the Remonstrant Church
Organization
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The Remonstrant Church is a national church, though a small one, with about 8,000 members. In addition to members the Remonstrant Church also has friends - people who have not signed the statement of principle but nonetheless wish to take part regularly in the life of the congregation and share in the responsibility for it.

There are 46 congregations, spread throughout the country. In principle each congregation is independent, governed by a church council. Most of the work is done by members of the congregation, who devote part of their spare time to fostering religious life in pastorate, diaconate, observance and preparation. Most of the congregations have one of more ministers, male or female, on a full or parttime basis. Some of the congregations still bear the title 'Remonstrant Reformed Congregation', thus recalling the historical link with the original 'Reformed Church' (now the Dutch Reformed Church) out of which the Remonstrant Church arose.

The representatives of the congregations meet twice a year. One of these meetings is the General Deliberative Assembly, which deals with subjects requiring debate and decision at national level. Important themes in recent years have been positive tolerance, the communication of faith and the programmes of the World Council of Churches. The other meeting is the General Administrative Assembly, at which decisions relating to the Remonstrant Church as a national church are taken.

The national executive body still bears the old title of 'Committee for the Affairs of the Remonstrant Church'. This body, too, is made up chiefly of members of congregations. The rules governing the organization and life of the church are set out in a church order. The Remonstrant Chrurch publishes a periodical, the adRem, which serves as a forum for various opinions and religious convictions within the Remonstrant Chrurch.

The Remonstrant Chrurch has its own institution for training ministers, the Remonstrant Seminary, which was founded in Amsterdam in 1634 and since 1873 has been associated with the theological faculty of Leiden University.

For the different aspects of church and social life there are a number of commissions and institutions which provide services to members, to the congregations and to the national Remonstrant Chrurch. Among other things the commissions maintain contacts with inter-church bodies in which bodies in which the Remonstrant Chrurch participates for example the Dutch Interchurch Aid and Service to Refugees, the Interchurch Peace Council and the Interchurch Broadcasting Foundation for The Netherlands.

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voor het laatst bijgewerkt: 29/05/2007