Check.Church

Reformed

Reformed and Presbyterian · 1519–1536 · Switzerland; France, Netherlands, Scotland; worldwide

The Swiss reformation, begun independently of Luther under Zwingli in Zurich and consolidated by Calvin in Geneva; parent of the Presbyterian, Huguenot, and Dutch Reformed streams. A sibling of the Lutheran branch, not its child.

Reformed was formed between 1519 and 1536, as a process rather than a single event. Reformed continues today. Reformed's institutional line runs back through Roman Catholicism to the post-apostolic church. No body on this tree is the assembly of Acts 2; where a body claims that, the claim appears in the claimed-lineage layer.

Between the post-apostolic church and Reformed stand 2 divisions along the institutional line, counting separations and disputed forks, not mergers, renewals or national organizations.

At a glance

Formed
Between 1519 and 1536, as a process rather than a single event
Family
Reformed and Presbyterian
Region
Switzerland; France, Netherlands, Scotland; worldwide
Key figures
Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, Heinrich Bullinger, John Knox
Cause tags
Doctrine, Governance
Also known as
Calvinist; Presbyterian (via Scotland); Zwinglian

What it separated from

Bodies organized out of it or separated from it: Anabaptist, Church of Scotland, Reformed Church of France (Huguenots), Dutch Reformed Church, United Church of Christ, Church of South India, Church of North India, United Church of Christ in Japan, Evangelical United Brethren Church.

On the tree

Reformed and its institutional line back to the post-apostolic churchAD 33today10042443145110541519152515591560157819411946194719571970The post-apostolic church (The spine)The post-apostolicchurchThe spineChurch of the East (Church of the East)Church of the EastChurch of the EastThe conciliar church (The spine)The conciliar churchThe spineThe Chalcedonian church (The spine)The Chalcedonian churchThe spineOriental Orthodoxy (Oriental Orthodox)Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxEastern Orthodoxy (Eastern Orthodox)Eastern OrthodoxyEastern OrthodoxRoman Catholicism (Catholic)Roman CatholicismCatholicReformed (Reformed and Presbyterian)ReformedReformed and PresbyterianAnabaptist (Anabaptist)AnabaptistAnabaptistReformed Church of France (Huguenots) (Reformed and Presbyterian)Reformed Church ofFrance (Huguenots)Reformed and PresbyterianChurch of Scotland (Reformed and Presbyterian)Church of ScotlandReformed and PresbyterianDutch Reformed Church (Reformed and Presbyterian)Dutch Reformed ChurchReformed and PresbyterianUnited Church of Christ in Japan (United and uniting churches)United Church of Christin JapanUnited and uniting churchesEvangelical United Brethren Church (Methodist)Evangelical UnitedBrethren ChurchMethodistChurch of South India (United and uniting churches)Church of South IndiaUnited and uniting churchesUnited Church of Christ (United and uniting churches)United Church of ChristUnited and uniting churchesChurch of North India (United and uniting churches)Church of North IndiaUnited and uniting churches

Solid lines are separations and unions; dashed lines are renewals that began inside a body; dotted gray lines are national organizations of one communion; a diamond marks a fork event where neither side is drawn as the one that left. Every line runs back to the post-apostolic church; no body descends from the assembly of Acts 2.

Sources

Research compiled July 2026. Page data built 2026-10-10.