interdenominational missionary and charitable organisations. The head office of NAK-karitativ, association for relief projects of the church, is located in Dortmund, Germany. It is officially valued as an exemplary social organization. Regenbogen-NAK An initiative group called Regenbogen-NAK (Rainbow-NAC in English) was founded in 1999 by gay, lesbian, and transsexual believers of the NAC. The main issues are the particular problems which affect them in public and in the church. The committee for special affairs of the church holds a dialog with the German and Swiss representatives. This does not mean that this group forms part of the NAC and maintains the website www.cms.regenbogen-nak.org. nacworld "nacworld" is the social networking website of the New Apostolic Church International, and enables Christians from all over the world to come into contact. It is geared towards members of the New Apostolic Church. Members of other churches or religious communities are also welcome to join, and the site is open to all who are interested. nacworld can be used in German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Dutch. An nacworld account is free of charge. There are no premium features, and nacworld has no income from advertising or sponsorship. Ecumenism Historical development Chief Apostle Richard Fehr (1988–2005) founded the "Ecumenism Project Group" in 1999 to represent the Church among other Christian denominations, establish contacts with other denominations and churches and involve the NAC in common activities and affairs. The church administration may consider changing some rather exclusive ecumenical doctrines, but they also have to maintain their own profile. In 1963, the World Council of Churches asked Chief Apostle Schmidt to send some deputies to a session in Geneva, Switzerland. He declined the offer because the ecumenical movement of that time was not politically neutral and also because he feared the Roman Catholic Church would have too much control. Later on, he explained publicly that participating in ecumenism would have triggered conflicts and criticism between the church and larger denominations. An interest in ecumenism only came about when Chief Apostle Hans Urwyler sought to contact other Apostolic Denominations. In 2000, Richard Fehr called an Apostolic Council which embraced discussion about common social and religious topics and interests. A general rapprochement between Apostolic denominations has been underway since 2005. This brought about some conflicts, but both sides want to continue and strive for reconciliation. All official "excommunications" of excluded members have now been cancelled. In 1994 the church