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.[1][2]
The denomination has official ties with the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands, and the churches are mainly in Canada. It has approximately 1747 members,[3] three churches in Canada and one in the United States in 2012. The theology focus is mainly on the time of the Further reformation and subscribes to the Three Forms of Unity: The Heidelberg Catechism, The Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dordt. The largest church is the congregation of Chilliwack with over 1,200 members.[4]
History
After the § Schism in 1953 in the Reformed Congregations, two congregations were formed in the United States, mostly by people who broke away from the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (the North American counterpart to the Reformed Congregations).[1][5]
In Canada the Lethbridge and Chilliwack congregations decided to cooperate. In 1967 the Chilliwack Congregation decided in its meeting to cooperate and join forces with the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands. On June 28, 1968 the first classis[6] meeting was held in Lethbridge, Alberta.[1][2]
The Chilliwack Reformed Congregation's building was dedicated in 1969, it was several times enlarged and extended, recently in 2004 from 800 to 1,200 seats. In late 2022, Rev. Otto M. Van der Tang was installed as minister.
The Lethbridge Congregation built a new building in 2008 with 325 seats.[7][8][9][4]
In 2019 the fifth church of the denomination was opened in Giroux (Manitoba).[10]
Churches
| Congregation | Members 2012 | Members 2013 | Members 2014 | Members 2015 | Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilliwack, British Columbia | 1174 | 1209 | 1251 | 1274 | Rev. Otto M. Van der Tang |
| Monarch, Alberta | 204 | 215 | 212 | 211 | vacant |
| Newark/Norwich, Ontario | 300 | 302 | 314 | 325 | vacant |
| Prospect Park, New Jersey | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | vacant |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Gerco Verdouw (October 7, 2016). "History of Reformed Congregations in North America". Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Betsy Biemond-Boer (2008). Die Hollanders zijn gek!: identiteit en integratie van bevindelijk gereformeerden in Canada. Amsterdam. p. 13. ISBN 978-90-5260-279-0. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Ledental Geref. Gemeenten in Ned. in 2012 vrijwel gelijk gebleven". www.refdag.nl.
- ^ a b "Reformed Congregations in North America in Newark Open New Church". 7 May 2015. p. 38. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.667.5016.
- ^ Stephan Hoogendijk; Ron Neels (2018). As the Mountains are Round About Jerusalem:1966 - 2016 Fifty Years of God's Faithfulness. The history of the Reformed Congregation in North America in Chilliwack B.C. ISBN 9789089831194. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Classis". 4 June 2012.
- ^ "Ds. A. Geuze (GGiN) bevestigd te Chilliwack".
- ^ "Afscheid ds. A. Geuze van de RCNA te Chilliwack (Canada)".
- ^ Emma M. Cochrane (December 8, 2014). "History of Reformed Congregations in North America". University of Ottawa. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Reformed congregations in America open new church in Giroux". December 10, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
