them to the ministers possibly afterwards: Holy Baptism with water Holy Sealing (by Apostles only) Adoption (of a baptised Christian) Confirmation (Act of blessing – usually on Easter Day or Palm Sunday) The ministers give the hosts to the participants, while there is background music (i.e., piano/organ) or the sitting ones are singing the Communion Hymn. Further Hymn or choral singing possibly afterwards In divine services by district apostles(or their delegate) only: Giving Holy Communion to chosen ministers assistant for the departed. Acts of blessing possibly afterwards (e.g. marriage ceremony, wedding anniversary, ordination or retirement of a minister) Close: Prayer of thanks by the officiant Benediction and the participants sing the Threefold Amen Possible administrative announcements with regard to deadlines by a minister Musical contribution Sermon The New Apostolic ministers preach without a manuscript. They prepare themselves for the sermon with the small Divine Service Guide publication released monthly by the church administration. The Guide was reformatted in December 2007 to give the officiant a structured introduction to the subject matter along with background knowledge about the biblical word, historical knowledge, cross-references, additional sources and so on. The contents of one topic may be spread across several divine services within a month so that each divine service can cover a subtopic and build upon the main topic, in order to teach and guide the listeners better. A theological education is not necessary to hold a New Apostolic ministry. Continuing the tradition of Apostle Peter, the Holy Spirit is believed to act through the ministers during the sermon, but the Church does not consider the ministers to be infallible. One criticism has been that ministers under stress preach habitual content and verbiage between sermons. Also, ministers with insufficient instruction in New Apostolic theology and doctrines have accidentally preached false teachings, leading to misunderstandings. The Church has counteracted this with numerous seminars, and it requests that ministers of each congregation coordinate their sermon topics together. Attendance Anywhere from 20 to 100% of the officially registered members of the Church attend the divine services regularly. While attendance statistics in Central Europe are declining, in Eastern and Western Europe, South America and Africa attendance numbers are relatively high. Regular participants frequently engage in church life and stand out due to their feelings of togetherness. A particular care exists for children, youth, and seniors. The Church culture tends towards formal dress and appearance, although all