Netherlands Reformed Congregations

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The Netherlands Reformed Congregations, a highly conservative denomination with congregations mostly in Canada and the United States.

[edit] History

This church originated in 1830 before the emigration to the United States, when a small group in the Netherlands broke away from the state church. Distancing themselves from their fellow secessionists of Albertus van Raalte and his associates Cornelius Vander Meulen and Hendrik Scholte due to doctrine disputes, they lead their own emigration first to South Holland, Illinois in 1865 and then to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1870.

In 1972, there were fourteen Netherlands Reformed Congregations churches in the United States, most still conducting their services half in Dutch and half in English, with over five thousand members.

In 1993 there was a split in the Netherlands Reformed Congregations resulting in a new denomination forming called the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

In 2001 there where 26 Churches and 9395 members in the Netherlands Reformed Congregations.