Partial oxidation, $CO_2$ reforming and the oxidative $CO_2$ reforming of $CH_4$ to produce synthesis gas over supported Ni hydrotalcite-type ($Ni_{0.5}Ca_{2.5}Al$ catalyst) catalysts were carried out and the effects of metal supports (i.e.; Mg and Ca) on the formation of a stable double-layer structure on the catalysts were evaluated. The $CH_4$ reforming stability was determined to be affected by the differences in the interaction strength between the active Ni ions and support metal ions. Only a Ni-Mg-Al composition produced a highly stable hydrotalcite-type double-layered structure; while the Ni-Ca-Al-type composition did not. Such structure provides excellent stability for the catalyst (-80% efficiency) as confirmed by the long-term $CO_2$ reforming test (-100 h), while the Ni-Ca-Al catalyst exhibited deactivation phases starting at the beginning of the reaction. The interaction strength between the active metal (Ni) and the supporting components (Mg and Al) was determined by temperature-programed reduction (TPR) analyses. The affinity was also confirmed by the TPR temperature because the Ni-Mg-Al catalyst required a higher temperature to reduce the Ni relative to the Ni-Ca-Al catalyst. The highest initial activity for synthesis gas production was observed for the $Ni_{0.5}Ca_{2.5}Al$ catalyst; however, this activity decreased quickly due to coke formation. The $Ni_{0.5}Ca_{2.5}Al$ catalyst exhibited a high reactivity and was more stable than the other catalysts because it had a higher resistance to coke formation.