Back سينودوس Arabic Sinod Azerbaijani Сінод Byelorussian Сынод BE-X-OLD খ্রিস্টীয় ধর্মসভা Bengali/Bangla Sínode Catalan Synod Czech Synode Danish Synode (Gremium) German Σύνοδος (εκκλησιαστική) Greek
A synod (/ˈsɪnəd/) is a council of a Christian denomination. They are usually convened to decide an issue which has caused problems. The word synod comes from the Ancient Greek σύνοδος (synodus) 'assembly, meeting'. This is like the Latin word concilium 'council'. Originally, synods were meetings of bishops. The word is still used in that sense in Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not. It is also sometimes used to refer to a church that is governed by a synod.
Sometimes the phrase "general synod" or "general council" refers to an ecumenical council. The word synod also refers to the standing council of high-ranking bishops governing some of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. The day-to-day governance of patriarchal and major archiepiscopal Eastern Catholic Churches is done by a permanent synod.