Apostolic Church Evolution: 6 Key Events for Christian Denomination Since It Began

Many groups have been associated with the Apostolic Church since its beginnings in the 1800s. Some of the churches may practice their faith differently, but Apostolic Christians remain similar in their approach to a strict reading of the Bible.

These six events reveal how the Apostolic Church has appealed to strong Christian believers.

1. The Catholic Apostolic Church was the result of a revival movement that flourished in Great Britain in the 1830s. It formed in 1832. Converts became attracted to the church, which emphasized the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

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2. The Apostolic Christian Church was founded in America in 1847. Christians who formed the church in Lewis County, New York were influenced by earlier Christian movements in Europe, including the Anabaptists who focused on literal interpretations of the Bible.

3. Germany also experienced a similar revival. A disagreement about how churches were interpreting Scriptures caused the Hamburg Schism in 1863. This led to the formation of the New Apostolic Church, which now has more than 11 million members throughout the world. In 1872, German immigrants in Chicago formed the New Apostolic Church in America.

4. The Apostolic Church in England was a Pentecostal Christian denomination that was formed after the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival. Pentecostalism had a major impact on the development of the Apostolic Church. Pentecostals base their faith on an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to become renewed Christians. The charismatic experiences that might include speaking in tongues would often occur openly during revivals.

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5. The Apostolic Faith Church was organized following similar revivals on Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906. The Apostolic Faith Church is among the largest Apostolic churches in the world. Its founder, Florence Crawford, had attended the Azusa Street Revival and had experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She later established a headquarters for the church in 1908 in Portland, Oregon.

6. Pentecostal congregations often ended up uniting with the Apostolic Church in England following revivals and meetings. In 1922, the Apostolic Church of God, a large group of Pentecostal congregations, formed a union with main Apostolic groups during a meeting. They included the Apostolic Church in Wales and the Apostolic Church in Hereford.

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