There are several groups that call themselves “apostolic.” Generally speaking, all of these churches seek to uphold or return to the teachings and practices of the early church. Some of these churches hold to Pentecostal doctrine, while others do not. The largest groups are probably the Apostolic Church (or Church of the Apostolic Faith), which grew out of the Welsh revival of 1904-1905; and the New Apostolic Church International, which dates back to the British revivals of the 1830s.
The Apostolic Church is a worldwide community with around 6 million members. Each national church is headed by a Chief Apostle and is self-governing. According to one of its earliest writers, the Apostolic Church represents first-century Christianity in faith, practice, and government, “to make known throughout the world the forgiveness of sins through the atoning death of Christ, water baptism by immersion ; the baptism of the Holy Spirit followed by signs; the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit; the five gifts of our Ascended Lord; and the vision called in the New Testament, the Church which is the body of it.” As hinted at in that statement, the practice of signs and wonders is an integral part of his doctrine.
The doctrine of the Apostolic Church is similar to that of most evangelical churches. They believe in the unity of the Godhead and the distinctions between the members of the Trinity. Regarding salvation, they teach the necessity of conviction of sin, repentance, restitution, and confession for salvation. Like most churches within the Methodist tradition, they teach the possibility of a believer falling from grace. Where they differ from many evangelicals is in the Pentecostal teaching of tongues as a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and in their teaching that the ministry of apostles and prophets must never cease in the Church Age.
The New Apostolic Church International has more than 11 million members worldwide. The revival movement that swept through Britain in the 1830s led many people to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By 1832, the apostles had been ordained and the Catholic Apostolic Church was formed. In 1863, the Hamburg Schism, a disagreement over individual interpretations of Scripture and the appointment of new apostles, led to the formation of the New Apostolic Church. The first New Apostolic Church in America was founded by German immigrants in Chicago in 1872.
The doctrine of the New Apostolic Church also has similarities with other evangelical churches. This church upholds the virgin birth, sinless life and atoning death of Jesus Christ, the necessity of personal repentance and confession for the forgiveness of sins, and the literal return of Jesus Christ to earth. As for conversion, however, the water of baptism is an essential part of rebirth and entitles the believer to the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given by the act and authority of an apostle, which makes the believer a child of God and incorporates him into the body of Christ. These doctrines mark a clear distinction from other evangelical churches.
Another group is the Christian Apostolic Church in America, which was formed in Lewis County, New York, in 1847. Its history dates back to the work of Samuel Froehlich in Switzerland in the 1830s. Froehlich was greatly influenced by the Anabaptists of the XVI century, and its church was known in Europe as Evangelical Baptist. Like their Anabaptist ancestors, these believers hold to a literal reading of Scripture and use Scripture only as the basis for their life and practice. There are about 90 congregations in North America and Japan.