The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Dutch : Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland ) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands .
35-911: The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ( Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk in Nederland , CGKN). The church was formed in 1869 by the merger of two churches, the Reformed Churches under the Cross and the Separated Christian Congregations, both separated from the Dutch Reformed Church in 1834; an event known as the Afscheiding . Most of the CGKN merged into
70-587: A piano and music group. In almost all churches the Ten Commandments are read in the morning service and the faith is confessed with the Apostles' Creed in the afternoon service. In January 2012, the church has 74,286 members in 181 churches. In recent years membership was steady. In the next year in early 2013 membership grew by more than 30. The various tasks of the churches are dealt with by several committees and deputies, appointed and mandated by
105-655: Is called a particular synod , of which there are four in the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands. Once every three years, the churches meet in a General Synod. The Synod is made up of 52 office bearers who are delegated by the four particular synods. The professors of the Theological University of Apeldoorn are present as advisers. Liturgically there are major differences within the CGK. In conservative congregations, only psalms from
140-871: Is designed for men who want to become a minister, the other has a broader design. The church subscribe to the infallibility of the Bible , to the Nicene Creed , the Apostles' Creed , the Athanasian Creed and the Three Forms of Unity (the Heidelberg Catechism , the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort ). All the office bearers have signed a document that they promise not to teach anything that contradicts this basis. There
175-734: Is officially (in terms of church law ) no room for female ministers , elders and deacons. However, there are some female elders and deacons locally. They are mainly found in churches that work (intensively) with churches that belong to the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) or the Netherlands Reformed Churches . Within the church there is a heated discussion about this, as well as about hermeneutics . Churches that are situated in close proximity usually meet twice per year by way of classis meetings. Three or four classes meet together annually in what
210-732: Is one of the oldest Dutch Reformed Church built in America. The largest Dutch Reformed body in North America, the Christian Reformed Church in North America , split off from Reformed Church in America in 1857 under the leadership of Gijsbert Haan . Smaller related denominations and federations include the Canadian and American Reformed Churches , the Free Reformed Churches of North America (FRC),
245-872: Is strongly influenced under the Dutch reformed church, the first known church established in the country is "De Oude kerk" in Batavia in 1640. Christianity in Indonesia, like Sri Lanka, has been nationalised into different branches of Protestantism while retaining many of the reformed church elements, such as Protestant Church in Indonesia . The Dutch Reformed Church went with migrants to the Americas , beginning in 1628 in New Amsterdam . St. Thomas Reformed Church, founded in 1660 in St. Thomas , Danish West Indies , became
280-638: The Canons of Dort to the Confessions. The Canons of Dort, together with the previously adopted Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism, were called the Drie formulieren van Enigheid (Three Forms of Unity). Most conflicts and splits in the Church arose because of disagreement over the substance and interpretation of these doctrinal documents. The government of the Dutch Republic , which had instigated
315-822: The Dutch East India Company and its workers, the Dutch Reformed Church was established in Ceylon in 1642. The Groote Kerk , built in 1755, still stands in Galle . The Dutch Reformed Church of Ceylon officially changed its name in 2007 to the Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka to reflect its Christian identity in the nation, rather than on its Dutch colonial heritage. As of 2007, its membership stands around 5,000, comprising both communicant and baptised members in 29 congregations, preaching stations, and mission outposts. Christianity in Indonesia
350-857: The Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC), the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (NRC), the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC), and the United Reformed Churches in North America (URC). The Dutch were mainly Protestant and Catholic before arrival to America, but became dominantly Protestant after settling in America. They spread their religion by forming bonds with the natives in The Ohio River Valley. In 1766, ministers of
385-699: The Nadere Reformatie , and a number of splits in the 19th century that greatly diversified Dutch Calvinism. The church functioned until 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), a united church of both Reformed and Evangelical Lutheran theological orientations. At
