Anton Williams Holding Co/GMNF Missions forum: Grand Rapids MI leads US in Reformed Adherents

A new forum that was jointly created by the Anton Williams Holding Company of Kalamazoo MI and GMNF Global Missions of Grand Rapids MI discussed the implications of a new study showing that the Grand Rapids Michigan metro area is the leading metro in the United States for the percentage of adherents Reformed Christian tradition

Analysis of 2020 religion census data from ADRA shows that Grand Rapids MI metro held the largest percentage of Christians who adhere to the Reformed tradition. Data from other sources mentioned at the forum gives some explanation that supported the research.

The two largest Protestant denominations in the region, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) accounted for the bulk of the adherents. Grand Rapids MI metro serves as a base for denominational headquarters for at least 7 different Reformed denominations. The Alliance of Reformed Churches which split from the RCA, also has a sizable percentage of adherents living in the Grand Rapids MI metro. Many of the CRC and RCA denominational agencies and institutions are also centered in the Grand Rapids area. This includes the affiliated Hope College and Western Theological Seminary for the RCA and Calvin University as well as Calvin Seminary for the CRC. The forum discussed practical ways of advancing the Reformed denominations and its institutions. Fuller Theological Seminary which has many connections to the CRC and RCA has the largest amount of alumni serving in the Grand Rapids MI metro of any seminary excluding the locally based institutions according to LinkedIn data. Fuller's 2021 annual report showed that the institution is multi denominational but leans Presbyterian/Reformed with at least 960 students within the tradition.

 Many of the RCA and CRC institutions have their own partnerships and cross training resources with Fuller Seminary.

Anton R. Williams, the owner of the Anton Williams Holding Company and GMNF Missions, is also a member of the Christian Reformed Church. He's a 9th generation business owner whose lineage includes the very unique situation of a mixed race slave owner and heir Archie P Williams who became a millionaire via inheritance of the family business as well as the great grandfather of Anton who was Archie J Williams. The latter expanded business functions of the family. The Anton Williams Holding Company is a continuation of the agricultural, timber, real estate as well as oil and gas businesses.

https://gmnf-inc.org

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GMNF Global Mission Society is a social services organization with a focus on homeless, orphan, prison, elderly care, medical, education, food and other services

This release was published on openPR.