South America

A number of New Apostolic families settled near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata in Argentina and Uruguay in around 1920. The apostle assigned to South America was a Dutchman by the name of Sijtze Faber who settled in the province of Córdoba, from where he cared for the small group of families. In 1930 Chief Apostle Helper Franz-Wilhelm Schlaphoff visited South America. From then on it was decided that divine services would be conducted in the local languages. The New Apostolic Church in Argentina has been officially recognised by the state since 1938.

The New Apostolic Church is now represented in all countries of the continent. Nearly 400,000 people in some 1,600 congregations profess the New Apostolic doctrine of faith. They receive pastoral care from approximately 8,400 ministers. There are three independent South American District Churches, namely Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. The District Churches of the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia receive organisational support from the New Apostolic Church USA and the French Overseas Department of the District Church of North Rhine-Westphalia. The New Apostolic Church of the Netherlands looks after missionary work in Suriname and on a number of islands.