Organizing Growth
As New Apostolic membership in India continued to increase, it became clear that some organizational and structural elements needed to be put in place, to monitor and sustain this growth. Starting in the 1990’s, India was divided among multiple District Apostle Areas (DAAs) and so the Indian Apostles came under the spiritual and administrative authorities of those DAAs. Being a large and diverse country, it was not easy to coordinate uniformly but each District Apostle did their best to ensure sustained growth in their respective areas in India.
The Five District Apostle Areas in India
In the year 2000, District Apostle Rosentreter from Australia was overlooking the work in and around the state of Odisha. Two District Apostle Areas (DAAs) from Germany took care of Rajasthan, the North-Eastern states, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kerala. The DAA Canada continued to look after the states of Maharashtra, most parts of Andhra Pradesh (including today’s Telangana), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. When it was decided that the USA would become independent from the DAA Canada, parts of India would come under the care of the DAA USA for a couple of years.
Laying a Firm Foundation
In 1987, the Apostles Sharad Bower and Jose Kuthottungal were appointed as District Apostle Helpers for India (under the DAA Canada). For the next four years, their task was to overlook the work in North and South India respectively. For a short time within those years, 40 Indian Apostles were in charge of the growth work in different parts of the country.
Ministers and teachers from other countries also regularly visited India. District Apostle Helpers Ernst Horn, Leonard E. Kolb and Mark Woll (from the DAA Canada) supported the work in India through the 1990’s and early 2000’s with the intent to help laying a firm foundation of faith on which the country could continue to grow.
Commissioning and Consolidating
When operations were merged with that of the District Apostle Area (DAA) Canada, it became clear that the commissioning of an Indian District Apostle Helper could help consolidate and unify the work in the country. Thus, an Indian District Apostle Helper was appointed in 2010 which subsequently enabled the completion of these mergers. While India is still aided by the DAA Canada, for the first time in over twenty years, India would have its very own District Apostle Helper. The handover from these various DAAs were not just spiritual but also administrative in nature, giving India the opportunity to consolidate and reorganize its own growth.
The Halfway Mark
The end of June also marks the passing of the first half of the year. Through these first six months we have been able to look back at history and rediscover the origins and growth of the New Apostolic Church in India. We hope that with each month you have learnt something new, drawn strength from the past and felt inspired for the future. As we move into the later part of this year, we will look at the development of specific programs that helped to sustain and consolidate the work in India.