Apostle Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz’s Influence Shaped New Apostolic Church Traditions

Apostle Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz, whose legacy continues to shape the New Apostolic Church, was born 200 years ago. His influence on the movement that would become the New Apostolic Church was profound, not only due to his central role in the church’s history but also because he played a defining part in shaping a Christian denomination still in its early stages.

Schwarz, originally from Gardschau near Gdansk, moved to Berlin where he became involved with the Catholic Apostolic Church. In 1848, he was numbered among the first seven Deacons in Berlin, and in 1850 he was ordained a Priest. In 1858, he relocated to Hamburg to lead the congregation there. It was in Hamburg that he became involved in a significant schism. When Prophet Heinrich Geyer called an additional Apostle, the remaining English Apostles did not recognize him. However, Bishop “Angel” Schwarz and the majority of the Hamburg congregation did. When they refused to change their stance, they were excommunicated from the Catholic Apostolic Church in 1863.

Under the name “Allgemeine christlich apostolische Mission” [General Christian Apostolic Mission], the Hamburg congregation proceeded independently. Another division occurred in 1878, separating Heinrich Geyer and his followers from Schwarz and his colleagues. Schwarz’s leadership had a lasting impact on the development of New Apostolic congregations in the Netherlands. He was called to ministry in May 1863 and moved to Amsterdam in September 1863, where he established the “Apostolische Zending” [Apostolic Mission].

Schwarz introduced several reforms that would later become “typically New Apostolic” traditions. One such reform, dating back to 1870, abolished the broad range of liturgical vestments worn by ministers. Around the same time, he moved away from large parts of the Catholic Apostolic liturgy, including the use of incense and ornately decorated robes. Instead, he introduced a simpler form of worship centered on the sermon, influenced by Calvinistic traditions in the Netherlands and the Pietistic background of his colleague, Menkhoff. The black suit, as it is now known, became obligatory only in the 1950s.

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