Apostolic Christian Church In the United States

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History in the United States

 * The Apostolic Christian Church (ACC) is a worldwide Christian denomination from the anabaptist tradition.
 * The origins of the Apostolic Christian Church are founded in the conversion experience of Samuel Heinrich Froehlich (1803–57) of Switzerland. Froehlich was baptized in 1832, and soon founded the Evangelical Baptist Church.
 * The first American church was formed in Lewis County, New York, in 1847, by Benedict Weyeneth (1819–87), who had been sent by Froehlich at the request of Joseph Virkler, a Lewis County minister in an Alsatian Amish-Mennonite church. I
 * n 1848, a church was formed in Sardis, Ohio.
 * The church experienced primary growth in the Midwest, where many congregations gained membership from local Amish and Mennonite churches.
 * Though sometimes referred to as the New Amish, these believers generally called themselves Evangelical Baptist. In 1917, the church adopted a uniform name: Apostolic Christian Church.
 * There are currently at least five main divisions of this church in America.
 * The Apostolic Christian Church of America has about 93 congregations in 22 states, including 1 church in Canada, 5 in Mexico, and 2 in Japan. The total number of members is approximately 11,500.
 * The Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean) has 50 congregations in the United States, with 2756 members.
 * The Nazarene Christian Congregation is the result of a split during World War II which had to do with disagreements due to Communist demands in Yugoslavia. This church also split into two sides during the early 2000s. The NCC has churches in former Yugoslavia, Australia, United States, and Canada, with more members in Yugoslavia than anywhere else. In North America and Australia the church has shrunk considerably.
 * The German Apostolic Christian Church has several congregations in the United States and Europe. There are about 150 members in the United States, primarily in Illinois and Oregon. This German Apostolic Christian Church is the result of a relatively small group splitting away from the Apostolic Christian Church in 1932 and 1933 with currently four congregations: Cissna Park, IL; Fairbury, IL; Peoria, IL; and Silverton, OR. Formerly it had also a congregation in Sabetha, KS, this became one of the Christian Apostolic Churches after 1955. Until 1955 this church was known as Christian Apostolic Church, afterwards it named itself German Apostolic Christian Church.
 * The Christian Apostolic Church (formed in 1955 from a split with the German Apostolic Christian) has three churches in Forrest, IL; Salem, OR; and Sabetha, KS with approximately 75 members. The Christian Apostolic Church was the result of a 1955 schism from the German Apostolic Christian Church.
 * The Apostolic Christian Faith Church (formed in 2012 from a split with the Apostolic Christian Church of America) has two churches in Canada, and about 25 churches in the United States with approximately 1,100 members. Members have retained what they believe are the church's traditional teachings and doctrine. Source: Wikipedia: Apostolic Christian Church

Finding Records
You will need to write to or email the church headquarters or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Addresses:
 * Apostolic Christian Church Directory
 * Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean) Church Directory
 * German Apostolic Christian Church has four congregations: Cissna Park, IL; Fairbury, IL; Peoria, IL; and Silverton, OR.
 * Christian Apostolic Church has three churches in Forrest, IL; Salem, OR; and Sabetha, KS.

Writing to Church Headquarters
Apostolic Christian Church 3420 N. Sheridan Rd. Peoria IL 61604 Tel.: 419-393-2621 (media contact) Tel.: 309-693-6688 or 309-243-7750

Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean)

Nazarene Christian Congregation

Carefully Compare Any Record You Find to Known Facts About the Ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.