Netherlands Reformed Church

The Netherlands Reformed Church is also known as the Dutch Reformed Church and Nederlands Hervormde Kerk. The term reformed refers to the Calvinist tradition, which was developed by John Calvin (1509–1564) and the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. It developed as a Protestant Christian church.

The church was renamed the Netherlands Reformed Church in 1816 by King William I (1772–1843). In 2004, the Netherlands Reformed Church merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church, forming the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. In the early twenty-first century, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands counted about 2 million members.

History

Emperor Charles V (1500–1558) became ruler of the Netherlands in 1515. He rejected Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) and his movement in 1521 in favor of Roman Catholicism and attempted to stamp out reform. Protestants were severely persecuted and pursued. Eventually, the Netherlands gained its freedom from Charles's empire, and the Dutch Reformed Church was established as the country's official religion.

The Dutch Reformed Church's first general synod, or gathering, was held in 1571. The church adopted the Presbyterian form of government.

Disagreements and new alliances formed within the church during the seventeenth century over predestination. This doctrine holds that God has decided who will be saved and allows for little human influence on salvation. Two main individuals were at the center of the debate: Theologian Franciscus Gomarus followed the strict interpretation of predestination, while theologian and professor Jacobus Arminius, whose followers were called Arminians, disagreed. Arminius believed humankind can strive to achieve salvation and affect its fate. To settle the dispute, the church convened the Synod of Dort in 1618. The synod, which also covered a number of other issues and established the church's tenets of faith, lasted into 1619.

Some Dutch immigrated to the Americas during the seventeenth century, establishing the Dutch Reformed Church in New Netherlands, which is now New York. The North American church split from leadership in the Netherlands during the eighteenth century.

The Dutch Reformed Church was disestablished as the official religion of the Netherlands in 1798, though it was not completely autonomous. King William I reorganized the church in 1816, renaming it the Netherlands Reformed Church.

More schisms, or divisions, arose during the nineteenth century. In 1834, some members established the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands. Another split took place in 1886, but the groups rejoined in 1892.

During the twentieth century, the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Netherlands, which began in 1556, developed concerns about their theological differences. Eighteen theologians pressured church leaders to begin discussions of unity at the synods in 1961. Over the next few decades, the churches worked toward a shared vision.

In 2004, the Netherlands Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands merged with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The combined church, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), is the largest Protestant church in the country. In 2025, it numbered 2.5 million members in almost 3,000 congregations.

The PKN denounced the anti-Semitic writings of Martin Luther in 2016, ahead of the five-hundred-year anniversary of Luther's posting of his Ninety-Five Theses, which sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Beliefs and Theology

The church, like most Christian churches, accepts the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. It adheres to the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and the canons established by the Synod of Dort (1618–19).

The Belgic Confession, or Confession of Faith, was written in 1561 by martyr Guido de Bres (1522–1567) to demonstrate to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church that the Netherlands churches adhered to the beliefs of the Christian faith, in keeping with the Scriptures. It was meant as a statement to prove that followers of the Reformed faith were not rebels or criminals. It has much in common with the confession of the French Reformed churches. The content of the Belgic Confession has not changed, though the text has been revised several times.

The Heidelberg Catechism, written in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1563, was used to teach individuals and shape preaching. It unites churches in confession. It was approved at the Synod of Dort.

The Synod of Dort was a judicial hearing at which the teachings of Arminius were rejected. The Canons focus on five disputed points of doctrine: election based on foreseen faith, universal application of Christ's atonement available to all who freely choose to accept it, limited human depravity, the resistibility of God's grace, and the possibility of a fall from salvation.

The Reformed Churches of the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Netherlands agreed in 2003 on acceptance of the Belgic Confession and three ecumenical creeds, as well as the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530 and Luther's Catechism.

Organization

The Protestant Church in the Netherlands is organized as a Presbyterian-synodal system. Representative bodies hold authority in various matters. The government bodies are ecclesial assemblies, which include ministers, elders, and deacons, and the church follows the rules of collegial church government. The church has a board, moderator, and general secretary. Its national office is in Utrecht. Local congregations, which are the foundation of the system, elect representatives for the local governing body, the Church Council or consistory.

As a Presbyterian church, it establishes four varieties of officers: ministers of the word, professors of theology, elders, and deacons. Elders and deacons are elected to two-year terms in a consistory. Following their terms, they may be consulted as a body, the Great Consistory, if needed.

Each congregation may appoint two representatives to a Classical Assembly, which represents a region. While governing duties are local, the regional assemblies foster regional communication. The church, on a national level, is under the authority of the General Synod, which establishes agendas, policies, and programs. Local churches are represented at the General Synod by two members of the Classical Assembly.

Since 2004, the church has also held an Evangelical Lutheran Synod for the 1 percent Lutheran minority. Five members represent the Lutheran population at the General Synod.

Since the 2004 merger, some local churches have merged. Others have chosen to retain their former identity and traditions or have taken this opportunity to reconsider faith traditions and customs.

Bibliography

"The Belgic Confession." Reformed Church in America, www.rca.org/belgic. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"The Canons of Dort." Reformed Church in America, www.rca.org/canons. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"The Heidelberg Catechism." Reformed Church in America, www.rca.org/heidelberg. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"Jews Welcome Dutch Church Declaration Calling Martin Luther's Anti-Semitism 'Unacceptable.'" World Jewish Congress, 11 Apr. 2016, www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/jews-welcome-dutch-church-declaration-calling-martin-luthers-anti-semitism-unacceptable-4-1-2016. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

“Protestant Church in the Netherlands.” The Lutheran World Federation, lutheranworld.org/node/387. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"Protestant Church in the Netherlands." World Council of Churches, www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/protestant-church-in-the-netherlands. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"Reformed Churches." New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/12710a.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"Structure of the Protestant Church." Protestantse Kerk, www.protestantsekerk.nl/structuur. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.