Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (Vrijmaking) from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and members refused to go along with the General Synod's demand to hold to "presumed regeneration of infants" at their baptism. Klaas Schilder played an important role in the Liberation. There are currently 270 affiliated local congregations with a total of about 120,000 members in 2016.
| Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Neo-Calvinist |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Associations | International Conference of Reformed Churches |
| Origin | 1944 Netherlands |
| Separated from | Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (now part of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands) |
| Separations | 1967 Netherlands Reformed Churches; 2003 New Reformed Churches |
| Merged into | Dutch Reformed Churches (2023) |
| Congregations | 270 |
| Members | 120,000 members |
| Ministers | 288 |
Since 2017, the denomination has been in the process of merging with the Netherlands Reformed Churches, which together hope to form, on March 1, 2023, the Dutch Reformed Churches, a new denomination.