The same words and gestures repeated time and again—there is an underlying order to them. “Liturgy” is the term used to describe the principle that conveys God’s consistent care. Here is more about the divine service, its form, and how things have changed over time.

Anyone who regularly attends New Apostolic divine services knows them almost by heart: the Trinitarian opening, the Lord’s Prayer that is spoken together, the absolution, and the words of consecration during Holy Communion. Week after week, the same phrases are repeated. However, this is no coincidence.

The article “Holy Communion: the central act of liturgy” in the latest issue of community, takes a close look at this very topic. The text is based, among other things, on an article “Introduction to the liturgy”, which originally appeared in a special edition of the Divine Service Guide (No. 2/2025).

Not rules but an encounter

The term “liturgy” derives from the ancient Greek and means “public service”. In the Christian sense, it denotes the prescribed sequence of everything that constitutes divine service. Within this framework, two realities unfold simultaneously. On the one hand, God serves human beings through the sermon, the sacraments, and blessing. On the other, divine service constitutes our service to God, which is expressed in song, prayer, and profession of our faith.

Liturgy, therefore, is not a mechanical sequence of events that are ticked off. Rather, it is the framework for an encounter with God. Sermons, prayer, the sacraments, and blessing constitute a single whole. Together, they lead to the goal that God pursues through His salvation, namely, to grant human beings fellowship with Him.

When less suddenly became more

The words, actions, and gestures involved, and the order in which they occur, are likewise defined by changing times and circumstances. The first apostolic congregations adopted many liturgical practices from the Catholic Apostolic movement. The divine services were considerably more elaborate and highly ritualised.

A decisive change came with the Apostles Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz and Friedrich Wilhelm Menkhoff, who brought back from the Netherlands the simplicity of a sermon-centred divine service.

And this form came to be established for two reasons: firstly, the message concerning the personal reoccupation of the Apostle ministry was to be conveyed as simply as possible. And secondly, the divine services mostly took place in simple rooms that scarcely allowed for an elaborate liturgy.

A renewed appreciation for old forms

The trend continued. Over the course of the twentieth century, many visible liturgical gestures disappeared almost entirely. It was not until the beginning of the twenty-first century that a cautious re-evaluation began. This took place in two ways.

In 2010, the expanded liturgy was introduced, which, with its prescribed sequence and wording, moved Holy Communion more into the focus of the divine service.  This, in turn, sparked an interest in the concept of liturgy and its content—subjects that only decades earlier had often been regarded with the same suspicion as theology in general.

Consistency, reliability, and a sense of security

The liturgical texts are laid down in a binding form by the apostolate, which creates unity. Anyone who attends a New Apostolic divine service anywhere in the world will encounter the same essential words. It is not the personal preferences of the officiant that determine the proceedings, but the common teaching of the Church.

And just as important is: “The recurring liturgical processes have the function, among other things, of allowing human beings to experience the constant and reliable care of God,” as stated in the Divine Service Guide article. “In this way, the divine service assembly can feel secure in the unchanging faithfulness of God.”

Photo: Oliver Rütten