Synod
a meeting or assembly of ecclesiastical persons for mutual deliberation on matters of difficulty or of general interest affecting the churches over which they rule and designed for their guidance. In the early Church there were four kinds of synod. First, an Ecumenical, that is, a General or Universal Synod, commonly called a General Council; second, a National Synod, attended by the clergy of one nation only; third, a Provincial Synod, attended by the clergy of a province; and fourth a Diocesan Synod, attended by the clergy of a single diocese. Among the Presbyterians a synod is a court of review consisting of ministers and elders of contiguous congregations. The supreme council of the church is the General Assembly.