Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (liberated)
| Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Orthodox Reformed (Neo-Calvinist) |
| Polity | presbyterian |
| Associations | International Conference of Reformed Churches |
| Origin | 1944 Netherlands |
| Separated from | Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (now part of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands) |
| Separations | 1967 Netherlands Reformed Churches; 2003 New Reformed Churches |
| Congregations | 270 |
| Members | 120,000 members |
| Ministers | 288 |
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Reformed, Protestant federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (Vrijmaking), when many pastors and members refused to go along with the General Synod's demand to hold to "presumed regeneration of infants" at their baptism. Prof. Dr. Klaas Schilder played an important role in the Liberation. There are currently 270 affiliated local congregations with a total of about 120,000 members in 2016.
After the Liberation the church maintained that they were the legitimate continuation of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and thus adopted that name (Dutch Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland). However, because the denomination from which they had separated continued using that name, the addition "liberated" was used colloquially, although never officially, to distinguish the new denomination. Members of the Liberated church referred to the denomination from which they separated as the synodical church, which signified the remaining members' adherence to the rulings by the National Synod against which the Liberated churches protested. An older name for the Reformed Churches (Liberated) was Article 31 Churches in reference to one of the articles in the Church Order at the centre of the dispute between the two groups.
The Reformed Churches (Liberated) have a structure which combines congregational and presbyterian polity, with strong emphasis on the authority vested in each congregation. Local congregations are ruled by a church council or consistory, made up of the pastor(s) and the elders. The church council rules and organises the congregation. Most meetings of the church council are open to the members, except when matters of church discipline are discussed. All congregations also have a number of deacons who assist the church council with more practical matters. Elders and deacons are elected for limited terms.
Nationwide the Reformed Churches (Liberated) are organised as follows. A group of local congregations are organised in a classis. There are currently 31 classes in the denomination. Decisions by the local church council can be appealed to classis. A number of classes are grouped together in a regional synod (Dutch particuliere synode). The highest body is the national or general synod, which convenes every three years.
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