Church History

Since the time of Jesus Christ, God has always provided messengers to propagate the true gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. A large-scale revival of the true gospel occurred during the Anabaptist movement led by the Mennonites under Menno Simon in the fifteenth century in Europe. In 1825, the revival was enhanced by the missionary zeal of Brother Samuel Henry Fröhlich of Switzerland. Born July 4, 1803, he studied to become minister of the state church. The more he studied the rationalistic theology of the state church, the less he believed in the atoning works of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. However, in April 1825, the Holy Spirit began to convict him of his sinful life of unbelief. The burden of sin drove him to seek a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. During the next two years, the Lord brought about an inner conversion that brought him peace and joy.

In December of 1828, he preached his first sermon to 1,800 souls in the state church; a great awakening followed during the next two years. His preaching of justification by faith and a personal relationship with Christ was unacceptable to church authorities; he was removed from office October 1830, and expelled June 1831 . Although Fröhlich never intended to start a new denomination, he felt a need to shepherd those who found new life in Christ. Because of severe persecution, he moved from town to town preaching the word, starting new churches. He finally had to flee to Strasburg, France, in 1844. There he served the Lord until his death on January 15, 1857, at the age of 53 ½ years.

Brothers John Diebold and Andrew Braun were students of Br. Fröhlich and led the movement in Germany. Similarly, Brothers John Denkel and John Kropatschek led the movement in Hungary. Through the efforts of converts Brothers Joseph Bela and Ludwig and Emerich Hencey, the gospel was spread as far as Bosnia, Slovenia, Serbia and Romania. The believers in these areas were called Nazareans.

Severe persecutions throughout Europe caused many Nazareans to seek freedom of worship in North America. The first immigrants left Europe mid Nineteenth Century. (Brother Andrew Braun and the entire congregation fled to America.) World War I and World War II brought untold sufferings to many believers who found a haven in North America. The first immigrants settled in upstate New York; later many believers went to Illinois, Ohio, and some to Michigan.

Prior to World War I, a number of families had emigrated from Europe and settled in the Detroit area. At first, homes were used for gatherings. The first house of worship was a converted home on 2335 Grayling Street. The building still exists today. To accommodate growth, a new church building was built in 1937 on Arlington street near Davison Avenue and dedicated in 1938. Further growth and movements to the suburbs resulted in approximately one-half of the congregation starting a new gathering in 1962 at the YMCA located in Royal Oak. During the next two years, a permanent place of worship was located at the present site in Beverly Hills. Originally, the house was used by a Baptist congregation, and later purchased and remodeled by our congregation in 1964. A new sanctuary was started in 1971 and dedicated on August 27, 1972.

Respectfully submitted by Louis Green

April 13, 2000

Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean)
19400 West Thirteen Mile Road
(Between Southfield & Evergreen)
Beverly Hills, Michigan 48025-5159
248-647-4933
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