Reformed Congregations

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Reformed Congregations
Terhoogekerk middelburg gergem 2.jpg
Classification Protestant
Theology Calvinist
Polity Presbyterian
Origin1907
Netherlands
Merger of the unification of Reformed Churches under the Cross and the Ledeboerian congregations
Separations1953 the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands separated
Congregations152
Members107,015 [1]
Ministers 60 [2]
Reformed Congregation in Tholen Gergem tholen 1.jpg
Reformed Congregation in Tholen
Church interior of a Reformed Congregation (Genemuiden) KerkzaalGGGenemuiden.JPG
Church interior of a Reformed Congregation (Genemuiden)
Elim Church in 's-Gravenpolder Gereformeerde gemeente gravenpolder 04416.jpg
Elim Church in 's-Gravenpolder
Barendrecht Reformed Congregation Gereformeerde Gemeente Barendrecht.jpg
Barendrecht Reformed Congregation

The Reformed Congregations (in Dutch: Gereformeerde Gemeenten, abbreviated GerGem) is a conservative Reformed church with 152 congregations in the Netherlands, 1 in Randburg, South Africa and 1 congregation in Carterton, New Zealand. The denomination has approximately 107,015 members as of 1 January 2024. It is Calvinist in theology. It is affiliated with the North American Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

Contents

The denomination is also sometimes called the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands and North America, which can be confused with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (in Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, abbreviated GKN), which were formed 1892 and which merged with the Netherlands Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, abbreviated NHK) in 2004.

History

The Reformed Congregations was formed in 1907 as a federation of the Reformed Churches under the Cross, which had its roots in 1834, and the Lederboerian reformed congregations. The founder was Gerrit Hendrik Kersten (1882–1948). Kersten not only brought unification, but he helped organise the federation.

In 1909, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands requested to unite with the Reformed Congregations. Due to theological differences, the union was declined. In 1926, a Calvinist seminary was founded in Rotterdam.

In 1929, the church had 67 congregations and 26,380 members. Twenty years later, the numbers had risen to 140 congregations and 62,000 members, more than double of the congregations and an annual growth rate of 6.7 percent.

In 1931, the denomination prepared the so-called "doctrines of '31", which gave an elaboration of the doctrine of the denomination's attention to man. During World War II, many Reformed congregation church buildings were destroyed.

Schism in 1953

Shortly after the end of the war, there was a period of theological controversies in the denomination. The cause of the schism of 1953 was the deposition of Rev Dr. C. Steenblok as a lecturer at the Theological School of the Reformed Congregations, but a different view on the free offer of the gospel also played a role; the Reformed Congregations held to the view of a free, well-meant offer of the gospel, but the congregations who split off did not. In 1953, the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands was born.

Recent history

The Reformed Congregations have experienced a steady growth, in spite of the progressive secularisation in the Netherlands. The denomination grew from 53,000 members in 1953 to 107,015 in 2024. Also noteworthy is the growth in the province of Overijssel and in the town of Rijssen. The denomination's membership in the wider urban area around Rotterdam increased seven times from what it was in 1950. Several new congregations were started in the Dutch Bible belt. [3]

Theology

Confessions

The church holds to the absolute authority of the Bible. The church adheres to the:

The Reformed Congregations theological orientation stem from the time of the Further Reformation. In worship, they use only the so-called "Statenvertaling" of the Bible, which was made on orders of the assembled authorities of the Republic of the United Netherlands Provinces in the 17th century and which can be compared with the King James Version of the Bible.

The church believes in:

Church buildings

The Lederboerian churches originally came together in barns, living rooms, warehouses and workshops. Often less than 20 people were present. In 1844, a large stone church was built in Rotterdam. In 1850, a wooden church was built in Benthuizen. They still hoped to return to the official Reformed Church (NHK). A lot of churches can be characterised as barn churches. In the 1930s, due to the growth of the church, building continued. There were smaller churches in Lisse and other small towns. After World War II churches were built more widely. In the last quarter of the 20th century modern buildings were constructed in Meliskerke, Goes and Groningen. In the 21st century, in Tholen, Geldermalsen and Opheusden church buildings from the late 60's and early 70's were taken down and replaced by new buildings. Furthermore, in Barneveld, Scherpenzeel, Gouda, Middelharnis, Dirksland and Ede new buildings were built after 2000. Besides building, in a few places churches were acquired from other denominations, examples are the Westerkerk in Utrecht (1966) (before moving to the Nieuwe Westerkerk in 2018), the Ontmoetingskerk in Enkhuizen, the Magnalia Deikerk in Groningen and the Hoofdstraatkerk in Leiderdorp. [5] [ circular reference ]

Statistics

The church had 107,015 members in 2024. [6] The Reformed Churches has 151 congregations, 12 classes and 4 synods. [7] The statistics show steady growth since the founding of the church. The denomination has a 127-member congregation in Randburg, South Africa. There is also a church in Carterton, New Zealand (178 members) and a church plant of 47 members in Belgium.

