Article
Presbyterian and Reformed polity compared
Both are governed by elders, both call ministers through the congregation and both guard the church with confessions. The differences are in the status of the wider assemblies, the minister’s membership and the way ordination works.
By reformededucation.org · Written 2026-09-30
What they share
Presbyterian and continental Reformed churches both reject government by a single bishop and government by the congregation alone. Both are ruled by elders elected by the congregation, and both use a confession as their standard: the Westminster Standards among Presbyterians, the Three Forms of Unity among continental Reformed.
Side by side
| Question | Presbyterian (for example the OPC) | Continental Reformed (for example the URCNA) |
|---|---|---|
| How is the church described? | One church governed by a series of courts. | Local churches united in a federation of churches, meeting in broader assemblies. |
| Local governing body | Session | Consistory (council) |
| Wider bodies | Presbytery and general assembly, both courts; some churches add a synod. | Classis and synod, described as broader assemblies. |
| Are the wider bodies permanent? | Presbytery is a continuing court. | Classis and synod “exist only when meeting by delegation”; only the consistory continues. |
| Named offices | Teaching elder (minister), ruling elder, deacon. | Minister, elder, deacon (URCNA); the Church Order of Dort also names professors. |
| Who calls a minister? | The congregation, by vote; the presbytery approves the call. | The council elects after the congregation’s advice; classis delegates examine him. |
| Who ordains? | The presbytery that examined him. | The calling church, with ministers present and the elders laying on hands, after the classis examination. |
| Minister’s membership | A member of the presbytery. | Serves as part of the local consistory. |
| Source of authority for assemblies | The courts rule with the authority of Scripture under the church’s constitution. | Decisions “derive their authority from their conformity to the Word of God”. |
The heart of the difference
Presbyterians stress that the church is one and is governed in one system of courts, so a presbytery can act for the whole church in its region. Continental Reformed churches stress that the elder’s office is local, so the broader assemblies are meetings of churches that cannot rule over them.
How big a difference is it?
It is easy to overstate. The URCNA’s own principles call Reformed government ‘presbyterial’, and churches in both families share elders, confessions, discipline and a high view of the church. Some Reformed and Presbyterian bodies have worked together for decades. Still, the differences affect practice: who examines a minister, who holds him accountable, how a dispute is settled and how much authority a regional body has.
Sources and limits
The Presbyterian column follows the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Form of Government, and the Reformed column follows the URCNA Church Order and the Church Order of Dort. Other churches in each family differ in detail. A secondary discussion of these differences appears in a Puritan Board thread, which I used only as a pointer.
Related articles
Sources
- www.opc.org/BCO/FG.html
- www.urcna.org/church-order
- heidelblog.net/2012/09/church-order-of-dort-1619/
- puritanboard.com/threads/what-is-the-difference-in-polity-between-the-continental-reformed-and-presbyterians.94424/
Written for this site. It describes the two systems as their own governing documents state them and does not settle debates between churches. Always read your own church’s book of order.