Another obstructive influence, which co-oper ated all too well with the injurious tendencies already noted, was the propaganda of many leading Episcopalians, crafty or aggressive, per suasive or argumentative, but at all times per sistent, which often triumphed, in capturing from the Dutch Church many of her most wealthy and influential communicants. Yet an other influence, most lamentable of all in its injury of vital interests, was the long aCoetus Conferentie" controversy, which seriously crip pled and divided the Church from 1755 to 1771. Harmony was at last restored through the wise and gracious activities of Dr. John Henry Livingstone. He was a graduate of Yale Col lege, and later of the theological department of the University of Utrecht, Holland; and he brought with him, as a Dutch doctor of divinity set apart by the Classis of Amsterdam as min ister of the Collegiate Church of New York, a most valuable content of influence in the approving counsels and hearty co-operation of the churches -of Holland in his plan for re conciliation and peace. (The adoption of the Plan of Union virtually removed the Ameri can Church from the jurisdiction of the Classis of Amsterdam; 21 years later absolute inde pendence came with the new constitution). Dr. lzvingstone later in life was professor of the ology in the New Brunswick Theological Semi nary for many years (1784-1825), and 15 years before his death he was also elected president of Rutgers College. Long-cherished plans for a Church college were realized when Governor Franklin granted a charter in 1766; but Queens College (later Rutgers) was organized under a second and improved charter in 1770, and was permanently located in New Brunswick, N. J. Besides the theological seminary at New Bruns wick, the Reformed Church has a second theo logical seminary at Holland, Mich., and a third in connection with the Arcot Mission of the Reformed Church in India.
Near the middle of the 19th century there was an extensive immigration from Holland to Michigan and the neighboring States; and the rapid growth of this large Holland colony led to the founding of Holland Academy; which afterward so steadily prospered that it was chartered as Hope College in 1866. Youngest of the colleges of the Church is Central College, located at Pella, Iowa, which, after 63 years of work under the auspices of the Baptists, was transferred to the control of the Reformed Church in 1916. A board of 'education was established in 1828 with the design of aiding the most desirable young men in preparing for the ministry; and in 1865 the board was em powered by General Synod to aid the Classes of the Church in establishing academies and classical schools. Since 1844 the board of do mestic missions has done efficient work in strengthening feeble churches and in supporting infant churches. With several other denomi nations the Reformed Church was associated in the foreign missionary work of the Ameri can Board from 1832 to 1857; since then it has had its own separate missionary work with special responsibility for fields in India, China, Japan and Arabia.
In government the Reformed Church in America is Presbyterian; in public worship the use of the Liturgy is optional, with the excep tion of the Offices for Baptism, the Lord's Supper and ordination of ministers, elders and deacons.
In 1792 the constitution of the American Church was formed, the 84 articles of the Synod of Dort being enlarged by adding explanatory articles, more perfectly adapting the church law of the older Church to the requirements of modern Christian life in the anew world.' During the last 10 years also many constitutional changes, in form or in sub stance, have been proposed, discussed, modified and finally ratified. Four officers of the Church are recognized: ministers of the Word, pro fessors of theology, elders and deacons. The judicatories of the Church are also four: the Consistory, the Classis, the Particular Synod and the General Synod. The Consistory of each church includes the minister with the elders and deacons in active service; the elders being charged with spiritual functions and the deacons with the care of the poor; the Consistory are usually the sole trustees of church property; the elders and deacons are elected by the church members for a term of two years; and rotation in office changes half the Consistory each year; the great Consistory is an advisory body of elders and deacons formerly in service. The Classis must have not less than three min isters and three elders, representing at least three churches; it meets twice a year to license, ordain, install, dismiss, suspend or depose min isters, and legislate on the affairs of the churches, trying cases appealed from them. The Particular Synod has jurisdiction over its con stituent Classes, forms new Classes or transfers from one to another, and decides cases of appeal; it meets once a year and is composed of four ministers and four elders from each Classis. The General Synod, the court of final appeal, convenes early in June of each year; has jurisdiction over the entire Church; has a representation of at least two ministers and two elders from each Classis; and sends down to the Classes proposed and desirable changes in the constitution of the Church, to be finally decided for or against by their majority vote. In 1918 the Reformed Church in America had one General Synod, four Particular Synods, 38 Classes, 730 churches and 759 ministers, with 132,937 communicants. Consult Miller, 'Life and Writings of Wessel Gansfort' (1917) • Kettlewell, A'Kempis and the Breth: ren of the Common Life' (1882) ; Hansen, Church in the Netherlands' (1884) ; Demarest, 'Reformed Church in America' (1889) ; (Centennial Discourses on the Re formed Church) (1876); (Centennial of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary) (1884) ; Corwin, (Manual of the Reformed (4th ed., 1902) - Corwin, of Constitu tional and Synodal Legislation of the Reformed Church in America> (1906).