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Historical Profile: First Reformed Church

Grand Rapids, Michigan

1840-1918

First Reformed was organized in 1840 as an English-speaking congregation. This was six years before Van Raalte would lead Dutch immigrants to found Holland, Michigan. When immigrants from the Holland colony reached Grand Rapids, First welcomed them and gave them a home as they established their own Dutch-language congregation, Second Reformed.

First merged with Second to form Central Reformed in 1918.

Locations

Michigan and Ottawa NW, 1842-1872
West side of North Division between Pearl and Lyon, 1872-1891
164 Fountain NE, 1891-1918

Pastors

Hart E. Warring, missionary, 1840-43
Andrew B. Taylor, supply, 1843-48
John M. Ferris, 1862-65
H. Decker, 1865-67
Christian Van Der Veen, 1868-70
Jacob Van de Meulen, 1871-72
Peter Moerdyke, 1873-92
William H. Williamson, 1892-99
John M. Van der Meulen, 1899-1901
Gustavus A. Watermulder, 1903-05
John A. Brown, 1907-18

Second (merged with First to form Central), 1879-1918

Membership

Drop in membership in 1890s corresponds with formation of other English speaking Reformed congregations in Grand Rapids:

Bethany, 1893, about one mile east of First
Grace, 1897, about 2 miles south of First
Bethel, 1906, about 2-1/2 miles north of First

Other congregations either adding English-language services or switching completely to English may also be a factor.

Due to incomplete reporting, nonprofessing and total membership figures 1860-78, 1898-1908, and 1910-17 are estimated.

Green (lower) line shows membership in families; blue (middle), professing members; red (top), total members; and magenta (thin), non-professing members. Note: 1st and 2nd Reformed charts cover 1860-1980, not 1880-2000 as in other charts.

Red line shows nonprofessing members as a percentage of total membership (inactive members exluded).

Red line shows five year growth rate. A five year growth rate between 10% and -10% is considered stable; greater than 10% indicates a growing congregation; one below -10% indicates a church in decline. This makes no allowance for daughter churches.

Source: Acts of Synod of the Reformed Church in America. Dates are year prior to publication date since data is gathered at the end of one year and published in the next.

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