Rev. John Vanderbom (1913-1992) was a Dutch-born Australian Reformed pastor. He was born in the Netherlands and migrated to Australia in 1951. His parish originally centred on Sydney but extended from Brisbane to the Victorian border. He later worked in southern Tasmania.
After completing his theological studies in the Netherlands, he was ordained as a minister in the Reformed Church in Australia and served in pastoral ministry until his passing.
He was widely respected for his dedicated church, social, and ecumenical work, both within the Reformed Church in Australia and in broader Christian circles in Australia and beyond.
He was the joint first editor of the Church publication “Trowel and Sword” and wrote most of the “Kleine Krant”, an insert that helped the Church’s migrant members to stay in touch with the Netherlands church and society.
Rev. Vanderbom served on various church committees and played a key role in the development of the church’s theological education program.
In addition to his pastoral work, Rev. Vanderbom was always involved in Bible promotion and
mission work, particularly in Indonesia. He served in several interchurch roles and was noted for the bridges he built to other church leaders in his community.
See also:
‘John Vanderbom’, Australian Dictionary of Evangelical Biography
