{{Infobox Christian denomination , name = Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch ''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'') , image = , caption = , main_classification =

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, orientation =

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

, polity =

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

, founded_date = 1892 , founded_place = , separated_from =

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

(Dutch ''Nederlands Hervormde Kerk'') , parent = , merger = , separations = 1926 Gereformeerde Kerken in Hersteld Verband ("Reformed Churches in Restored Union")
1944 Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt) ("Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)") , associations = , area = The Netherlands , congregations = 857 at the time of merger , members = 675,000 at the time of merger , footnotes = Ontstaansgeschiedenis van kerken in Nederland

Ontstaansgeschiedenis van kerken in Nederland

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, abbreviated ''Gereformeerde kerk'') was the second largest Protestant church in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and one of the two major

denominations along with the

since 1892 until being merged into the

Protestant Church in the Netherlands The Protestant Church in the Netherlands ( nl, de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland, abbreviated PKN) is the largest Protestant denomination in the Netherlands, being both Calvinist and Lutheran. It was founded on 1 May 2004 as the merger of the ...

(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.

History

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was founded in 1892 in a merger of two groups that had split off from the

(''Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk''): * a part of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands (''Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk in Nederland'', CGKN), which originated in the '' Afscheiding'' ("Secession") of 1834, and * the group around

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper (; ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist theologian and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which u ...

, which was formed in the '' Doleantie'' of 1886. The other part of the CGKN that stayed out of this union remains independent; it was renamed to "

Christian Reformed Churches The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands. History The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ('' ...

" in 1947. Abraham Kuyper was the most important leader of the movement, and under his leadership the ''gereformeerden'' became a separate so-called " pillar" in Dutch society, next to the ''hervormden'' and the Roman Catholics. Part of the ''gereformeerde'' pillar were for example the

VU University Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded resea ...

and the Anti Revolutionary Party, a political party now part of the Christian Democratic Appeal. Since its founding in 1892, two groups have separated from the GKN (Gereformeerde Kerk Nederland). The first split was in 1926, over a conflict about biblical interpretation: the orthodox majority maintained the historicity of the account of

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

, while the more liberal wing deemed it merely allegorical and left to form the '' Gereformeerde Kerken in Hersteld Verband''. In 1971/1972, the GKN renounced the historic position. The second schism, called the ''Vrijmaking'' ("Liberation", that is: from synodal authority), occurred in 1944, when the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (''Gereformeerde Kerken vrijgemaakt'') split off from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The long process of reuniting with the Dutch Reformed Church began in 1962 and ended on May 1, 2004, when the GKN, the NHK and the Evangelical Lutheran Church merged to form the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. At that time, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands had around 675,000 members, 400,000 of whom were churchgoers. There were 857 congregations, with some 1,000 church buildings. Seven congregations did not agree with the merger and founded the

Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands The Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands or VGKN ( nl, Voortgezette Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a federation of churches founded on 8 May 2004, in the Netherlands. When the Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with the Pro ...

(''voortgezette Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'') on May 8, 2004.

Theology

Until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the ''Gereformeerde Kerk'' was characterized by a classical

neo-Calvinist Neo-Calvinism, a form of Dutch Calvinism, is a theological movement initiated by the theologian and former Dutch prime minister Abraham Kuyper. James Bratt has identified a number of different types of Dutch Calvinism: The Seceders, split into ...

belief. The church thought of itself as the most true church of Christ. The main influence on the theological views was from Abraham Kuyper and

Herman Bavinck Herman Bavinck (13 December 1854 – 29 July 1921) was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and churchman. He was a significant scholar in the Calvinist tradition, alongside Abraham Kuyper and B. B. Warfield. Biography Background Bavinck was bo ...

. After World War II, the character of the church changed. After 1962, the church became an open church, with space and freedom for various beliefs. Modern theologians in the ''gereformeerde'' church are Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer (1903–96) and

Harry M. Kuitert Harry M. Kuitert (November 11, 1924 in Drachten – September 8, 2017 in Amstelveen) was a theologian of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN). Harry Kuitert - baptised Harminus Martinus - was a rector at Scharendijk (Zeeland) and a stude ...

(1924–2017). Reformed denominations in the Netherlands History of Calvinism in the Netherlands Former Christian denominations Calvinist denominations established in the 19th century Religious organizations established in 1892 Christian organizations disestablished in 2004 1892 establishments in the Netherlands 2004 disestablishments in the Netherlands sv:Nederländska reformerta kyrkan