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The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist
system of doctrine but organizationally independent. Each of the nations in which the Reformed movement was established had
originally its own church government. Several of these local churches have expanded to worldwide denominations and most have
experienced splits into multiple denominations. Commitment to teaching the original Calvinism usually continues to be reflected
in their official definitions of doctrine, but in some cases is no longer necessarily typical of these churches. A 1999 survey
found 746 Reformed denominations worldwide.
Form of Doctrine
Reformed doctrine is expressed in various creeds. A few creeds are shared by many denominations. Different denominations use
different creeds, usually based on historical reasons. Some of the common creeds are (with year of writing):
- Scots Confession
(1560),
- Three forms of Unity
- Heidelberg Catechism (1563),
- Belgic Confession
(1566),
- Canons of Dordt
(1619),
- Second Helvetic Confession (1566)
- Westminster Standards
The Three forms of unity are common among Reformed churches with origins in the European continent (especially those
in the Netherlands). The Westminster Standards have a similarly common use, among Reformed churches (known commonly as
the Presbyterian churches) with origins in the British Isles. More recent confessions and creeds are shared by fewer
denominations.
Form of Government
Contrary to Lutheran, Anglican or Methodist churches with episcopal structures, Reformed churches have mainly three forms of
church government:
A sub-family of the Reformed churches, called Reformed Baptist
churches, adhere to modified Reformed confessions, and have Baptist views of the
sacraments and of church government.
Continental Reformed churches
- The Reformed branch of Protestantism was started in Zurich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basle (Johannes Oekolampadius), Berne (Berchtold Haller
and Niklaus Manuel), St. Gall (Joachim Vadian), to cities in Southern Germany and via Alsace (Martin Bucer) to France. After the
early death of Zwingli 1531, his work was continued by Heinrich Bullinger, the author of the Second Helvetic
Confession and Heidelberg Catechism. The
French-speaking cities Neuchatel, Geneva and Lausanne changed to the Reformation ten years later later under William Farel and John Calvin
coming from France. The Zwingli and Calvin branches had each their theological distinctions, but in 1549 under the lead of Bullinger and Calvin they came to a common agreement in the Consensus Tigurinus (Zurich
Consent), and 1566 in the Second Helvetic Confession. Organizationally, the Reformed Churches in Switzerland remained separate
units until today (the Reformed Church of the Canton Zurich, the Reformed Church of the Canton Berne, etc.), the German part more
in the Zwingli tradition, in the French part more in the Calvin tradition. They are governed synodically and their relation to
the respective canton (in Switzerland, there are no church-state regulations on country-level) ranges from independent to close
collaboration, depending on historical developments. A distinctive of the Swiss Reformed churches in Zwingli tradition is their
historically almost symbiotic link to the state (cantons) which is only loosening gradually in the present.
- Hungarian Reformed Church
- The largest branch of the Reformed movement, and the only one of the national Reformed churches to survive without division
since the Reformation to the present time. The Hungarian Reformed Church has adopted the Heidelberg Catechism and the Second Helvetic
Confession as a definition of their teaching, together the Ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church: Athanasian Creed, Nicene
Creed, Chalcedon, and the common creed ("Apostles' Creed").
Regional churches may also adopt the Canons of Dordt, and in Transylvania Luther's Small
Catechism is adopted.
- Reformed Church of France
- In France, the Reformed protestants were called Huguenots. The Reformed Church
of France survived under persecution from 1559
until the Edict of Nantes (1598), the effect of which was to establish regions in which Protestants could live unmolested. These areas became
centers of political resistance under which the Reformed church was protected until until 1628, when La Rochelle, the protestant center of resistance to Louis
XIII, was overrun by a French army blockade. After the protestant resistance failed, the Reformed Church of France
reorganized, and was guaranteed toleration under the Edict of Nantes
until final revocation of toleration in 1685. The periods of persecution scattered French
Reformed refugees to England, Germany,
Switzerland, Africa and America. A free (meaning, not state controlled) synod of the Reformed Church
emerged in 1848 and survives in small numbers to the present time. The French refugees
established French Reformed churches in the latin countries and in America.
- The first Reformed churches in France produced the Gallic Confession and French Reformed confession of faith, which served as models for the
Belgic
Confession of Faith (1563).
- Toleration for the Reformed churches in Germany was established under the
Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, but political difficulties at
the end of the 17th century almost eliminated them. In the 19th century, by state mandate the Reformed churches were combined
with the Lutherans to form an Evangelical Union in Prussia.
