Who We Are & What We Believe

The Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC) is a solidly Biblical, Reformed, and orthodox denomination that is confessionally rooted in the Continental Reformation and influenced greatly by English Puritanism. The word “Heritage” in the title reflects a commitment and desire to be true to this rich legacy.

Goal and Vision

Despite many shortcomings, Heritage Reformed churches are earnest about believing Reformed doctrine with our minds, experiencing Reformed truth in our hearts, and living the Reformed faith throughout our lives. By the Spirit’s grace, the primary goal of the HRC is prayerfully and actively to communicate our Reformed heritage among our churches and throughout the world in Biblically meaningful ways, discipling believers and evangelizing unbelievers for God’s glory by means of local churches, seminaries, and evangelism and missions. To fulfill this goal, we strive through the Spirit to use Biblically principled and sanctioned means to assist us in carrying out the vision of being:

Word-based and Christ-centered churches,
Sacramental and disciplined churches,
Confessing and worshiping churches,
Learning and growing churches,
Praying and working churches,
Loving and sacrificial churches,
Discipling and evangelizing churches,
Servant-led and equipping churches,
Sanctified and separated churches,
Humble and penitent churches,
Sin-hating and conscience-sensitized churches,
Believing and praising churches.

In short, we strive to be churches that glorify God as commanded in
His Word.

Origin and History

The Heritage Reformed denomination was established in 1993 after the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (NRC) underwent a split related to church-orderly and theological issues. The most substantive underlying issue to future HRC members and congregations was Christ-centered preaching, combined with the preaching of an unconditional offer of grace. In the first few years, churches were established in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Woodstock (now Burgessville), Ontario; St. Catharines (now Jordan), Ontario; Hull, Iowa; Bradford, Ontario; Fort Macleod, Alberta; Pompton Plains (now Franklin Lakes), New Jersey; and Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Presently, the HRC consists of approximately two thousand members in North American churches from the East Coast (New Jersey) to the West Coast (British Columbia). Most of her ministers labor in North America, though three are presently laboring in Africa—two in South Africa and one in Zambia.