The Reformed Church in America is the oldest Christian denomination with a continuing presence in North America. The first RCA congregation was established in New Amsterdam, now New York City, in 1628. Today there are more than 600 Reformed Church in America congregations in the United States and Canada. Once a denomination mainly made up mostly of Dutch immigrants or their descendants, today the RCA is culturally and ethnically diverse.
The roots of the Reformed Church in America are in the Protestant Reformation of 16th century Europe, specifically that part of the Reformation called the Reformed movement, led by such church leaders as John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli. Three confessional standards important to Reformed Churches come from the Reformation: The Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of the Synod of Dort. In the 21st Century, however, a fourth confessional statement was added — the Belhar Confession. This confession states that the unity that we all share in Jesus Christ is both a gift and a responsibility. It comes out of the struggle against apartheid fought by Christians in South Africa.
But it is much more accurate to say that our roots go back to the very beginning of Christ’s Church. We embrace three great and ancient creeds used by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Christians alike: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The Reformed Church in America is not sectarian, and is proud to cooperate in ministry and mission with Christians of many traditions and many lands in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, God’s Word made flesh.
Learn more about the Reformed Church in America by visiting RCA.org