The DRC church membership grew rapidly, and in the 18th century there were over 53,000 members in Colombo and 200,000 in Jaffna.

When the island become a British colony, many Dutch ministers left, and the church system collapsed.

In the 19th and 20th centuries DRC church membership consisted of the Burghers, a Dutch word for citizens.

But in the 19th century membership begin to broaden, with separate Tamil and Singhala congregations being formed.

[3][4] Over the past years attempts have been made to increase church membership through evangelism.