The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA) is a federation of about 50 congregations and smaller groups established across all states since 1951. The CRCA is part of the Protestant – Calvinist (that is, Reformed and Presbyterian) wing of the Christian Church.

The Calvinist or Reformed stream of the Christian Church emphasises –

• God's honour, pre-eminence and grace in all things,

• reconciliation with God through Christ Jesus alone,

• the work of the Holy Spirit essential for faith and growth,

• the Bible as the foundation of our faith's substance, and

• the church as a community in covenant with God.

We honour the Bible as the word of God written, and the ecumenical Creeds of the Western Church. Our more detailed understanding of the Christian faith is set out in four old European Confessions: the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, and the Scottish Westminster Confession. We also identify with the Contemporary Testimony of the CRC of North America. These may be read on other pages of this website.

The CRCA was formed as a result of the post-World War 2 migration of Dutch people to Australia. They had no desire to start a new group of churches but in the 1950s had difficulty finding an existing denomination that –

• embraced and upheld Biblical and Reformed theology, as expressed in the statements mentioned above;

• had a national profile that could enfold new settlers and others interested in every state and capital city; and

• was governed by a group of elders chosen periodically by the church and linked with representative state and national bodies.

Between 1951 and 1955 some dozen growing and youthful congregations sprang up in all the states, and the Reformed Churches of Australia grew to number some 10,500 by the early 1990s.

The 1990's saw a minor name change, with the word "Christian" added, identifying the nature of the organisation more clearly in a culture increasingly alienated from its Christian background. This decade also saw numbers declining due to the Dutch desire to assimilate in their new country, welcome changes in the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches in some states, and several aspects of generational change.

Slow decline has continued in many congregations since 2000, but the current decade has also seen two further developments –

• The CRCA has adopted a fourfold mission statement to remind and empower its member churches to set and focus on their primary goal of equipping God's people for the service of God both within and beyond itself.

• The exodus from the "New South Africa" has seen a considerable number of Afrikaans South Africans find a church home in the CRCA. This has energised the receiving congregations – but slowed these churches' indigenisation and training and evangelistic foci.

The distinctive Christian ethos and values of CRCA congregations may be summed up as –

• A tendency to engage the head more than the heart with a love of teaching and getting things right – the latter are commendable in themselves but …

• A passion for seeing Jesus' influence go beyond oneself and one's church which the founding generation showed by establishing not only churches but also many low-fee truly-Christian schools and even a fledgling Christian university (which sadly has never grown beyond a theological training school).

• A sober, down-to-earth, practical and relaxed style of worship and spirituality, reflecting historic Calvinism and the Dutch and Australian character.