The 27 congregations in North-America and one in Bolivia are part of the sister denomination: Netherlands Reformed Congregations which has 10,648 members. [8]

Missionary projects are in Java with the Gereja Jemaat Protestan di Indonesia, which has 10,000 members and 68 congregations. In Nigeria, there is the Nigeria Reformed Church with 14 congregations and 2,500 members. [9]

Related Research Articles

The Protestant Church in the Netherlands is the largest Protestant denomination in the Netherlands, being both Calvinist and Lutheran.

The Dutch Reformed Church 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. It was the larger of the two major Reformed denominations, after the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands 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 the world and became a crucial part of Afrikaner nationalism in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in the Netherlands</span> Former Protestant church that merged in 2004

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands and one of the two major Calvinist denominations along with the Dutch Reformed Church since 1892 until being merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) in 2004. The PKN is the continuation of the Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exclusive psalmody</span> Practice of singing only Psalms in worship

Exclusive psalmody is the practice of singing only the biblical Psalms in congregational singing as worship. Today it is practised by several Protestant, especially Reformed denominations. Hymns besides the Psalms have been composed by Christians since the earliest days of the church, but psalms were preferred by the early church and used almost exclusively until the end of the fourth century. During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther and many other reformers, including those associated with the Reformed tradition, used hymns as well as psalms, but John Calvin preferred the Psalms and they were the only music allowed for worship in Geneva. This became the norm for the next 200 years of Reformed worship. Hymnody became acceptable again for the Reformed in the middle of the nineteenth century, though several denominations, notably the Reformed Presbyterians, continue the practice of exclusive psalmody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Reformed Congregations</span> Conservative Calvinist denomination

The Netherlands Reformed Congregations is a conservative Calvinist denomination with congregations in Canada, the United States and Bolivia. It is affiliated with the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands.

The Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC) is a Reformed denomination in the United States and Canada influenced by the tradition of English Puritanism and the Dutch Nadere Reformatie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible Belt (Netherlands)</span> Religious sector of the Netherlands

The Bible Belt is a strip of land in the Netherlands with the highest concentration of conservative orthodox Reformed Protestants in the country. Although the term is of recent origin the Dutch Bible Belt has existed for many generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Reformed Churches</span>

The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands is a Protestant church in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)</span> Orthodox-protestant church

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restored Reformed Church</span> Calvinist denomination in the Netherlands

The Restored Reformed Church is a Calvinist denomination in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2004, from congregations which made up the orthodox-reformed wing of the Dutch Reformed Church; they had previously been part of groups named Het Gekrookte Riet and the still existing Gereformeerde Bond within the Dutch Reformed Church. The Church has grown steadily since its founding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in South Africa</span> Conservative Christian denomination in South Africa

The Reformed Churches in South Africa is a Christian denomination in South Africa that was formed in 1859 in Rustenburg. Members of the church are sometimes referred to as Doppers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Hoeksteen, Barneveld</span> Church in Barneveld, Netherlands

De Hoeksteen in Barneveld, the Netherlands, is the second largest church building in the Netherlands. It is used by the congregation of the Gereformeerde Gemeenten in Nederland, a highly conservative denomination. The church services are conducted using exclusively the Statenvertaling of the Bible.

The Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands or VGKN is a federation of churches founded on 8 May 2004, in the Netherlands.

The Reformed Congregations in North America form a denomination, Continental Reformed, established in 1967 in the United States and Canada, by dissidents from Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands</span> Pietistic Reformed church

The Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands is a pietistic Reformed church located mainly in the Netherlands, along with five congregations in North America and one in Pretoria, South Africa.

Gereja Jemaat Protestan di Indonesia is a Reformed church in the Province of Papua in Indonesia. It was created on 25 June 1984 by the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands. It began pioneer mission work in the Yali territory. Historically this was known as Irian Jaya and was part of the Dutch East Indies. In Papua there are 250 different languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old-Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands</span>

The Old-Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands is a pietistic Reformed denomination in the Netherlands.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Reformed Churches</span> Dutch religious denomination

The Dutch Reformed Churches is a Reformed Christian denomination, formed on May 1, 2023 as a merger of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and Netherlands Reformed Churches.

References

  1. ↑ "GG zagen in 2023 opnieuw 2600 leden vertrekken, maar verwelkomden er ook 1000". rd.nl (in Dutch). 6 June 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  2. ↑ "Zondag".
  3. ↑ "Gemeenten in NL". www.gergeminfo.nl. Archived from the original on 2011-11-28.
  4. ↑ nl:Gereformeerde Gemeenten#Karakter
  5. ↑ nl:Gereformeerde Gemeenten
  6. ↑ "GG zagen in 2023 opnieuw 2600 leden vertrekken, maar verwelkomden er ook 1000". rd.nl (in Dutch). 6 June 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "Nederland – GerGem Info". gergeminfo.nl. Archived from the original on 2013-09-16.
  8. ↑ "Groei voor Gereformeerde Gemeenten – Nederlands Dagblad". www.nd.nl. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13.
  9. ↑ "Maak kennis met het zendingswerk | ZGG".
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