Reformed Churches of New Zealand

Reformed Churches of New Zealand is a Calvinist denomination in New Zealand. The denomination is constituted of 22 member churches, the first seven of which were formed in 1953. Total membership as of 2023 stands at 3,530.

Reformed Churches of New Zealand
Abbreviation	RCNZ
Classification	Protestant
Theology	Confessional Calvinist
Polity	Presbyterian
Associations	International Conference of Reformed Churches
Origin	1953
Congregations	22
Members	3,530
Ministers	19
Official website	rcnz.org.nz

Form of doctrine

The doctrine of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand is expressed in the four confessions of faith to which it subscribes. These are the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Belgic Confession (1566), Canons of Dort (1619) (known collectively as the Three Forms of Unity), and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646). Also recognised are the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed and Athanasian Creed, all of which summarise the churches' doctrines.

The Reformed Churches of New Zealand are one of the few Calvinist churches internationally to subscribe to both the Three Forms of Unity (common among Reformed churches with origins in the European continent, especially the Netherlands) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (common among Reformed or Presbyterian churches with origins in the British Isles).

Form of governance

The Reformed Churches of New Zealand hold to the system of presbyterian church governance. Each church has a ruling Session composed of elders and one or more ministers (also known as teaching elders). Churches which have no minister are said to be vacant. Each church also has deacons who are charged with maintaining the temporal well-being of church members and with alleviating social distress. In larger churches deacons meet in their own Deacons’ Courts, while in smaller churches they meet together with the rest of the session. Only men are eligible to serve in the offices of minister, elder and deacon.

These churches belong to one of three regional presbyteries which meet three times per year to discuss matters of common interest and to provide mutual oversight. They also meet in synod once every three years to discuss matters of joint interest and to manage activities pertaining to the denomination. Rights of appeal to presbytery and synod are available.

Constituent churches

Church	Year Formed	Current Minister
Auckland Presbytery
Reformed Church of Avondale	1964	Andre Holtslag
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bucklands Beach	1953	James Hyslop
Reformed Church of Hamilton	1953	Graeme Zuidema
Reformed Church of Hukanui	2002	Leo de Vos
Reformed Church of the North Shore (including a congregation in Maungakaramea)	1980	Daniel Wilson Aaron Warner
Reformed Church of Pukekohe	1989	John Haverland Erik Stolte
Wellington Presbytery
Reformed Church of Foxton	1984	vacant
Reformed Church of Hastings	1960	Peter Kloosterman
Reformed Church of Masterton	1987	David Stares
Reformed Church of New Plymouth)	2023	Joshua Flinn
Reformed Church of Palmerston North	1953	vacant
Reformed Church of Silverstream	1967	vacant
Reformed Church of Wainuiomata	1975	vacant
Reformed Church of Wellington	1953	Ben McDonald
Reformed Church of Whanganui	2016	Nathaniel Rademaker
South Island Presbytery
Reformed Church of Bishopdale	1982	Reinier Noppers Matthew Schat
Reformed Church of Christchurch	1953	David Waldron
Reformed Church of Dovedale	2001	Joshua Meinsma
Reformed Church of Dunedin	1955	Peter Yoo
Reformed Church of Nelson	1953	Braam Jansen van Rensburg
Reformed Church of Oamaru	2013	Sjirk Bajema
Reformed Church of Rangiora	2018	vacant

Ecumenical contacts

The Reformed Churches of New Zealand is a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches. Sister-church relationships are held with churches abroad which hold to similar doctrine and practice.

