The Dutch Reformed Church in the American colonies

the long version

The Dutch Reformed Church in the American Colonies remains the best study of the early years of the Reformed Church in North America. De Jongs careful account takes the readers on a fascinating journey from the establishment of a Dutch church at a mill in New Amsterdam to the early years of an indigenous American denomination. Along the way we become acquainted with issues in the colonial period that are pertinent in the twenty-first century for the Reformed Church in America: church multiplication, leadership training, discipleship, regional tensions, adaptation to cultural changes, worship, and liturgy. De Jong helps us to see that, in many respects, the more things change, the more they remain the same. The Rev. Dennis N. Voskuil, Ph.D. President and De Witt Professor of Church History Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan The reissue of De Jongs classic study is very welcome. Though of course there has been other important work on various aspects of the colonial Dutch Reformed experience in the thirty years since the books first appearance, still it remains the standard comprehensive account - a careful and thorough work that shows a mastery of the sources and sticks close to them.