Christian Reformed Church in America

    Part I: Profile

    1. Name: Christian Reformed Church in America

    2. Founder: Gysbert Haan

    3. Date of Birth: 1801

    4. Birth Place: Vriesland, Netherlands

    5. Year Founded: 1857

    6. History: Many members of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands (a group founded after members seceded from the Reformed Church of the Netherlands) immigrated to the United States in 1847 after enduring severe famine and religious persecution in their native country (Melton, 302). Under the guidance of Albertus van Raalte, they established a community in Holland, Michigan. Shortly after their arrival, in 1848, they formed the Classis Holland. Then, in 1850, they aligned themselves with the Reformed Church in America (RCA) (Melton, 302) which, according to the RCA homepage, is America's "oldest Protestant denomination... with a continuous ministry." At that point, they were considered to be a classis (a "governing body of a group of churches in the Reformed system, made up of clergymen [and] ruling elders..." (Kaufman,121)) within the RCA.

      Most churches were content with their union to the RCA, though a single Classis Holland church did leave the denomination in 1857 under the direction of Gysbert Haan. Haan warned that the RCA "was not sound" (Melton, 302). This was reminiscent of a former schism in the Netherlands when the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands separated from the Reformed Church of the Netherlands because of its supposed "theological laxity."

      In 1857, Haan's followers sent documents of Secession to the classis in an attempt to garner their support for an exodus from the RCA. The main arguments in the document were that the RCA had "open communion," used too wide of a hymn collection, overlooked catechism preaching, and did not support the Secession in the Netherlands. Although the classis did not approve of the Secession documents, one church did decide to leave the RCA in January 1857. Soon, other churches followed suit. In 1859, these secessionists churches became the Dutch Reformed Church. The denomination then endured several name changes until 1904 when it adopted its present name as the Christian Reformed Church (Melton, 302).

      The CRC began as a Dutch immigrant church in the 1850s and continued to attract mainly Dutch constituents (Lippy & Williams, 515). The church population has increased at times of heavy Dutch immigration. The church in Canada gained new members after an influx of people from the Netherlands following World War II (Lippy & Williams, 516). The CRC has also gained members who were unhappy with and left the RCA for various reasons. For example, some people who were unhappy with the RCA's decision to permit members to join the Freemasons united with the CRC in the 1880s (Lippy & Williams, 514-15). On the other hand, the CRC also lost several congregations in 1882 who supported the Freemasons (Queen & Prothers, 116).

    7. Sacred or Revered Texts: The Bible

    8. Cult or Sect:
      9. Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.

    9. Size of Group: According to Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions (1996: 302), the CRC had 295,307 members, 985 congregations, and 1,505 ministers in 1995. Recent membership numbers represent a decline from the peak membership of 316,415 members in 1991. According to Daniel Knight, this is due "not only to losses to other denominations but also partially to declining fertility and an aging constituency." Churches are primarily located in the Northeast US (NY, NJ), the Midwest US, the Western Coast of the US (CA), and Canada. The constituents are still mainly Dutch although the CRC is currently doing extensive mission work with people of other cultural backgrounds (Lippy & Williams, 514-15).

    10. Contemporary Issues/Controversies: In June of 1995, the RCA denied a proposal to allow reunification with the CRC which would have ended a 140 year separation between the churches. According to the United Reformed News Service, there is still division on issues such as the role of women in the church and Christian education. The CRC does not allow women to hold official positions in the church while the RCA does. The CRC also strongly supports the establishment of private Christian schools while the RCA has placed more support in the public school system.

    II. Beliefs of the Group

      The church practices a theology based upon the ideas of John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and other leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland (this being a sister movement to the German Reformation of which Martin Luther was the primary leader) (Lippy & Williams, 511). According to the Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, the CRC employs a Calvinistic rather than a Lutheran theology. Therefore, the "5 Points of Dutch Calvinism" are very important to them. The CRC also holds fast to the doctrines found in the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) (Lippy & Williams, 516). They use the Conclusions of Utrecht, though at the time of their adoption in 1906 it was noted that some parts were not completely agreed on. Catechismic instruction is very important (Melton, 302).

      The denomination baptizes adults and children, but only those of confessing members (Melton, 302). Parents are assumed to accept the responsibility for their child's education at their baptism. Therefore, the CRC firmly believes in the importance of education. It has one college (Calvin College) and one seminary (Calvin Theological Seminary) affiliation, though it supports several other Reformed educational institutions. Additionally, Christian Reformed parents sponsor the largest network of primary and secondary Christian schools in the United States (Lippy & Williams, 514).

