Apostolic Christian Church of America
The Apostolic Christian Church of America is a Christian denomination, based in the United States, and a branch of the Apostolic Christian Church. The denomination consists of approximately 90 congregations in the United States, Japan, Mexico and Canada. History. The origins of the Apostolic Christian Church are found 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. In 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". From the 1920s on, most of the new churches formed in America were founded in metropolitan areas. This was because many of the church's offspring sought occupational opportunities outside of  farming. Thus, today the Apostolic Christian Church consists of a blend of city and rural congregations. Biblical practices and traditions. Church discipline. Church discipline is taken very seriously, and is conducted as is Biblically laid out in Matthew 18:15-17. Members are disciplined out of love. If the member commits a major sin, as the Apostolic Christian Church believes to be laid out by the Bible, he or she will be disciplined. The member will go through a time of reflection and will hopefully repent and come back into fellowship. If there is no repentance, the individual will no longer  be considered a member of the ACCA. Conversion. The conversion experienced for each member varies in timing and detail, but all include repentance for one's sins, making restitution, confessing their sin to God and to people they've sinned against, and finding peace with God and man. The word "convert" is used throughout the denomination to describe anyone who begins repentance but has not yet been baptized into the church. It does not imply conversion from another denomination or religion, but from the carnal to the spiritual state. Once converts feel they have peace with God, this is announced  to the church and a baptism date is set. Converts give a testimony before the members of the church prior to the public baptism service, telling the story of their personal conversion experience. This sharing, commonly referred to as a "testimony" or "proving", typically takes place the night before the baptism and is a closed member meeting. Because baptism is identified with a "death to sin" in Romans 6 and other New Testament writings, congregational recognition of the convert's repentance and death to sin is desired prior to baptism. The baptism service is open for anyone to attend and  is performed before the entire congregation. Immediately before the baptism takes place the convert makes a covenant with God in the presence of the entire congregation to be faithful until death. Once the covenant is made, the convert is fully immersed in water (unless they are physically unable to do so) representing their sins being washed away by the blood of Christ and rising to a new creature in Christ. After the baptism service, there is a laying on of hands by one or more elders and an accompanying consecration prayer to dedicate the new brother or sister to God 's work and to place the seal of the Holy Spirit on their life. Locations. Spread throughout the world, churches can be found in several countries. Along with missionary work, the church also operates several nursing homes, schools, charities and orphanages.