• Sister churches:
  • Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
  • Free Reformed Churches of Australia
  • Presbyterian Reformed Church (Australia)
  • Orthodox Presbyterian Church (USA)
  • Canadian and American Reformed Churches
  • United Reformed Churches in North America
  • Reformed Churches in South Africa (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Africa)
• Churches in ecumenical fellowship:
  • Christian Reformed Churches of Australia
• Other churches with which contact is had:
  • Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand

History

Calvinist churches have their origins in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the late 1940s a wave of migrants from the Netherlands settling in New Zealand expected to find their spiritual homes in existing churches of Calvinist persuasion. Instead, they found departures from Calvinist doctrine and practice that they could not overlook. Discussions began in Auckland in 1951 with a view to establishing an indigenous Calvinist denominations. A minister from the Netherlands, Rev J W Deenick, arrived in 1952 to support the fledgling group. The official establishment of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand took place in 1953 at a synod in Wellington, with churches from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch represented. By the end of that year, further churches began meeting in Hamilton, Nelson and Palmerston North, and a former Presbyterian congregation from Howick (now Bucklands Beach) joined. A further 15 member-churches have since been formed.

Worship

The churches hold worship services twice each Sunday and generally on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Ascension Day and New Year's Eve. Preaching from the Bible is the central element of worship. Preaching is by ordained ministers, or alternatively sermons written by an ordained minister may be read by a lay male session appointee when a minister is not available. Sung praise and corporate prayer are the next most significant elements of worship. The denominational psalter/hymnal, Sing to the Lord, is the main source of hymnody, in which the singing of the Psalms features strongly. Corporate confession of sin and the assurance of God's pardon are an integral part of Sunday morning worship, while in the second service one of the creeds is usually recited in unison.

The sacrament of the Lord's Supper (or Holy Communion) is celebrated at least three-monthly. The sacrament of baptism is administered to new converts and to the infant children of confessing church members.