      The church government is presbyterial (Melton, 302) and based upon the notion that all believers are part of a "priesthood" (Lippy & Williams, 512). The church is ultimately governed by a general synod made up of two ministers and 60 members (each classis sends two members) which convenes two or four times per year (Melton, 302).

      The worship is based on the "reserved, traditional" style of the church in the Netherlands. The hymnology has been expanded in the 20th century to include hymns other than just those with text mainly based on the Psalms (Melton, 302).

      The CRC has consistently condemned divorce, except when infidelity is part of the picture (Lippy & Williams, 516).

      The CRC also believes that it is important to share their beliefs with other people as is seen in their active mission programs. In the United States, these include a Jewish Evangelism program, the Back to God Hour (radio show), and work with American Indians. International work is done in Nigeria, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, the Phiippines, Mexico, Korea, Indonesia, and Guam.

     

    III. Links to Christian Reformed Church in America Web Sites

      Christian Reformed Church in America Homepage
      This well-organized homepage includes sections on the CRC's beliefs, ministries, local churches, and schools. Access to CRC publications as well as daily readings of the Heidelberg Catechism are available. You can also retrieve news releases and specific information on history and current events such as "Women in Ecclesiastical Offices."
      http://www.crcna.org/

      CRC Research
      You will probably never need to know this much information about the CRC. You can learn about the CRC on this site through maps, timelines, membership data, Classis Holland Minutes, lists of former Christian Reformed Churches, and extensive history articles. The site also includes links to other Reformed denominations.
      http://206.67.165.122/church/dutch.html

      Interactive Field Trip
      Although simple, this provides a brief overview of the CRC's principles, citing Bible verses to support its beliefs.
      http://www.kingsu.ab.ca/~jake/walk.htm

      Reformed Resources
      This site is maintained by the Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. There are links to Reformed denominations, periodicals, educational institutions, and news sources. Interested patrons can sign onto discussion lists or view articles on social issues, science, and education. I think the most exciting feature of this page is its Reformed Online Library. This is also a good place to learn more about Calvinism and other Reformed theologies.
      http://www.reformed.org

      Collegiate Church Homepage
      This gives information on the first church of a Reformed denomination to be established on American soil. If you are ever in New York City, you might want to visit this church.
      http://spacelab.net/~upword/collegiate/church.html

      Reformed Denominations in the Press
      Here is a link to retrieve news releases from various Reformed denominations, including the CRC. The stories are arranged by year from 1994 to 1997.
      http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/reformed/reformed-home.htmll

      Anti-Calvinism Site
      The point of this page is to refute the 5 main points of Calvinism. Because this attacks Calvinism, one of the main theological bases for the Reformed Church, I would definitely call this an anti-sect site.
      http://www.bible.ca/calvinism.htm

    IV. Bibliography

      Bedell, K.B., ed. 1997.
      Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

      Beets, Henry. 1946.
      The Christian Reformed Church, Its Roots, History, Schools, & Mission Work, A.D. 1857 to 1946.

      Bowker, J., ed. 1997.
      The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

      Bratt, J.D. 1984.
      Dutch Calvinism in Modern America . Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.

      Centennial Committee of the Christian Reformed Church. 1957.
      One Hundred Years in the New World.

      De Klerk, Peter & De Ridder, Richard, eds. 1983.
      Perspectives on the Christian Reformed Church .

      Kauffman, Donald. 1967.
      The Dictionary of Religious Terms. London: Marshall, Morgan, and Scott. 121.

      Kromminga, D.H. 1943.
      The Christian Reformed Tradition, from the Reformation Till the Present.

      Kromminga, John H. 1949.
      The Christian Reformed Church: A Study in Orthodoxy.

      Lippy, C.H., & Williams, P.W. 1988.
      Encyclopedia of American Religious Experience: Studies of Traditions and Movements (Vol. I). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 514-523.

      Melton, J.G. 1996.
      The Encyclopedia of American Religions, Vol IV. Detroit: Gale Research Co. 302.

      Queen,E.L., & Prothers, S.R. 1996.
      The Encyclopedia of American Religious History, Vol I, Boston: Facts on File. 116-117.

      van Hinte, Jacob. 1985.
      Netherlands in America.

      Zwaanstra, Henry. 1973.
      Reformed Thought and Experience in a New World: A Study of the Christian Reformed Church and Its American Environment, 1890-1918.

    Created by Caron Causey
    For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
    Fall Term, 1997
    Last modified: 07/18/01