The Company of Pastors or Venerable Company (French: ''Compagnie des pasteurs'') is an organization, comparable to a classis, of ministers and

deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

of the Protestant Church of Geneva. It was established as part of the implementation of

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

's ''

Ecclesiastical Ordinances An ordinance or ecclesiastical ordinance is a type of law, legal instrument, or by-law in the canon law of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and in Calvinism. Anglican Communion In the Anglican Communion, particularly the American Ep ...

'' in 1541 and originally consisted of the ministers of Geneva's three city churches and a dozen countryside parishes. It met every Friday morning to examine candidates for ministry and discuss the theological and practical business of the church. In 1559 professors of the Genevan Academy were made members of the company. The company's powers were drastically reduced in the nineteenth century.

References

Calvinist organizations established in the 16th century Religious organizations established in the 1540s Organisations based in Geneva {{calvinism-stub