Wilhelm Leber (born 20 July 1947) is a German mathematician and formerly chief apostle in the New Apostolic Church.
Wilhelm Leber was born in Herford in Westphalia. In 1975 he earned his doctorate in mathematics at the Goethe University Frankfurt with a dissertation entitled Konvergenzbegriffe für lineare Operatoren und Stabilitätsaussagen. [1] After earning his degree, he began working at the University of Hamburg.
In 1990 Wilhelm Leber was ordained to the ministry of Apostle in the New Apostolic Church. When in 1992 his predecessor retired, he was ordained as a District Apostle and given charge of the regional churches in Bremen and Hamburg, and in 1994 also the church of Mecklenburg.
On 15 May 2005, he received the ministry of Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church, succeeding Richard Fehr.
On 19 May 2013, he was succeeded as Chief Apostle by Jean-Luc Schneider.
Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is considered by some Christian denominations to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bishops. Those of the Anglican, Church of the East, Eastern Orthodox, Hussite, Moravian, Old Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic and Scandinavian Lutheran traditions maintain that "a bishop cannot have regular or valid orders unless he has been consecrated in this apostolic succession". These traditions do not always consider the episcopal consecrations of all of the other traditions as valid.
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders include the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic and some Lutheran churches. Except for Lutherans and some Anglicans, these churches regard ordination as a sacrament.
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination vary by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordination.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, an apostle is a "special witness of the name of Jesus Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others." In many Latter Day Saint churches, an apostle is a priesthood office of high authority within the church hierarchy. In many churches, apostles may be members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency of the church. In most Latter Day Saint churches, modern-day apostles are considered to have the same status and authority as the Biblical apostles.
The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC), also known as the Irvingite Church, is a Christian denomination and Protestant sect which originated in Scotland around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States. The tradition to which the Catholic Apostolic Church belongs is sometimes referred to as Irvingism or the Irvingian movement after Edward Irving (1792–1834), a clergyman of the Church of Scotland credited with organising the movement.
Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf is a German aviator, airline executive and religious leader. He is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Called as an apostle in 2004, he served as Second Counselor to Thomas S. Monson in the church's First Presidency from 2008 until Monson's death on 2 January 2018. Currently, Uchtdorf is the sixth most senior apostle in the ranks of the church.
The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian church that split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during an 1863 schism in Hamburg, Germany.
The Chief Apostle is the highest minister in the New Apostolic Church, and has existed since 1896.
The Apostolic Church of South Africa – Apostle Unity is the South African branch of the United Apostolic Church. It has roots in the Catholic Apostolic Church of the early 19th century. It was founded in 1955 as a schism of the New Apostolic Church. It is part of a branch of Christianity called Irvingism and is separate from Protestantism.
Buchholz in der Nordheide is the largest town in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 25 km southwest of Hamburg.
Leber is a surname, and may refer to:
Ronald Anderson Rasband is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a general authority of the church since 2000. Currently, he is the eleventh most senior apostle in the church.
Michael Kraus was a Canadian entrepreneur and minister in the New Apostolic Church.
Gary Evan Stevenson is an American religious leader and former businessman who is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served previously as the church's Presiding Bishop and was the fourteenth man to serve in that position. He has been a general authority of the church since 2008. Stevenson was appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October 2015. Currently, he is the twelfth most senior apostle in the church.
Hans Urwyler was the sixth Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church.
Richard Fehr was the seventh Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church from 22 May 1988 to 15 May 2005.
An apostle, in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (apostéllein), "to send off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include "ambassador" and "envoy". The term in Ancient Greek also has other related meanings.
Jean-Luc Schneider is the Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church. He succeeded Wilhelm Leber on 19 May 2013 to become the ninth Chief Apostle of the New Apostolic Church. Jean-Luc Schneider is the first Frenchman to lead the New Apostolic Church.