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#1732773301323420-532: The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands in 1892; a small part remained independent, and carried this name until it was renamed in 1947 to Christian Reformed Churches. At the first Synod eight congregations were represented. A Theological Seminary was opened in The Hague and later was moved to Apeldoorn in 1919. Since then the churches grew steadily till 1985, when membership was 75,000, and today membership fluctuates around this number. It has 13 classes . At
455-890: The Three Sister Churches of South Africa (the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK) ( Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk ), the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NHK) ( Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk ), the Reformed Churches in South Africa ( Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika )), the Afrikaans Protestant Church ( Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk ), and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa ( Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika ). Through
490-512: The (general) synod. From the very beginning of the Christian Reformed Churches, there have been differences and people have spoken of a left and right wing, by analogy with the political spectrum. In 1966, a foundation was established to prevent conservative preachers from leaving the CGK. The name of the foundation is: ''Bewaar het Pand''. Within this foundation they wanted to hold on to the preaching that pays attention to
525-470: The 19th century, theological liberalism led to splits in the Dutch Reformed Church. King William I of the Netherlands imposed a new form of government for the church, in which the civil authorities selected the commissioners to the National Synod in 1816, making it increasingly difficult for ministers to speak out against perceived errors. In 1834, the minister Hendrik de Cock of the town of Ulrum
560-823: The Arminians' expulsion, subsequently prohibited the Reformed Church from assembling synodically. No Synod was held in the Netherlands until after the end of the Republic in 1795. The 17th and early 18th centuries were the age of the Dutch Nadere Reformatie (best translated in English as the Further Reformation ), led primarily by Gisbertus Voetius and Wilhelmus à Brakel , which was greatly influenced by English Puritanism . In
595-688: The Dutch Reformed Church founded Queen's College , which would later become Rutgers College , in the Province of New Jersey . Today, Rutgers University is a major public research institution in the state of New Jersey . As one of nine colonial colleges clustered in the eastern United States, Rutgers serves as a reminder of early Dutch cultural influence in the North American colonies. Former U.S. Presidents Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt , both of Dutch descent, were affiliated with
630-884: The Netherlands seek (locally) cooperation with the Dutch Reformed Churches , the merger of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and the Dutch Reformed Churches . It supports missions in Thailand , and Sulawesi , Indonesia , the Toraja Mamasa Church was founded by missionaries of the Christian Reformed denomination. Complete correspondence: Limited Correspondence: Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church ( Dutch : Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk , pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ɦɛrˈvɔr(ə)mdə ˈkɛr(ə)k] , abbreviated NHK [ˌɛnɦaːˈkaː] )
665-543: The Netherlands). It was the larger of the two major Reformed denominations, after the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Gereformeerde kerk ) was founded in 1892. It spread to the United States , South Africa , Indonesia , Sri Lanka , Brazil , and various other world regions through Dutch colonization . Allegiance to the Dutch Reformed Church was a common feature among Dutch immigrant communities around
700-571: The Protestant movement. Two years later, in 1568, following an attack on the Netherlands by the forces of the Duke of Alba, many Netherlanders fled to the German city of Wesel , where a Synod was convened at which the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism were adopted, and provisions were made for the offices of pastor, elder, teacher and deacon. The first Synod of 23 Dutch Reformed leaders
735-441: The Republic. Although it remained endorsed by the royal family, the Netherlands never had any public church afterwards. The Reformation was a time of religious violence between the established Catholic Church, Protestants and governments, in some cases. Efforts to form a Reformed church in the southern provinces stemmed from a secret meeting of Protestant leaders at Antwerp in 1566, and despite Spanish repression, many nobles joined
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#1732773301323770-728: The beginning of 2022, there were 181 local congregations. The church withdrew from the Reformed Ecumenical Council in 1989, and joined the International Conference of Reformed Churches in 1995. It has a theological institute in Apeldoorn , the Theological University of Apeldoorn . It offers the Bachelor of Theology and the Master of Divinity . There are two masters. One of the master's programs
805-709: The first Dutch Reformed Church in the Caribbean . During the period of Dutch settlement in Brazil in the 17th century colonists organised the Reformed Church in Pernambuco . In Canada and the United States , the oldest and second largest body is the Reformed Church in America , which was the American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands between 1628 and 1819. The Brookville Reformed Church
