The URCNA has grown from the earlier Protestant movements in Europe of the 16th and 17th century, and also from Reformed churches in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The URCNA subscribes to three confessions of faith: the Canons of Dordt, written in 1618 and 1619 by an international group of Reformed churches, the Belgic Confession, written by Guido de Bres in the mid-1500s, and the Heidelberg Catechism, formally attributed to Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus in the city of Heidelberg, Germany.

[3] The URCNA church order outlines the duties of the three ecclesiastical offices of ministers, elders, and deacons within the denomination.

Periodically, delegates from each consistory will attend a regional classis or a denomination-wide synod to discuss matters pertaining to the entire denomination.

The URCNA practices infant baptism and requires a public profession of faith once members are spiritually mature (usually between the ages of 16-19).

After members make this public profession of faith, they may partake of the Lord's Supper and are eligible to vote within the church.

URCNA churches can be found in 22 US states, mostly in the Upper Midwest (Iowa and Michigan) and California, and in six Canadian Provinces, mostly in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

As of 2018, the churches have grown, mostly through additional members leaving the CRCNA in the late 1990s, to 130 congregations spread across the United States and Canada, with 25,288 members, 198 ministers, and 8 Classes (Michigan, Central US, Eastern US, Southwest US, Pacific Northwest, Ontario East, Southwestern Ontario, Western Canada) in 2021.