Church government
The Reformed Churches of New Zealand are a federation of local churches. Each local congregation is ruled by elders and deacons who together form the session of the church. Matters that are of common interest to our churches are discussed at a regional level (presbytery), which meets quarterly.
Every three years two representatives of each church’s session meet together for a national synod. Our most recent Synod took place in June 2016, and our next Synod is scheduled to take place in 2017.
Christ has commanded his church to maintain unity, not only within the congregation but also among the churches. It is our duty to maintain close fellowship with our brothers and sisters in other congregations of Christ. In order to do this in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40) we have adopted an agreed set of rules called the “Church Order”.
The Church Order specifies how we have agreed to regulate our organisation and activities so that we may fulfil our calling according to the Scriptures and the Reformed confessions. The topics covered in the Church Order include: the offices of the church, the assemblies of the church, the supervision of public worship, and christian discipline.
The following publications may also be of interest to you: