Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Who are the Uniting Protestant Churches in the
Netherlands?
The Netherlands, one of the smaller West European countries (16 million
inhabitants), has many denominations. Three Protestant churches have
become one church. Hence the Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Churches
in the Netherlands, and the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands call themselves: the Protestant
Church in the Netherlands.
Dutch Reformed Church (DRC)
Historically speaking, the Netherlands is a Protestant country; the
Dutch Reformed Church traditionally enjoyed a privileged position.
It has about 1.9 million members.
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (RCN)
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands were formed in 1892 out of
earlier secessions from the Dutch Reformed Church. They have approx.
660,000 members.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the
Netherlands (ELC)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
evolved in the 16th century alongside the Dutch Reformed Church. In
the Netherlands it is now relatively small (15,000 members), but other
countries like Germany and Scandinavia are strongly Lutheran.
See also
- Churchorder UPCN
- UPCN decide for unification