The Dutch Reformed Churches (, NGK) is a

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

Christian denomination, formed on May 1, 2023 as a merger of the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) () was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and me ...

and

Netherlands Reformed Churches The Netherlands Reformed Churches (, NGK) was a conservative Reformed Protestant Christian denomination in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The denomination was formed in 1967 following a schism within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Lib ...

(''Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken'').

History

In the early 20th century, disagreements arose within the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (, abbreviated ''Gereformeerde kerk'') 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 unti ...

over the

Covenant Theology Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a biblical theology, a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It is often distinguished from dis ...

view of

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 pastor and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...

, so that several pastors disagreed with it. This dispute came to a head during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the General Synod ruled in favor of Kuyper's view which essentially questioned the inclusion of the children of believers in the Covenant. Many theologians and pastors disagreed with this decision, claiming that it contradicted the simple facts of the

Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

, and tried to appeal the decision. The General Synod strictly enforced this view, requiring, among others, that new graduates (new graduates of the Theological Seminary) seek to subscribe to the Kuyperian point of view. Protesters also alleged that the General Synod was abusing its functional authority, staying longer than the three years allowed by Church Order legislation. In 1944, many pastors and theologians who opposed

's view were excommunicated by the General Synod. Therefore, a large number of local congregations broke away from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, led by Prof. Dr. Klaas Schilder among others, to form his own denomination, the

(''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)''). This event was called ''Liberation'' (''Vrijmaking''). Since then there have been no serious attempts at reconciliation by either side. In 1967, a new controversy arose over the exclusivity of the

(GKV) as a true Christian church in

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The denomination decided that the GKV were the only true Christian churches in the country, which is why many members left the denomination. In the same year, these members constituted the

(''Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken'', NGK). In the following decades, however, the GKV changed its position, starting to recognize the existence of other truly Christian churches in the

. This led to rapprochement between the GKV and the NGK. In 2017, the two denominations began negotiating a merger. In 2021, it was decided by both churches that the merger will take place on March 1, 2023, the year in which the GKV and NGK will cease to exist, to give way to a new denomination called Dutch Reformed Churches (''Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken''). However, in 2022, the merger was delayed by two months to May 1, 2023.

Doctrine

The denomination subscribes to the

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...

, the

Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining creed, statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Counci ...

, the

Athanasian Creed The Athanasian Creed—also called the ''Quicunque Vult'' (or ''Quicumque Vult''), which is both its Latin name and its opening words, meaning "Whosoever wishes"—is a Christian statement of belief focused on Trinitarian doctrine and Christolo ...

, the

Belgic Confession The ''Confession of Faith'', popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a confession to which many Reformed churches subscribe as a doctrinal standard. The Confession forms part of the Three Forms of Unity, which are the official subordinate st ...

, the

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled ''The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands'', is an exposition of orthodox Reformed soteriology against Arminianism, by the Nat ...

, and the

Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), one of the Three Forms of Unity, is a Reformed catechism taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. It was published in 1563 in Heidelberg, Germany. Its ...

. In addition, it allows the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

and

paedocommunion Infant communion, also known as paedocommunion, refers to the practice of giving the Eucharist, often in the form of consecrated wine mingled with consecrated bread, to young children. This practice is standard throughout Eastern Christianity, whe ...

. In 2025, the denomination began to allow homosexuals in a romantic relationship to be members, participate in the Lord's Supper, and exercise all functions within the denomination. At the same Synod, it was decided that homosexual people, even in a romantic relationship, can be ordained in all offices of the denomination. However, some local churches have refused to comply with the ruling, claiming that people in same-sex relationships are not eligible for ordination.

Statistics

In 2023, when its first yearbook was published, the denomination claimed to have 146,568 members in approximately 320 churches. In 2024, the denomination's second yearbook reported that membership had fallen to 133,708.

References

External links

* (in Dutch) {{Christianity in the Netherlands Reformed denominations in the Netherlands 2023 establishments in the Netherlands Christian organizations established in 2023