Dutch Church Rejoices in Stability

In a country where churches are shrinking, the Dutch Reformed Church has maintained its number of members since 2014.

That’s when ecumenical delegate Rev. Peter Sinia last reported to the Christian Reformed Church on behalf of his denomination, known in Dutch as the Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken.

“Being stable sounds boring,” said Sinia. “For us it’s exciting in a country where lots of people are leaving the church.”

Not only are the numbers stable, the Dutch Reformed Church is active, Synod 2017 heard. Congregations are working with refugees from the Middle East, teaching them Dutch and helping them establish themselves. The denomination is seeking to reunite with a sister church that split away in the 1950s, and it has growing ties with congregations in Hungary.

“Maybe because the church is in decline we realize that we need each other,” said Sinia.

The Dutch Reformed Church’s synod recently ruled against allowing same-sex couples to serve in the church – but some congregations disregarded the ruling, a matter which is still in process, Sinia said.

People in the Netherlands watch American politics very closely, Sinia said. “Our health and survival in the Netherlands, the lowlands, people who live behind the dikes, depends on other people’s decisions,” he said, referring to environmental policies about rising sea levels.

“All this I report as a servant of the Good Shepherd, who counts his sheep, but also guides us in issues of morality,” Sinia concluded. “May the Lord bless you.”

For continuous coverage of Synod 2017 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, reports, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.