| of or pertaining to a Protestant denomination (Dutch Reformed Church), founded by Dutch settlers in New York in 1628 and renamed the Reformed Church in America in 1867. |
Dutch Reformed Church
South African denomination that traces its beginnings to the Reformed tradition of the first white settlers who came to South Africa from the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. It is the main church of the Afrikaans-speaking whites, and its present membership covers a large percentage of the Republic of South Africa's white population. Two smaller Reformed denominations are sometimes grouped as Dutch Reformed churches-namely, the more liberal Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduits Hervormde Kerk; NHK) and the more conservative Reformed Church of South Africa (Gereformeerde Kerk van Suid-Afrika). The NGK consists of all synods and is governed by a general synod that meets every four years. Headquarters are in Pretoria. The church claims nearly 1.3 million members in more than 1,200 congregations. It subscribes to the traditional Reformed doctrinal standards
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