Other1787
Swedenborgian (New Jerusalem Church)
📍 England (organised); Sweden (Swedenborg's origins)
Heaven opened: Swedenborg's visionary theology of correspondences.
Learn moreFree Resource
Denomination Explorer
Christianity is not one tradition. It is a family shaped by centuries of faith, geography, and the many ways people have met God. Explore the full family here. All branches. No judgment.
Other1838
Christadelphian
📍 England / USA
No immortal soul, no Trinity: Bible truth as first-century Christians understood it.
Learn moreOther1747 (England); 1774 (USA)
Shakers (United Society of Believers)
📍 Manchester, England; then New England, USA
Celibacy, communal life, and worship through ecstatic dance and craftsmanship.
Learn moreOther1785
Rappites (Harmonists)
📍 Württemberg, Germany; Pennsylvania and Indiana, USA
German perfectionist communalists who built Harmony, Pennsylvania.
Learn moreOther~1750s
Doukhobors
📍 Russia (Ukraine, Caucasus); emigrated to Canada 1899
Spirit-wrestlers: inner light, pacifism, and rejection of all external authority.
Learn moreOther~1765
Molokans
📍 Volga region and Caucasus, Russia; later California and Armenia
Russian milk-drinkers: Bible alone, no clergy, no fasting rules.
Learn moreOther1945
United Pentecostal Church International (Oneness)
📍 Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
Jesus Only: one God, baptism in Jesus's name, and the fullness of the Spirit.
Learn moreOther1863
New Apostolic Church
📍 Hamburg, Germany
The restored apostolic office: a living Chief Apostle as God's mouthpiece on earth.
Learn moreOther~1884–1910 (various founders)
African Zionist / Independent Churches (AICs)
📍 South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya, East Africa
The largest African Christian movement: Spirit, healing, prophecy, and indigenous worship.
Learn moreOther1848
Exclusive Brethren (Plymouth Brethren II / PBCC)
📍 England (J.N. Darby's breakaway from Plymouth)
Absolute separation: no fellowship, eating, or worship with those outside the circle.
Learn moreOrigin
The New Apostolic Church emerged from the Catholic Apostolic Church (founded by Edward Irving in London, 1831) which believed God was restoring the apostolic office. After the original Catholic Apostolic apostles died without appointing successors, a breakaway group in Hamburg appointed new apostles in 1863, claiming God continues to speak through a living Chief Apostle. The church grew dramatically in 20th-century Germany and across sub-Saharan Africa.
Core beliefs
- The Chief Apostle is the highest authority on earth - God's living voice for the church
- Three sacraments: Holy Baptism with water, Holy Sealing with the Spirit, and Holy Communion
- Proxy sacraments: the living may receive sacraments on behalf of the deceased
- The apostolic office (Chief Apostle, Apostle, etc.) is the highest order in the church
- Imminent return of Christ for the prepared and Spirit-sealed faithful
Worship style
Orderly, liturgical services led by lay ministers appointed through the apostle hierarchy. Organ music, structured choir, and identical order of service worldwide - the Chief Apostle's word is transmitted live across all congregations globally.
Key scriptures
- Ephesians 2:20
- 1 Corinthians 12:28
- Matthew 16:19
- John 20:22–23
Relationship to other denominations
Considered outside mainstream Christianity by most bodies due to its claims to living apostolic authority and proxy sacraments for the dead. Largest in Germany, Switzerland, and sub-Saharan Africa, particularly South Africa and the DR Congo.