consistory

Consistory is a term with several related meanings in Christian contexts, derived from the Latin consistorium, meaning a place or body where people stand together. It generally denotes a formal council, assembly, or governing body connected to the church.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a consistory is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals convened by the Pope. Its uses include governance, the annunciation of important decisions, and most notably the creation of new cardinals, which is often described as a consistory for the creation of cardinals. Consistories can be public or private and may address a range of papal affairs.

InReformed and historically Protestant contexts, a consistory refers to the local church governing body. Typically composed of pastors and lay elders, the consistory oversees church discipline, worship, doctrine, and administration of property and finances. It may have authority to admonish or discipline members and to implement decisions made by higher church authorities.

Historically, the term also appeared in German-speaking regions and other parts of Europe to denote church councils or magistrates with ecclesiastical responsibilities. In English ecclesiastical law, the term has appeared in references to ecclesiastical courts, such as the consistory court, which handles certain church-related matters within a diocese, including probate and discipline of parish affairs.

Overall, consistory denotes an organized, formal body or assembly linked to church governance, whether in the central authority of the Catholic hierarchy or in the local governance structures of Reformed churches.