The Apostolic History Network is an interdenominational and independent community researching Apostolic church history. Apostolic History Network is a registered charity under the name of Netzwerk Apostolische Geschichte e.V. at the court of Bielefeld, Germany.
Contents
Concern
The network provides all interested in the history of the apostolic communities, for example in the Catholic Apostolic Church, the New Apostolic Church, Old Apostolic Church or the United Apostolic Church as a platform for exchange of information and materials. Meetings are held each year in Germany. The network operates interdenominational, the participants in the network belong to different denominations. The meetings and participation in the network are open to everyone. The Archive Brockhagen (in Brockhagen, Germany) regularly available since July 2012.
History
In 2008, interested parties met at the history of the apostolic communities across Germany for a first meeting in Coswig (Anhalt). The aim of the meeting was to present issues papers to exchange materials and socialize. As yet there was no such organization or platform, the participants completed first for an informal network. This happened a short time later by building a website and a closed mailing list. Next one is networked through correspondence, exchange of materials and labor, which was coordinated via the Internet.
Later large collaborative projects like the idea of a shared archive created. After calling for archival donations in the apostolic communities now over 5,200 materials were gathered. The documents and media can be found in our own research since July 2012 Archives Brockhagen. Another project is the APWiki the history of the apostolic communities. The Wiki, which since spring 2010 under www.apwiki.de can be reached on the Internet, is the first encyclopedia on the apostolic faith communities. The freely accessible website now has about 2,200 articles. Since mid-2012, the initiative also operates the Online Archive of Apostolische-Dokumente.de available online, with more than 2,200 journals.
Germany gained wide attention the network during and after participating in the second Ecumenical Church Congress in Munich. They offered there including substantive discussion groups, which went quite controversial and not insignificant reactions in the different camps of the apostolic faith communities provoked.
Founding of the association
On Sunday, 5 September 2010, in a three-hour meeting in Bielefeld, 14 founding members of the club decided founding of the association, the name of the network should carry Apostolic history eV. As a board of this association Mathias Eberle (Bielefeld, first chairman), were elected Sebastian Müller-Bahr (Kabelsketal, vice-chairman) and Volker Wissen (Düsseldorf, cashiers). The new association is to coordinate the activities of the network Apostolic history and represent an organizational base for research projects and events. In January 2011, creation, registration and recognition of charitable status had been completed. In the fall of 2012, the above-mentioned Board was re-elected unanimously.
Archive Brockhagen
The nonprofit organization operates since December 2011, the first research archive on the history of the Apostolic faith communities, the so-called Archiv Brockhagen. The freely available and independent archive is located in the former New Apostolic Church Brockhagen in Steinhagen in Bielefeld/Germany. Furthermore, regular public lectures and meetings are held at this location.
Finance
Participation in the network is free of charge, for membership in the association fee of 30,- Euro per half charged. The gatherings to be funded by the respective participant conference packages. Other public appearances, such as on the Ecumenical Church Congress 2010 will be paid by donations and the Association's assets.