Reformed Church.—This religious organization arose as the result of the Protestant reformation. Of the bodies that trace their origin to this movement, the Swiss, Dutch and some German came to be known as Reformed; the Scotch and English as Presbyterians; the French as Huguenots and some of the minor sections of Bohemia and Hungary preserved their national names. This faith was brought to the American colonies by the early settlers and as a result four Reformed churches became established; two trace their origin to Holland; one to the German Palatinate, and one to Hungary. The first church established by the Dutch was at New Amsterdam in 1628, where the greatest number of Hollanders lived. Later, a German colony, driven from the Palatinate by persecutions, settled in Pennsylvania and New York, and in time spread westward. The New York church was first known as the Reformed Dutch church but later adopted the name of the Reformed Church of America. As the immigration of Dutch increased congregations were formed on Long Island and on the Hudson, where some of the churches are still in existence. The church established by the Germans in Pennsylvania and New York was first called the German Reformed church, then the name was changed to the Reformed Church in the United States. The third body is known as the Christian Reformed church and the fourth is called the Hungarian (Magyar) Reformed church. When first established each of these churches clung to its ancestral language, but as conditions changed English became used and is generally accepted at the present day.

The Reformed church was established in Kansas in the '80s by settlers who came from the eastern states and who had there belonged to these denominations. In 1890 there were 29 church organizations with a total membership of 1,139. During the next fifteen years the number of organizations decreased, while the membership increased. Only 16 organizations were reported in 1906, but the membership was 1,415.