The Reformed Church in America, which includes some of the best-known congregations in North America, was established on this continent 150 years before the Revolutionary War.
The word Reformed comes from the Protestant Reformation which swept across Europe in the 1500s under the leadership of such men as Martin Luther and John Calvin. Calvin’s reformation at Geneva spread to many countries, including Scotland (where it became our ancestor, the Dutch Reformed Church).
Our history is a long and colorful one which you may enjoy learning more about later. The Dutch Reformed Church established its first congregation in New Amsterdam in 1628. Although Dutch in origin, the Reformed Church in America has for decades included peoples of many races and nationalities in its congregations.
The denomination currently has about 950 churches in the United States and Canada, with 190,000 confessing members.
We believe the Bible to be the Word of God and the final authority for faith and practice. We believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of those who have faith in Him. We believe in the historic Christian faith as confessed in the Apostles’ Creed. The Heidelberg Catechism, a sixteenth-century evangelical statement of faith, has played a particularly important role in our history.
Each of our congregations is unique, shaped by the needs of it
s people and its community. Worship services range from highly formal to very informal. In almost all, however, you will find good preaching, a strong program of Christian education, (not to include or exclude private Christian education) and sympathetic pastoral counseling. To belong to a Reformed church is to be part of a warm and caring Christian family.
Local churches are governed by elders and deacons who, together with the pastor, form the consistory. Regional governing bodies are called classes and regional synods. The denomination includes eight regional synods and forty-six classes. The highest representative body of the church, the General Synod, meets once each year to make decisions which affect the life and work of the entire Reformed Church. The services and ministries of the denomination are designed by the General Synod Council, a body representative of the membership.
The Reformed Church in America is a mission-minded church. Long a pioneer in overseas mission, it has consistently made a contribution beyond its size. It currently supports about one hundred missionaries worldwide.
We witness and serve in;
- Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan),
- Asia (Cambodia, India, Japan, Taiwan),
- Eastern Europe (Estonia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine),
- Middle East (Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Oman
- Mexico (Chiapas),
- Central America (Honduras, Nicarague),
- South America (Ecuador, Venezuela),
- North America (Appalachian, American Indian, urban and other special ministries).
We maintain three colleges and two theological seminaries. The colleges-all liberal arts institutions with a Christian emphasis-are;
- Central College in Pella, Iowa
- Hope College in Holland, Michigan
- Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa
Students are trained for various types of Christian ministry at;
- New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and at
- Western Theological Seminary in New Holland, Michigan.
Our denomination has a monthly magazine, the Church Herald. We also have a web site at, www.rca.org Both of these help keep the RCA family informed.
OUR WELCOME We are, in short, a denomination with deep roots, a strong commitment, a loving spirit, and a forward -looking vision. We hope you will decide to join us.