In the Reformed Protestant churches, a regional governing body or assembly of ministers and elders; from Latin, a military unit or social class.
From Latin 'classis' meaning a group, class, or military unit (originally a group of Roman citizens or soldiers). Used in ecclesiastical contexts for church governance.
The word 'classis' shows how Roman military organization shaped everything afterward—even Reformed churches borrowed the Roman army's hierarchical structure for their church governance.
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