General information church denominations
There are many different churches. If you are looking for a church, but seem a little lost, Wijdekerk can help you on your search. Below you will find a list with different church denominations. For more information you can click on the listed website.
Apostolic Society
Founded: 1951
Nature: liberal, religious/humanistic
Quote: You can learn from each other, become wiser together and find out how you can live a meaningful life.
Size: around 15,000 members, spread over more than 70 congregations
Covenant of Free Evangelical Congregations in the Netherlands
Founded: 1850
Nature: evangelical
Quote: The Bible challenges you to think about what your faith means to you.
Size: 30 congregations
Christian Reformed Churches
Founded: 1892
Nature: orthodox reformed
Quote: The Christian Reformed Churches see the Bible as the word of God. The main points are summarised within the Three Forms of Unity.
Size: 180 congregations
Mennonite Churches in the Netherlands
Founded: start of the 16th century
Nature: personal freedom of faith, connection, striving for peace
Quote: To us believing in God is a way of life.
Size: 107 congregations
Evangelische Broedergemeente
Ontstaan: 1722 in Saksen (D). Sinds 1736 in Nederland.
Karakter: Piëtistische opwekkingsbeweging
Quote: De Evangelische Broedergemeente (ook Hernhutters of Moravische broeders genoemd) hecht waarde aan oecumenische contacten en verbindingen. Kenmerken van ons kerkelijk leven zijn: openheid en verbondenheid. Een levend geloof aan Jezus Christus als Heer van de kerk en van het persoonlijk leven is bepalend voor ons kerkelijk leven.
Grootte: 7 gemeentes met 20 locaties
Federation of Free Evangelical Congregations in the Netherlands
Founded: 1987
Nature: evangelical
Quote: The Bible is the highest authority and the only basis for the questions about life and faith.
Size: 16 congregations
Reformed Association in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Founded: 1906
Nature: orthodox reformed
Quote: The start of the Reformed Association should be seen as the necessity to stand up within the Dutch Protestant Church for the Reformed tradition, as it’s worded within the Forms of Unity.
Size: 475 congregations
Reformed Congregations
Founded: 1907
Nature: orthodox reformed, experimental reformed
Quote: The most important is the fundamental idea of our association, based on the infallible Word of God and the three Forms of Unity.
Size: 152 congregations
Reformed Congregations in The Netherlands
Founded: 1953
Nature: orthodox reformed, experimental reformed
Quote: The Reformed Congregations in The Netherlands form a church formation that worship similarly and is a revelation of the one holy, general Christian Church.
Size: 49 congregations
Reformed Churches The Netherlands
Founded: 2009
Nature: Orthodox reformed
Quote: These churches recognise the Holy Scripture of God’s Word and want to live accordingly. They accept the three Forms of Unity, and hold themselves to the reformed church.
Size: 12 congregations
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)
Founded: 1944
Nature: reformed, from traditional to evangelical
Quote: We know ourselves to be connected by God’s faith. He gave Himself to us in Jesus Christ and inspires us by his Holy Spirit.
Size: 270 congregations
Restored Reformed Church
Founded: 2004
Nature: reformed
Quote: The Restored Reformed Church is according to the confession of faith from the one holy Catholic or general Christian Church.
Size: 119 congregations with roughly 60,000 members
Kerkgenootschap van de Zevende-dags Adventisten
Ontstaan: 1863
Karakter: protestants adventisme
Quote: Zevendedagsdventisten leven met de Bijbel als leidraad. Dat is de reden dat ze samenkomen op sabbat (zaterdag). Daarnaast wordt de wederkomst van Christus en de gebeurtenissen daaromheen sterker benadrukt dan bij andere christelijke stromingen. Daarom is ook dat element opgenomen in de naam.
Grootte: 64 gemeenten en ongeveer 6.000 leden
Salvation Army
Founded: 1865 in London
International organisation with divisions in many countries
Nature: evangelical
Quote: Everyone is welcome and can come to us for help
Size: roughly 50 corpses and over 5000 members
Netherlands Reformed Churches
Founded: 1967
Nature: reformed from traditional to evangelical
Quote: We were gripped by the good news of Jesus for all people and the whole world.
Size: 87 congregations, roughly 33,000 members
New Apostolic Church in The Netherlands
Founded: 1878
Nature: orthodox
Quote: A church in which people feel at home and are filled by the Holy Spirit and the love for God, set their life up to the gospels of Jesus Christ, and by doing so they prepare for his return and the eternal life.
Size: 60 congregations, roughly 10,000 members
Old-Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands
Founded: 1948
Nature: reformed
Quote: The Old-Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands want to explicitly for the tradition of the Reformation and the Coming Reformation, founded on God’s Word and the Forms of Unity.
Size: 60 congregations
Old Catholic Church of The Netherlands
Founded: 1702
Nature: split from the Roman-Catholic Church, reject the Papal infallibility.
Quote: A Catholic church, that emphasises the Word and Sign, that involves the seven sacraments, where God’s grace comes closer.
Size: roughly 4,700 members
Protestant Church in The Netherlands
Founded: 2004 after a merge of several associations
Nature: from orthodox to liberal
Quote: In celebration, speech and act the Protestant Church in The Netherlands professes that Jesus Christ is our Lord and saviour. This is how we call for renewal of life in culture, society and state.
Size: roughly 1.85 million members
Remonstrants
Founded: 1980
Nature: evangelical
Quote: We long for everyone in the Netherlands to know that they are loved by God and are able to love others (Love). That he finds recovery and helps others to find recovery (Mend). That he develops (Train) and shares his life with those around him (Send)
Size: 35 congregations
Remonstranten
Ontstaan: 1619
Nature: liberal
Quote: Seeing the human dimension in religion is what the Remonstrants find important.
Size: 44 congregations
Roman Catholic Church in The Netherlands
Founded: 1st century
Nature: catholic
Quote: Everyone belongs to the congregation of the catholic church who finds unity with the pope and the bishops by confession of the catholic faith and receiving the sacraments which connects to Christ.
Size: roughly 4 million members
Union of Baptist Churches in the Netherlands
Founded: 1609
Nature: baptism
Quote: We live by God’s revelation, as came to us through the Bible.
Size: 80 congregations
United Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches
Founded: 2002
Nature: Pentecostal
Quote: We believe that the congregation has to announce God’s Kingdom on earth.
Size: roughly 20,000 members
Association of Liberal Protestants
Founded: 1904
Nature: liberal
Quote: We stand for a free and undogmatic faith. That comes down to the fact that everyone should be free to believe what he or she wants to believe.
Size: unknown
Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Founded: 2004
Nature: reformed
Quote: We want to design our church by the reformed church order.
Size: 7 congregations with roughly 2,000 members
Liberals in the Netherlands
Founded: 2018, to be a part of the Liberal Commission of the Netherlands 2020.
Nature: Connecting people who want to share inspiration and meaning.
Quote: Everyone can create an answer to the question what it means to be liberal.
Size: around 45 congregations of different sizes