List of synods

No.	Year	Venue	Moderator and Vice Moderator	First and Second Clerks	Stated Clerk
1	1953	Wellington	E Dijkstra, Wellington J W Deenick, Auckland	A van Gelder
2	1953	Auckland	J W Deenick, Auckland E Dijkstra, Wellington	Th Althuis
3	1954	Wellington	E Dijkstra, Wellington J A Scarrow, Bucklands Beach	A van Gelder F Channing
4	1955	Auckland	B Boelens, Christchurch J W Deenick, Auckland	F Channing P G van Dam
5	1957	Hamilton	J W Deenick, Auckland E Dijkstra, Wellington	W In’t Veld J Kleinjan	F Channing
6	1959	Dunedin	J A Scarrow, Bucklands Beach R J Venema, Dunedin	H van der Pols P G van Dam	F Channing
7	1961	Wellington	R J Venema, Bucklands Beach J W Deenick, Auckland	P G van Dam W van Rij	R J Venema
8	1962	Wellington	S Cooper, Christchurch P H Pellicaan, Dunedin	D G Vanderpyl R O Zorn, Hamilton	R O Zorn, Hamilton
9	1964	Wellington	R O Zorn, Hamilton P van der Schaaf, Christchurch	A I de Graaf, Wellington F Channing, Nelson	R O Zorn, Hamilton
10	1965	Christchurch	G I Williamson, Mangere P H Pellicaan, Dunedin	A I de Graaf, Wellington F Channing, Nelson	R O Zorn, Hamilton
11	1967	Avondale	H L Hoving, Silverstream R O Zorn, Hamilton	A I de Graaf, Wellington T E Tyson, Bucklands Beach	C J Reitsma, Wellington
12	1969	Nelson	C J Reitsma, Wellington T E Tyson, Bucklands Beach	D G Vanderpyl F Channing, Nelson	D G Vanderpyl
13	1971	Wellington	H L Hoving, Silverstream/ Wainuiomata A W Palmer, Mangere	W Wiersma, Christchurch F W Kroon, Bucklands Beach	D G Vanderpyl
14	1974	Silverstream	W Wiersma, Christchurch W A Davies, Bucklands Beach	D G Vanderpyl H L Hoving, Invercargill	D G Vanderpyl
15	1977	Hamilton	G I Williamson, Silverstream A W Palmer, Mangere	M Schwarz, Hamilton L Reurich, Hastings	D G Vanderpyl
16	1980	Palmerston North	M Schwarz, Hamilton J Goris, Avondale	J C Williams, Nelson L Reurich, Kerepehi/ Tokoroa	D G Vanderpyl
17	1983	Christchurch	P D Stadt, Christchurch J E de Graaf, Bishopdale	B U Kuipers, Palmerston North C A R Larsen, Dunedin	D G Vanderpyl
18	1986	Mangere	D J van Garderen, Bishopdale P R Flinn, North Shore	B E Hoyt, Silverstream L Draijer, Nelson	D G Vanderpyl
19	1989	Silverstream	W Wiersma, Hamilton B Kroon, Christchurch	J A Haverland, Bucklands Beach D J van der Vecht, Avondale	D G Vanderpyl
20	1992	Bishopdale	W Wiersma, Hamilton J A Haverland, Bishopdale	M A Flinn, Pukekohe B E Hoyt, Masterton	J Ploeg
21	1995	Avondale	J A Haverland, Bishopdale M A Flinn, Pukekohe	B E Hoyt, Hastings W Walraven, Silverstream	J Ploeg
22	1998	Wainuiomata	J A Haverland, Bishopdale G H Milne, Wainuiomata	B E Hoyt, Hastings M A Flinn, Pukekohe	B E Hoyt, Hastings
23	2001	Palmerston North	M A Flinn, Dovedale M A Capill, Bucklands Beach	S Bajema, Mangere J van Rensburg, Bucklands Beach	B E Hoyt, Hastings
24	2002	Christchurch	W Wiersma, Hamilton J A Haverland, Bishopdale	B E Hoyt, Hastings W Walraven, Silverstream	B E Hoyt, Hastings
25	2005	Hamilton	J A Haverland, Pukekohe M A Flinn, Dovedale	B E Hoyt, Hastings R H de Vries, Christchurch	B E Hoyt, Hastings
26	2008	Hastings	J H Rogers, North Shore D J van Garderen, Bucklands Beach	P van der Wel, Hamilton A Nugteren, Wellington	B E Hoyt, Hastings
27	2011	Bucklands Beach	B E Hoyt, Dunedin/Oamaru P S Kloosterman, Masterton	P van der Wel, Hamilton M R Willemse, Hamilton	P van der Wel, Hamilton
28	2014	Bishopdale	P S Kloosterman, Masterton R J van Wichen, Bishopdale	J D van Dyk, Dunedin M R Willemse, Hamilton	P van der Wel, Hamilton
29	2016	Pukekohe	P S Kloosterman, Masterton R J van Wichen, Bishopdale	J D van Dyk, Dunedin M R Willemse, Hamilton	P van der Wel, Hamilton
30	2017	Palmerston North	D A Waldron, Christchurch J A Haverland, Pukekohe	P van der Wel, Hamilton J D van Dyk, Dunedin	P van der Wel, Hamilton
31	2021/22	Hukanui	P S Kloosterman, Hastings R Noppers, Bishopdale A van Ameyde, Dovedale	J D van Dyk, Dunedin T A Couperus, Rangiora	J D van Dyk, Dunedin

Latest synodical appointments

• Standing committees
  • Church Extension Committee
  • Church Order Committee
  • Hymnal Committee
  • Interchurch Relations Committee
  • National Diaconate Committee
  • National Publishing Committee
  • Overseas Mission Board
  • Remuneration Committee
  • Synodical Interim Committee
• Study committees
  • Church Visitation Committee
  • Conversion Therapy Response Committee
  • National Diaconate Review Committee
• Other appointments
  • Stated Clerk
  • Deputies for Students to the Ministry
  • Synodical Archivist
  • Synodical Liaison to Calvinist Cadet Corps
  • Synodical Treasurer
  • Webmaster
  • Yearbook Editor

Further reading

• Dirk Vanderpyl (ed) Trust and Obey: A History of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand: Hamilton: Calvinist Church Publishing Society: 1994.

External links

• Reformed Churches of New Zealand