Theological University of the Reformed Churches ( nl, Theologische Universiteit Kampen van de Gereformeerde Kerken) is an academic

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

in the Dutch city of

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

. It was founded on 6 December 1854 in Kampen. The university primarily caters to ministerial education. In order to be an ordained minister in the Reformed Churches a six-year training including a Bachelor of Theology (BA) and Master of Divinity (MA) are required. Next to these programs the seminary offers one-year master programmes (MA) in several disciplines. Most MA-programmes can be taken in English. Since 2015 the university also offers a full English programme: Master of Intercultural Reformed Theology, which attracts International and Dutch students. Especially the MA in 21st Century Mission under the supervision of Stefan Paas is a popular programme. Academic research is carried out by the faculty, several post-doctoral fellows, and PhD-students. The doctoral course offered by the university is typically a four-year program.

History

In 1854, a Theological School ("Theologische School") was founded by the

Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands. History The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ('' ...

, a church resulting from a

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in 1834 from the mainline Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Hervormde Kerk), to provide for education for its ministers. The name was changed to Theological College ("Theologische Hogeschool") in 1939. In 1892, a large part of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with another group split from the mainstream

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

to form the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands {{Infobox Christian denomination , name = Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch ''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'') , image = , caption = , main_classification = Protestant , orientation = Calvinist , polity = Presbyterianism , ...

, which founded a new

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

university in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

: the

Vrije Universiteit The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

. This university also has a theological faculty, but the Theological School at Kampen remained a separate institution. In 1944, another schism within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands occurred, called the Liberation ("Vrijmaking"), which resulted in the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed ...

. This new church also had a need for its own ministerial education institute, and so a new Theological College of the Reformed Churches (Liberated) was founded from parts of the Theological College. In 1986, both colleges became universities when a change in the Dutch

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educatio ...

system was carried out. Notable faculty of the seminary in the past include systematic theologians

Herman Bavinck Herman Bavinck (13 December 1854 – 29 July 1921) was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and churchman. He was a significant scholar in the Calvinist tradition, alongside Abraham Kuyper and B. B. Warfield. Biography Background Bavinck was bor ...

(1854–1921) and

Klaas Schilder Klaas Schilder (19 December 1890 – 23 March 1952) was a Dutch Neo-Calvinist theologian and professor in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch ''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'' or GKN) and later in the Reformed Churches in the Ne ...

(1890–1952), and more recently the New Testament scholar Jakob van Bruggen (born 1936). In 2021, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science approved the intention of university's board to move the study programs to

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

in process of establishing a Theological University there. The decision was followed by a positive advice from the Higher Education Efficiency Committee giving the board six months to make a final decision to establish the university in Utrecht.

Notable people

Rikko Voorberg Rikko Voorberg (born 1980) is a Dutch theologian. Biography Voorberg was born into a minister's family, the second child of Paul Voorberg, minister in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated). He was educated at Greijdanus College ...

, theologian and minister

References

External links

*
Official website
{{authority control Universities in the Netherlands Educational institutions established in 1944 1944 establishments in the Netherlands Education in Overijssel Kampen, Overijssel Protestant universities and colleges in Europe Seminaries and theological colleges in the Netherlands