840-495: The largest church body in the Netherlands until the middle of the 20th century, when it was overtaken by the Catholic Church . The rapid secularisation of the Netherlands in the 1960s dramatically reduced participation in the mainstream Protestant church. From the '60s onward, a number of attempts were made to effect a reunion with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland ). This led to
875-405: The law demanded that every public official should be a communicant member. Consequently, the Church had close relations with the Dutch government. A privilege of members of the Dutch Reformed Church was that they could have their businesses open on Sundays, otherwise considered a religious day and not one for business. The Dutch Reformed Church was officially disestablished in 1795 with the end of
910-573: The personal application of salvation. The conservative CGK churches has never been in favor of unity with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) or the Netherlands Reformed Churches . Locally, churches have merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) or the Netherlands Reformed Churches like the churches in Doesburg , Arnhem and Lelystad . In 2012, many Christian Reformed missions were constituted as full-fledged congregations. Some Christian Reformed Churches in
945-598: The pluralistic nature of the merged church, which they allege contains partly contradicting Reformed and Lutheran confessions. This conservative group also opposes the ordination of women and the blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches , which have been adopted as practices by the merged church. Dutch migrants carried the Dutch Reformed Church with them, planting several Reformed denominations in Kenya (The Reformed Church of East Africa), South Africa , including
980-459: The rhyming psalter of 1773 are sung to the accompaniment of the organ. In many other congregations psalms are sung from contemporary Psalm rhymes. In addition to the psalms, many churches also sing hymns and songs from collections such as Opwekking, Op Toonhoogte, Weerklank and the Liedboek voor de kerken. The lyrics are often projected by a projector. In many churches these songs are accompanied by
1015-495: The time of the merger, the Church had 2 million members organised in 1,350 congregations. A minority of members of the church chose not to participate in the merger and instead formed the Restored Reformed Church (HHK). Before the demise of the Dutch Republic in 1795, the Dutch Reformed Church enjoyed the status of "public" or "privileged" church. Though it was never formally adopted as the state religion ,
1050-649: The two churches uniting with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands ( Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) to establish the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. The 2004 merger led to a separation in which a number of congregations and members of the Dutch Reformed Church separated to form the Restored Reformed Church ( Hersteld Hervormde Kerk ). Estimations of their membership vary from 35,000 up to 70,000 in about 120 local congregations served by 88 ministers. The Restored Reformed Church disapproves of
1085-539: The world and became a crucial part of Afrikaner nationalism in South Africa. The Dutch Reformed Church was founded in 1571 during the Protestant Reformation in the Calvinist tradition, being shaped theologically by John Calvin , but also other major Reformed theologians. The church was influenced by various theological developments and controversies during its history, including Arminianism ,
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1120-614: Was held in Dordrecht in 1578. This synodical meeting is not to be confused with the better known Second Synod of Dort of 1618. Large groups of Marranos settled in Emden and converted to Christianity . Mostly all Marranos , many Jewish groups converted to Christianity around 1649 to the Nederduitsche , Niederdeutsche church later on Dutch Reformed Church. In the latter meeting, the Church fathers expelled Arminians and added
1155-642: Was held in October 1571 in the German city of Emden . The Synod of Emden is generally considered to be the founding of the Dutch Reformed Church, the oldest of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands. The Synod both affirmed the actions of the earlier Synod of Wesel, as well as established presbyterian church government for the Dutch Reformed Church. The first Synod to be located in the Dutch Republic
1190-410: Was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal family and the foremost Protestant denomination until 2004, the year it helped found and merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (the largest Protestant and second largest Christian communion in
1225-475: Was told by church leaders that he could not preach against certain colleagues, who he believed held erroneous views. He and his congregation seceded from the Dutch Reformed Church. In time, the Afscheiding (the Separation) led to the departure of 120 congregations from the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1886, another separation, the Doleantie , occurred, led by Dutch Reformed journalist, theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper . The Dutch Reformed Church remained
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