Gijsbert Haan ( or Gysbert Haan ) ( January 3 , 1801 - July 27 , 1874 ) was the leader of the 1857 Secession of Dutch-Americans from the Reformed Church in America . He was the creator of the Christian Reformed Church in the United States and Canada . Gijsbert Haan or alternate spelling Gysbert Haan ( January 3 , 1801 - July 27 , 1874 ) was the leader in the 1857 Secession of Dutch-Americans from the Reformed Church in America , and the creator of the Christian Reformed Church in the United States and Canada .