Classis of Amsterdam

A "classis" is a church governing body made up of delegates, usually ministers, elders, or occasionally deacons, from a group of churches within a geographical area. It has authority to make binding decisions on issues that concern its churches. The classis of Amersterdam governed the Dutch Reformed Churches that sprang up in the colony of New Netherlands in the 17th century. When that colony came under English control and became New York, the English allowed the Dutch Reformed Churches to continue under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the classis of Amersterdam. In 1679, the classis of Amersterdam allowed the formation of a colonial classis with restricted power to govern these far-flung churches.

"Classis." Christian Reformed Church. http://www.crcna.org/welcome/christian-reformed-church-governance/classis; "Reformed Church in America." Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/495619/Reformed-Church-in-America.