- Reformed churches in the Netherlands
- The Dutch Reformed churches have suffered numerous splits and unions. Currently existing denominations are:
- Reformed Church
in the Netherlands (NHK)
- Christian Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (CGKN)
- Reformed Church in the Netherlands (GKN)
- Reformed Church in America (RCA)
- Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Liberated)
- Reformed Congregations (GG)
- Reformed Congregrations in the Netherlands (GGN)
- Waldensian Church (Italy)
- Originally founded by Petrus Waldes in the 12th century, the Waldensian church adopted the Reformed doctrines under the
influence of William Farel.
Reformed churches in Britain and Ireland
The churches with presbyterian traditions in the United Kingdom have
the Westminster Confession of Faith
as one of their important confessional documents.
-
- The Presbyterian Church in Ireland serves the whole of the island.
In addition to these, there are also other churches with smaller flocks, notably in Northern Ireland.
Reformed churches in the United States of America and Canada (and Old World counterparts)
-
- Associate Reformed Presbyterians (Scot-Irish Presbyterians)
- Canadian and American Reformed Churches (Dutch Reformed - Liberated)
- Christian Presbyterian Church
- Christian
Reformed Church in North America (Dutch Reformed - GKN)
- The CRC is a conservative/evangelical denomination founded by Dutch
immigrants in the nineteenth century in West Michigan.
- Free Reformed Churches in North America - (Dutch Reformed - CGKN)
- Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church
- Netherlands Reformed Church - (Dutch Reformed - CGKN)
- Orthodox Christian Reformed Church (Dutch Reformed - GKN)
- Presbyterian Church of Canada
- The Presbyterian Church of Canada split from a larger group of the same name that voted to join the United Church of Canada
in 1925
- Presbyterian Church (USA) (Anglo-Scot
Presbyterians and Congregationalists)
- Protestant Reformed Church (Dutch Reformed - GKN)
- One of the most conservative Reformed/Calvinist denominations in the world, the PRC separated from the CRC in the 1920s in a schism over the issue of common grace.
- Reformed Church in the United States (German Reformed)
- Reformed Church in America (Dutch Reformed
- NHK)
- The RCA is a liberal/evangelical denomination formed by Dutch immigrants during colonial times.
- Reformed Congregations of North America
- Reformed
Presbyterian Church of North America (Scottish Covenanters)
- United Reformed
Churches in North America (Dutch Reformed - GKN)
- United Church of Canada (Presbyterians,
Methodists, Congregationalists)
- United Church of Christ (Independents, Lutheran,
German Reformed) a congregational union of various union churches
- Winfield Reformed Church The first fully
Taiwanese church established in North America.
Most Presbyterian churches adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith, but the Presbyterian Church (USA), in order to
embrace the historical expressions of the whole Reformed tradition as found in the United States, has adopted a Book of Confessions. The
BOC contains the Nicene Creed, Apostles Creed, Scots Confession, Heidelberg
Catechism, Second Helvetic Confession, Westminster Confession of Faith, Westminster Shorter Catechism, Westminster Larger Catechism, Theological Declaration of Barmen, Confession of 1967, and
A Brief Statement of Faith - PCUSA.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has split a number of times in its history. Many of these historic splits have been resolved.
From the continuing branch churches, some have split in turn. Only some of the continuing branches from the main bodies are
listed here, with the year of their separation.
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Reformed churches in Korea
The Korean Presbyterian Church which formed the primary body of the Presbyterian General Assembly (the Reformed Church in Korea) was established by missionaries
of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and Canadian and Australian Presbyterians. It is not to be confused with the much more
conservative Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin), whose seminary is not recognized by the General
Assembly.
Reformed churches in Nigeria (and founding counterparts)
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- Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria - (Dutch Reformed)
- Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria - (Dutch Reformed)
- Presbyterian Church of Nigeria - (Scottish Presbyterian)
- Qua Iboe Church -
(Northern Irish Presbyterian)
- Church of Christ in the Sudan among the Tiv - (Dutch Reformed)
- Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ - (Dutch Reformed)
- Nigeria
Reformed Church - (Dutch Reformed)
The various Reformed churches of Nigeria formed the Reformed Ecumenical Council of Nigeria in 1991 to further cooperation.
International organizations of Reformed churches
- International Conference of Reformed Churches
- Reformed Ecumenical Council
- World Alliance of Reformed Churches [1]
External link
- For another list of world Reformed churches, see [2] .
See also
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