New Apostolic Church Appoints New Representatives in Ecumenical Bodies
By Gwen
Posted Oct 27, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Apostle Arne Herrmann of South Germany has been appointed as a delegate of the working group of Christian Churches (ACK) Germany since September 2025. He succeeds Bishop Peter Johanning, who represented the New Apostolic Church at the General Assembly of the ACK from 10 to 11 September in Cologne. Previously, Herrmann served as deputy to Johanning.
At the general assembly, both Herrmann and Johanning officially applied for full membership of the New Apostolic Church in the ACK. This application will be discussed and decided in the coming months. The ACK Germany, founded in 1948, comprises 25 member churches in 2025, including six guest churches. Its primary focus areas include theological reflection, commitment to justice, peace, and the environment, as well as common prayer and ecumenical exchange.
New deputy delegates sent by the District Apostles in Germany include Bishop Matthias Grauer of Southern Germany. The ACK Germany’s work emphasizes collaboration among diverse Christian denominations to address shared concerns and promote unity.
On 8 November 2025, the General Assembly of the “ACK Hessen-Rheinhessen e.V.” in Wetzlar elected a new Executive Board. Pastor Dr. Martin Streck of the Kurhessische Landeskirche was unanimously chosen as chairman, alongside Dr. Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana of the Bishopric Mainz and priest Benjamin Pirlich of the New Apostolic Church as vice-chairmen. This marks the first time a representative of the New Apostolic Church of West Germany has joined the Executive Board of an ACK at the state level.
Benjamin Pirlich, a priest in the Hungen congregation of the Giessen District, has represented the New Apostolic Church in the ACK Hesse-Rheinhessen since 2022. He serves alongside district evangelist i.R. Christian Benz of the Worms, Rheinpfalz district.
In West Germany, over 150 congregations are members of a local ACK. There are 27 full memberships, four of which are founding members, and 21 guest memberships. In the regional ACK Hessen-Rheinhessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Southwest, the New Apostolic Church holds full membership.
Source: Read the original report (translated from German)
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
