament of baptism, especially regarding the ability to “speak in tongues," also called glossolalia from the Greek word glossa, meaning "tongue," and lalia, meaning "speech." In Christian lore, the phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” occurs when an individual delivers a message directly from God in a language that they do not speak or understand. The individual utters unintelligible words and speech-like syllables, which are said to be an ancient divine language. Universally considered a miraculous display of spiritual unity with God, speaking in tongues takes on special significance to all Pentecostals, but especially to Apostolic Christians. They consider it direct and irrefutable evidence of an individual’s close communion with God, and functions as a highly sought-after manifestation of spiritual achievement. Apostolic Christians consider speaking in tongues a prerequisite for a distinctive type of baptism known as Holy Spirit baptism or spiritual baptism, which alone can assure an individual soul’s acceptance into the heavenly kingdom of God.

The Apostolic Church also endorses a Christian teaching known as theosis, which holds that regular people have the innate capability to rise above the inherent flaws of humanity and become more like Jesus Christ in a literal sense. Thus, Apostolic Christians believe that members of their faith community can achieve semidivine status that transcends the Christian religion’s traditional views on the inherent limitations of the human condition.

Other Apostolic Christian Tenets cover such dogmatic subjects as the Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit as explained in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, as well as the ability of a spiritually elevated individual to fall from grace through sin. The Apostolic Church defines a far more difficult path for the atonement of sins than most other Christian denominations, and is thus considered one of the stricter and more fundamental branches of the Christian religion. Members of the Apostolic Christian community are also bound to offer compulsory tithes, as explained in the New Testament’s Gospels of Luke and Matthew, the epistles to the Hebrews, and Acts of the Apostles, as well as the Old Testament’s book of Malachi.

Bibliography

Burgess, Stanley M., and Eduard M. van der Maas, editors. “Apostolic Church.” The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Zondervan, 2002, pp. 322–23.

“Doctrine.” Apostolic Christian Church, www.apostolicchristian.org/doctrine. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Dorian, Alex. "What Is an Apostolic Church?" Christian Ministry EDU, 21 Aug. 2023, christianministryedu.org/faq/what-is-an-apostolic-church. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Eckhardt, John. Moving in the Apostolic: How to Bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Chosen Books, 2017.

Mackie, Jocelyn. “3 Beliefs That Set Apostolics Apart from Other Christians.” Newsmax, 2 Apr. 2015, www.newsmax.com/fastfeatures/apostolic-christians-beliefs/2015/04/02/id/636094. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

M’fundisi-Holloway, Naar. Pentecostal and Charismatic Spiritualties and Civic Engagement in Zambia. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.

“The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Trusting in Jesus, www.trusting-in-jesus.com/Nine-Gifts.html. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“What Are Apostolic Churches? The Origins and Beliefs of Apostolics.” Christianity, 26 July 2019, www.christianity.com/church/denominations/the-apostolic-church-origin-history-and-beliefs-of-apostolic-faith.html. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.