Church Authority

Reformed ecclesiology is grounded in the sovereignty of Christ as the sole head of the church. Christ governs his church through Scripture, not through a pope or magisterium. Church governance follows a presbyterial-synodical structure in most Continental Reformed bodies: local congregations are governed by a consistory (council of pastor and elders), which is accountable to a broader classis (regional assembly), which is in turn accountable to a synod or general assembly. The Belgic Confession (Articles 30–32) and the Church Order of Dort (1619) specify this polity.

Reformed churches universally reject the jurisdictional authority of the papacy as unscriptural. The marks of the true church, per the Belgic Confession (Article 29), are the pure preaching of the Gospel, the right administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline. The Westminster Confession (Chapter XXV) similarly defines the church by Word, sacrament, and discipline. Elders (both teaching elders/ministers and ruling elders) govern together; no single individual holds monarchical authority over the church.