History

The Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century created a number of new denominations, but many of them ended up united with the state and promoted their theology with nation state powers. Switzerland was no exception and by the 1800s it had adopted the Protestant Reformed Church as its religious arm. There was little tolerance for different opinions and those who disagreed were often persecuted, sometimes unto death.

The Apostolic Christian Church as a separate denomination has its roots in theology promoted by Samuel Froehlich who was born in Switzerland in 1803. He was trained as a member of the clergy of the Protestant Reformed Church. Samuel initially didn’t intend to start a new denomination, but his understanding of Biblical principles pertaining to repentance, baptism and living an overcoming life, was not accepted by the State Church resulting in distinctly different congregations being formed. They spread from Switzerland to France, Germany, and other places in Western Europe, and also to Eastern Europe.

Samuel’s health was poor and made worse by the persecution he encountered. He died at a fairly early age, but the Christian principles he encouraged are fundamental to the Bible and are the ones upon which our Church remains grounded to this day. Some of his sermons were written and have been preserved, and through these writings and other records we find the outlines of the theology that helped define the Apostolic Christian Church. Although Samuel’s efforts are respected, we wish to emphasize that our theological principles and practices are grounded in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We do not worship or deify a man. Our administration of the Gospel message focuses on teachings contained in The Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters to the Churches.

Evangelical Baptists in America 

When our Church first came to America, it was known as Evangelical Baptist. There is an account dating back to 1847 in New York State where a local Church was grappling with some spiritual questions. A man in their midst had been a former member of the Evangelical Baptist Church in Europe and suggested they contact Samuel Froehlich to see if he could help them resolve their differences. A request for assistance was sent and a young Elder, Benedict Weyeneth, agreed to come to America.

Historical records indicate that Benedict Weyeneth presented Evangelical Baptist doctrines (theology) of repentance, conversion, a sanctified life, and a true inner peace of heart and mind to people in the area and congregations began to form. Practices that continue to be utilized in our churches were established. Among them were the preaching of sermons without selected text or preparation other than the minister’s personal prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures, acapella singing (without musical instruments), and kneeling for prayer.

At the time of World War I in 1917-18, it became necessary to choose an official name for our Church. This was done in order to register with the government and provide a path to noncombatant status for young men who were drafted into the military. The final decision was to use the name of Apostolic Christian Church of America. By then the Church had people in it with diverse backgrounds, including Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant Reformed, Mennonite, Amish, Baptist, and others. The new name took all these backgrounds into account and established a new beginning.

Silverton, Oregon

In 1876 people of Swiss descent came to Oregon and settled near Pratum. Theological questions arose, and they remembered hearing about the Evangelical Baptist Church in Switzerland. They also knew some members of the Church in the American East and Midwest. They sought to understand more about Evangelical Baptist doctrine and wrote a letter asking for additional details. The letter made it to our Church’s Elder Body resulting in two men being chosen to travel about 3,000 miles to Oregon under primitive travel conditions. It is reported that they had to travel by horseback with an Indian guide on the final phases of their trip to Silverton.

Those who had requested clarification of doctrine were Christian Wenger, William Kaufman, and Fred Krug who then met with the Evangelical Baptist representatives. Christian Wenger and his wife were baptized at that time. It was sometime later when Kaufman and Krug were also baptized. In 1883 Kaufman became the first Elder of our Silverton Church and served in that role until his death in 1931.

Our Church, the Apostolic Christian Church of America, has been heavily tested, especially here in Oregon. Unfortunate turmoil and multiple schisms developed after Kaufman’s death that restricted the Church’s growth for many years. But attendance grew to where we built a new Church building (1995) and fellowship center (2005) at the intersection of Howell Prairie Road and Silverton Road (HWY 213). Additional growth since that time has enabled us to prayerfully consider planting another church in the area. We are a small denomination with about eighty congregations in the United States and only one church in Oregon at this time. Additional information on the Apostolic Christian Church of America can be found on its website www.apostolicchristian.org.