Dutch Baptists by Eron Henry

The Union of Baptist Churches (UBC) in the Netherlands was founded in 1881 with seven churches. Today it reports about 80 churches with approximately 11,000 members. Although most Baptists trace their history to the establishment

of the first Baptist church in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1609, the Baptist faith did not take root in the Western European country until the mid-1800s. British exiles who founded the first church returned to Britain, while those who remained in the Netherlands became Mennonites. Baptist witness in the Netherlands began in earnest in 1845

with the missionary work of Julius Kobner, an assistant to Johann Oncken, who pioneered Baptist missionary work in continental Europe. Oncken, a German, has been variously described as the “Father of Continental Baptists,” the “Father of German Baptists” and the “Apostle of European Baptists.” Dutch Baptists have strong Reformed roots. Of the first

seven Dutch Baptists that were baptized, one was a former Reformed pastor. Others who became Baptists were from a Reformed background and tradition. These early and subsequent Baptists were careful to emphasize their Baptist distinctiveness in their understanding and practice of believers’ baptism and baptism by immersion. Some earlier Dutch Baptists were also dispensationalists and were isolationist in their relationships with others.

Recommit to MISSION Dutch Baptist witness has been influenced by the geography of

the country. “We are divided by geography, rivers from Germany and Austria,” explained Albrecht Boerrigter, general secretary of UBC. “The north is Calvinistic and the south is Catholic. Baptist mission is mainly in the middle and the north,” Boerrigter said. The middle of the country is referred to as the Bible belt largely because of a strong Reformed presence. “The characteristics in the middle of the country are different from the north because of this Reformed background,” said Boerrigter. In more recent times, Baptists have begun to spread to other

parts of the country, partly due to economics. As coal mines opened up in the south, northerners, including Baptists, migrated there, seeking employment, taking their faith with them, resulting in the establishment of new Baptist congregations. Current Dutch Baptists see themselves as part of a worldwide

missional movement. “The whole character of mission for Baptists is changing. In the 50s there was a Great Awakening where a lot of people came to faith. These people formed the churches,” said Boerrigter. These persons, now 70-90 years old, form a significant portion of the membership among Dutch Baptists. Persons over

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Top: Dutch Baptist union General Secretary Albrecht Boerrigter (center back) with other Dutch Baptist leaders and workers

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