The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-16
new JERSEY RELIGIONS.
Peculiar Features DeVe1-
oped by the Census
Investigation.
THE THREE REF0R MED CHURCHES
The Jews Well Represented-Mauy
sects That Are Little Known.

New jersey takes batter TO new iDven-
lions thar it does to new religions. While
there are a number of the minor divisions
of Prot stantism hidden away in some OF
the remote corners of the State, the older
religions flourish aud grow apace with
the increasing population. There are,
however. enough OF the ecclesiastical
organizations whose doctrine andachutch
polity are not well known to the present
generation 10 make an enumeration Of
them Necessary. DIR, H. x. Carroll, who
has been gathering the facts and figures
about churches and religious bodies for
Superintendent Porter's census, has ttbu-
lated mucn useful Information about
CHRISTIAN bodies that are botn Instructive
and educational, The recent bulletins of
church statistics show that New Jersey
has been the fighting ground Of some
pious and eccentric people.
The DunkafuS and the Mormons still
flourish in the State. according to tue new
census figures. Tue Second Adventists,
the Disciples of Christ. ethe Christians
and Seven Day Baptists are struggling
for an existence in a State that gives a
preference for the older and larger
church bodies. A study of these church
bulletins shows some Interesting facts
about the Jews OF New Jersey and the
strength OF their several branches. There
is no longer any reason to doubt that the
Quakers are fast losing their ideutity
aud being absorbed Into other religious
bodies. The Salvation Army. according
$40 WY, aud the Chinese have uot yet
reared a single Joss house. Dreterring to
Journey over the Hudson River to Mott
street. While all facts about the nan
subdivisions of the large colored church
bodies are not yet at hand IN bulletins OF
| <no ~a.r., baN To - @tr knr-nunr ~.
show on what slight pretexts new church
organizations have been set up.
Il REFORMED CHURCHES.
No bulletin Is so interesting as the one
which deals with the Reformed churches,
ono branch of which Is strong in the
State. IL shows that there are three
branches, all represented in New Jersey.
The Reformed Church In America mas a
strong following aud an interesting his
tory, The church was organized III New
Amsterdam in 1928 and WIS called the
Reformed Church In Holland. some
| years later It had a footh0ld here among
the Dutch immigrants that settled along
| Long Island and New Jersey. Some 81
| these separate church organizations are
now two centuries old.
III present ecclesiastical government
of the church Was perfected In 1893. The
church has not grown much during the
past century. because the stream OF Dutch
ulLuikkdttOb CO0cOu W INV Ala tAto SV0p~
| try ana the Dutch language ceased to be
used In worship. Ii has gained lately in
| the West because of the new immigration
to the State of Michigan aud beyond.
Tnere are now In New jersey l24 organi-
z~atious, representing a membership OF
24,G37. This membership extends over
eleven counties, with tue strongest fol-
lowing in Bergen county. where there
| are z, 1877 wofshippers who kneel in twenty
Two churches. They haye two minor
ecclesiastical divisions, known as tue
Bergen and South Bergen Chassis.
In Essex county there are fifteen Or
ganizatlons, and 1865 members. Their
church property Is valued at $500, 900.
which is larger than that In Bergen
county, which is S176, 900.
HUDSON'S FIGURES.
Hudson county has twenty organizes
tious, with a membership OF 4. 1874. There
are other churches scattered through the
Stale. Union has three. and a member
snip of 635; Sussex. tive; membership
1877.
In Somerset, where there are many old
Dutch families, IL is still one of the lead
ing church bodies. There are ~ organi-
cations that have 81 churches, 4,30O mem
bers and property worth SILL 800. The
church is not as strong IN this county as
it was, for some of the churches ars not
used. and there is a seating capacity of
IL, 900, but only 1900 members to sit in
them.
The membership In other counties 10 as
follows:-Huuterdon, 1,506; Middlesex,
1852; Monmouth, 1,342; Morris, 201; Pas
| sale, 3,609. The total number of church
editices III the State Is 155. but there are
only 124 church organizations. the seat
ing capacity Of all these buildings is Co.,
| AS, and the number of communicates
| over one-half less. The church property
is valued at So, 091 ,029.
yNhijo fho Rafnpp, Ghrrnf in a m olsiNo
is strong above Middlesex there Is none of
it below that county. In the lower part
of the stale will be found the Reformed
Church in the United States. There ia
| some doctrinal difference between THESE
tween these two bodies. The Re-
formed Church in America is q distinctly
Calvinlstic body. 1t accepts the Apos-
| tolic, Nlcene n Athanasian creeds. the
| canons of the Synod of bort aud Heldel-
| berg Catechism. The Reformed Church
of the United States accepts the Heldel-
berg Catechism with the AugusLinian
idea respecting the doctrine OF natural
cepravilv and salvation by free grace
| alone. 1t would take a t~heologlan to see
| the line that separates them. Their adj
| herents are not fron Holland, but Gsc-
many, and their following III New Jersey
is confined to Atlantic, Gloucester and
Mlddlesex counties. There are S5U COM
| municants, divided In five church organ
izatious. the largest being In Middlesex
county, where the membership is $50, u
b Two churches are valued at S2O. Ouo.
In Atlantic county there are two small
churches at Egg Harbor. having 50
worshippers and property valued at SO 70Q.
In Gloucester a single church with 55
members.
In three counties where the Holland he
form church is strongest there Is auother
| body known as the Christian Reform
church. They rave thirteen churches III
| Bergen. Morris and Passaic counties.
| They are are d branch Of the Holland
/ church, having split Of In 1885 because
Of dissatisfaction with the prevailing
tone Of doctrinal teaching aud the churcn
| government. They have III all 12.470
members In the Uuited States, and 1898
III New Jersey. In Bergen s churches auu
I 469 wvrsnippers; Morris, | cnurch and 70
members, aud Passaic 4 churches aud S34
members.
H STRENGTH OF JEWS.
The Jews Of New Jersey have twenty
four organlzations scattered throughout
| the State, and while the total member-
| ship is put down at 1870 this does not
| rep esent all who gather in the syna-