New Apostolic Church
Distinct Christian denomination with living apostles (Catholic Apostolic Church offshoot, 1863). Substantial African and European following.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — distinct Christian denomination with living apostles; substantial African growth.
Profile facts
In context
New Apostolic Church descends from the 19th-century Catholic Apostolic Church / Irvingite tradition. Living apostles doctrine; recent internal reforms. Substantial African growth especially in Zambia, DRC, South Africa.
Recovery resources
- Tears of Eden — Christian spiritual-abuse-survivor support and clinician referral.
- Recovering Grace — Originally IBLP-focused; archive includes broader fundamentalist Christian high-control material.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
- Strong internal hierarchy
- substantial African growth
Timeline
- 1863Split from Catholic Apostolic Church
- 2000Richard Fehr called an Apostolic Council which embraced discussion about common social and religious topics and interests
- 2007230 million hosts were delivered to 50 countries in Europe, the Americas and a few in Asia and Africa
- 2009Switzerland had 35,000 New Apostolic Church members in 218 communities
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIVILUDES report of 2001 · archive | Government | Primary | — |
| . . . das ist hier Vergangenheit«. | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Religionen und Sekten: „Ich bin seelisch missbraucht worden“. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Sekten: Extrem streng. | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Urteil in Aachen: Ex-Laienpriester missbraucht Enkeltöchter – dreieinhalb Jahre Haft. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Britannica (онлайн) · archive | Organisation | Tertiary | — |
Sources
- Various NAC publications search ↗
- MIVILUDES report of 2001 — http://www.miviludes.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/MILS_Rapport_2001_fr.pdf open ↗
- . . . das ist hier Vergangenheit«. — https://www.spiegel.de/politik/das-ist-hier-vergangenheit-a-4545da1a-0002-0001-0000-000013488305 open ↗
- Religionen und Sekten: „Ich bin seelisch missbraucht worden“. — https://www.welt.de/regionales/duesseldorf/article125538453/Ich-bin-seelisch-missbraucht-worden.html open ↗
- Sekten: Extrem streng. — https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9224754.html open ↗
- Urteil in Aachen: Ex-Laienpriester missbraucht Enkeltöchter – dreieinhalb Jahre Haft. — https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/aachen-75-jaehriger-missbraucht-enkeltoechter-dreieinhalb-jahre-haft-a-1272497.html open ↗
- Britannica (онлайн) — https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Apostolic-Church open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J corrective: Moderate-band (CLCI 15) entry upgraded from Mainstream-comparator lighter palette to Christian high-control palette — Batch J's clci<21 fallthrough was too lean for the documented control vector of this category.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is New Apostolic Church a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). New Apostolic Church scores 15 out of 40 — "Moderate Control", at medium confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is New Apostolic Church's CLCI score?
New Apostolic Church scores 15 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "Moderate" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 4, Information 3, Thought 4, Emotional 4 — plus a signed modifier of +0 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does New Apostolic Church score 15 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Strong internal hierarchy. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +0 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the New Apostolic Church rating?
This profile is rated Medium confidence. Medium confidence means the score rests on reputable journalism plus consistent ex-member testimony. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding New Apostolic Church?
If you or someone you care about is affected by New Apostolic Church, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.