The Dutch Reformed Church was a Protestant denomination that originated in the Netherlands. Its doctrines were brought across the Atlantic Ocean to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the early 17th century. The first Dutch Reformed congregation in New Amsterdam was established in 1628 in what would become lower Manhattan. Shortly after, congregations were organized across the East River in the villages occupying the future borough of Brooklyn: the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church, for example, was founded in 1654. After the English won control of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, subsequently renaming the settlement New York, they sought to establish Anglicanism as the dominant Christian denomination in the region. While many Dutch Reformed congregations were willing to assimilate into the Anglican tradition, others resisted; consequently, for over a century a heated (and sometimes violent) conflict ensued amongst New York's Dutch Reformed congregations, with those willing to assimilate pitted against those remaining committed to the Reformed denomination. After the American Revolution, the Dutch Reformed Church was no longer the predominant Christian denomination in New York, though it continued to flourish throughout the region. Brooklyn was a particular stronghold for the Dutch Reformed tradition, with some congregations even continuing to conduct their services in the Dutch language into the 19th century. With the onset of industrial and economic development and population surges in the 19th century, however, assimilation into the English-speaking world was inevitable for Brooklyn's Dutch Reformed congregations, as it was for the Dutch Reformed Church throughout America. In 1867, the American Dutch Reformed Church was officially renamed the Reformed Church in America. Reformed congregations remained active in Brooklyn throughout the 20th century, and as of 2010, many Reformed churches continue to populate the borough.
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Sources:
- Balmer, Randall. "Reformed Church in America," in
The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New York Historical Society, c1995), 992-993.
From the guide to the Dutch Reformed churches of Brooklyn collection, 1856-1971, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
