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| The following is from PROGRESS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH OF AMERICA
By Marian K. Wynne I. History of the Reformed Church The Dutch West India Company from the Netherlands settled at New Amsterdam (now New York City) and the region was known as the New Netherlands. These people were the first settlers of what is now New York and New Jersey. The Dutch colonists settling in this area, were to obey a decree that "No other religion shall be publicly admitted in New Netherlands except the Reformed, as it is at present preached and practiced by public authority in the United Netherlands: and for this purpose the Company shall provide and maintain good and suitable preachers, school-masters and comforters of the sick."1 Peter Stuyvesant, director of New Amsterdam, was as strenuous in matters of morals and religion as in everything else. He sought to compel better observance of the Sabbath, to regulate marriage and divorse, and to remedy "the unreasonable and temperate drinking." He, also, refused all religious meetings except Reformed. The Collegiate Church of New York City is the denominational oldest church and oldest Protestant church in the Middle and Eastern states. It was organized in 1628 on Manhatten Island and Jonas Michmelius was the first minister. New Netherlands passed from the Dutch to English rule in 1626. This change slowed down the Dutch colonization and increas of buildings of worship. However, there was a constant growth as the population spread through the surrounding area. About this time, the Dutch Church received its official title of The Reformed Church in America. During this growth of the 18th century, the church was greatly afected by three big questions. As the old county had authority in most of the religious matters, the question came up whether ministers must be educated in theology in the Netherlands or in this country. Up to this time, ministers had to go back to their old home country and for this reason caused a great scarcity of ministers. The church had not broken away from the ways of the old country, as of yet, and the younger people, having lived here longer and being more Americanized, wanted the English language. The issue was--should the Dutch language be the exclusive language in the pulpit? The most important problem of all was whether the churches should continue under authority of the Netherlands. Before this, there was no question about it, but to obey. These three matters helped make the Reformed Church what it is today--a place for people of any race or nationality to worship, if they so desire. The change came slowely, but it came. In 1764, Archibald laidlie was installed as one of the ministers of a New York City church to preach in the English language. As time went on, the ministers compromised and often times, separate Sunday services were held, one in the English and another in the Dutch tongue. A few years later John H. Livingston, graduate of Yale, proposed a "Plan of Union" which united the two groups and, with the consent of the church abroad, laid the foundations for the independent church government in the United States. The church began to broaden and was not confined to just the peple of the Dutch blood, neither to the places of the early Dutch settlement. The greatest increase in its entire history began after 1847, when many people started to protest against the conditions in the State Church of Holland. This disagreement originated the vast movement of the people to areas in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas The two chief religious centers are Holland, Michigan and Pella, Iowa. At Holland they have established Hope College and Western Theological Seminary. Central College is located at Pella. The church doctrines have always followed the teachings of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation It had a formal constitution, which was followed by the adoption of the Articles of Dort twenty-one years later. These two documents merged into the constitution of 1833, which also, was revised several times in the hears to follow.2 The presbyterial with four assemblies make up the government. They are: 1. The consistory, consisting of the ministers, elders, and deacons; 2. The classic, areas are divided up for meetings; 3. The Particular Synod; 4. The General Synod. The organization of the local churches differs in the respect that they have the consitory set as trustees. Compared to either Protestand denominations, the Reformed Church is not an exceptionally large organizattion. As of 1947, the number of churches totaled 748 and, according to 1950 records, the membership is about 185,000. This membership does not mean the average number of people who have united with the church. Nor does this figure include the Christian Reformed Church, which is closely connected and very similar. II. Our Missionary Work in China Political upheaval is an old story with the missionaries of China. The first representative, David Abeel, sailded to this vast country during the ending of the Opium War in 1842. Seven years later the first Protestant church building was erected in Amoy City. At that time, there were only two baptized Christians, but the early missionaries had lasting faith and, after years of hard work, a secure foundation was laid for the Church. The earliest missionaries developed a simple phonetic reading system, based on the Roman alphabet. Classes were formed to teach this system, and by 1856 the New Testament was being printed in the Romanized. Today the Mandarin or the national language is used. The mission schools had three purposes: tro bring the young under the influence of Christian teachings; to provide Christian education; and also, to prepare them for Church Leadership. With the building of more and more schools, these three aims were successful. You often hear the expression: "The Gospel entered China a the point of a scalpel." This is very true, as medical missions occupy and important place. Hospitals have always been built along side the missions, and, today many of our doctors and nurses are missionaries in the foreign fields. The year of 1911 brought the overthrow of the Manshu Dynasty, which was followed by years of political disorder. This finally emerged into a triumph of the Nationalist Party in 1926. Most people will think of this as the crucial period in East-West relations, when the West denied its support to Sun Yat Sen against the reactionary Peking regime. This error was serious, when the West by such a default approvad the Japanese aggression in Manchuria in 1930. During this period, the Chinese nationals began to assume much of the leadership in the church, both locally and nationally. This sort of a program had been planned in the beginning, and many of the missionaries were consultants, instead of the leaers. The war years from 1937-1945 were a time of great testing and trials for the entire church. China was divided into Free and Occupied territory. The Amoy and Kulangsu churches were in the occupied country, but they came through very well, except for several imprisonments and beatings. The one fact that our missionaries stayed on and helped was a great inspiration to the Chinese. The Communists took over in 1945. The effects of their domination was foreseen far more vividly by the missionaries, than by the Chinese. With all of this happening, the Mission held its last meeting in the summer of 1949. at this meeting, our people made an important decision, but a wise one. They were determined to see this thing through. A the beginning the Chinese thought it would be a time of great boom and rejoiced in the fact. Gradually with rigid civil authority being introduced they changed their minds. After two years of such goveernment and restrictions, the missionaries prepared to come home. Most of them experienced many delays and hardships in getting permits to leave. Dr. Poppen was subjected to a gruelling mass trial and ordered deported. Dr. Oltman, the last one to return, arrived in the United States in October 1951. Before the Communists took over, the Mission 3 was prospering with a large number of schools, churches, hospitals, and Christian lenders. Today the churches are closed under Communist rule, and many of the converts have given their lives for the cause of Christianity. The Doors of China are closed at the present, but the church will live on. Our workers left many experienced and capable Christian Chinese to carry out the task. In a sense, the work is still being carried on, as the missionaries have turned to the South Seas and begun work in Java Borneo and Siam, among the Chinese of these islands. 1. "The Pageant of America," Independence Edition, Oxford University Press, Volume X, 1928. 2. The Reformed Churches' doctrinal standards are the Belgie Confession, the Heidelerg Catechsim and the Canons of the Synod of Dort. 3. This includes the majority of the Protestant Churches, which are working in China. |
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