Апостолдық Шіркеу: Тарихы мен негіздері

Pentecostal Christian denomination
the Christian Church formed in 1916

The Apostolic Church is an international Christian denomination and Pentecostal movement that emerged from the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905. Although the movement began in the United Kingdom, the largest national Apostolic Church became the Apostolic Church Nigeria. The term "Apostolic" refers to the role of apostles in the denomination's church government, as well as a desire to emulate 1st century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government.

The earliest historians of the Apostolic Church date its beginnings to 1911, when three groups of people in three locations in the village of Pen y groes received the Pentecostal baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Apostolic Church had adopted a system of presbyteries to govern the church collegially. While ministers were ordained as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, elders or teachers all were involved in prayer and deliberation together in presbyteries at local, sectional and national levels. The names of these governing bodies eventually became distinct: the presbytery of the local church retained the name "presbytery", the regional body became known as the classis, and later, the Area Pastors' Meeting and the national governing body adopted the name of General Council. Church government was not reserved to the apostles alone, as they were regarded as first among equals (primus inter pares) among the other ministers, requiring a collegial government.

For a period, the Welsh churches were associated with William Oliver Hutchinson and the Apostolic Faith Church in Bournemouth, England. However, on 8 January 1916, Daniel Powell Williams and most of the Welsh assemblies separated from Hutchinson and the Apostolic Faith Church over doctrinal matters, and established the Apostolic Church in Wales (ACW). After 1916, the two groups had no further contact and developed along different doctrinal paths. It had 15 million members in approximately 100 countries.

The Apostolic Church established its first theological college, the Apostolic Church International Bible School, in the village of Pen y groes in 1933. Colleges and seminaries have also been established in eleven other countries.

In the past, the standard hymnal of the Apostolic Church was the Redemption Hymnal, which was produced by a joint committee from the Apostolic Church, the Elim Pentecostal Church, and the Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland.